Prelude to wine

What are the main tastes of wine?

Sweet, sour and sometimes bitter

What is corked wine

A musty aroma caused by the organic compound trichloroanisole smells wet or mildewed cardboard

What does the term "brix" refer to?

A winemakers measure of sugar in grapes

What does "noble rot" refer to?

Botrytis cinerea a type of rot causing a distinctive honey flavor to the grape/wine due to decreased water content

What is the difference between bouquet and aroma

Bouquets total smell of the wine; aroma the smell of the grapes

How is white wine made from red grapes?

By removing the skins immediately after pickling

What is vertical tasting

Comparing wine from different vintages

What is phylloxera?

Grape louse

What are the three sources that go into a wine's flavor?

Grapes, fermentation, maturation and aging

What is terroir?

It is the somewhereness of a particular region or vineyard, including soil makeup and geography; sunlight, weather and climate; rainfall; the natural plant life of the area; and many other elements

How is sulfur dioxide used in winemaking

Natural antioxidant; preservative; disinfectant

Name three grapes that have high tannin?

Nebbiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah/Shiraz

What happens to the color of red wines as they get older

Reds lose color

Where does tannin come from

Skins, pits and stems of the grapes

What is maceration?

Soaking in the mist to extract aromas, tannins and color from the skins

What is the percentage range of alcohol in table wine, sparkling wine and fortified wine?

Table 8-15% sparkling 8-12% fortified wine 17-22%

Define the term chaptalization

The addition of sugar to wine before fermentation therefore yeast can generate more alcohol

What factors can you use when judging if a wine will last more than five years

The color (red longer) and the grape; the vintage; where the wine comes from; how the wine was made vinification (maceration) ; wine storage condition

What is must?

The juice and skin mixture that comes from the grapes

What is residual sugar

The undigested natural sugar left from the grape after fermentation

What does a vintage on a bottle indicate

The year the grapes where harvested

Why should you swirl a wine before smelling it

To allow oxygen to get into the wine and To allow the release of the esters ethers and aldehydes

What species of grape is used to make the most wine?

Vitis vinifera

What happens to the color of white wines as they get older

whites gain color