What is Wine?
What grape is used in Barolo?
Nebbiolo
What grape is used in Chianti?
Sangiovese
What 5 factors set grapes apart from other fruits/sugar sources?
Sugar Acidity Tannins Easy fermentation Biocomplexity
What do tannins do for wine and where on the grape are they found?
Tannins are found in all plant life, but rarely fruit. They give the wine structure and complexity and act as a preservative, adding to wine's ageability. Found on: Skins Grape seeds Stems of clusters
What are the 3 main types of acids present in grapes, and what does acid add to a wine?
Tartaric. Malic. Lactic. Freshness and balance - without it, wine would be flat/flabby.
What is Phyloxera?
A pest that burrows into wine roots, eating and killing them. Nearly destroyed the world of wine. Whoa.
What is the "bloom?"
A powdery waxy coating that covers the surface of the grape. It consists of wild yeast cells waiting to consume the sugar inside, which is why grape juice will naturally ferment.
Name 3 thick-skinned grapes.
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Malbec
What grapes are used in Bordeaux region?
Cabernet Sauvignon* Merlot* Sauvignon Blanc* Cabernet Franc* Malbec Petit Verdot Carmenere Semillon Muscadelle
What gives wine a "buttery" flavor?
Diacetyl - a side product of malolactic fermentation.
What is Viticulture?
How and where the grapes were grown.
Where was the wine grape originally domesticated?
Mesopotamia
What is malic acid?
Metabolizes during ripening, thus is less apparent in wines made from grapes that are more ripening. Translates to green apple flavor.
What grapes are used in Burgundy region?
Pinot Noir Chardonnay Aligote Gamay Noir
Name 3 thin-skinned grapes.
Pinot Noir Nebbiolo Gamay Noir
What is tartaric acid?
The main acid present in wine - contributes to overall tartness with lemon/lime flavors.
What is fermentation?
The process by which yeast turns sugar into alcohol.
Whst is Viniculture?
The techniques of winemaking and ageing.
What affects the color of red wine?
Thickness and color of grape skin.
What is lactic acid?
This acid is transformed from malic acid in a process called "malolactic fermentation." Gives wine a creamy taste with softer acidity.
3 "V" factors that affect a wine's flavor?
Varietal Viticulture Viniculture
What American rootstock is used to graft vinefera vines to protect them from Phylloxera?
Vitis Riparia
What species of grape is most wine made from?
Vitis Vinifera