Wine Culture Final Exam
What is the difference between red and white wines vinification process?
*focus on the red* - In red wine the seeds and skins are left on throughout the fermentation process to extract tannins, anti-oxidants, color and flavor
Which type of wine can be the perfect accompaniment throught the meal?
- A classic method sparkling wine - Balances everything and cleanses the palate
What is champagne and how is it made?
- A sparkling white wine from the Champagne region in France - Made from white grapes, fermented in a large steel tank, then it is blended with yeast and sugar then put back into the bottle to undergo a second fermentation. The bottle is then tilted upside down at an angle so the sediment from the yeast and sugar collect at the neck. After aging the neck is frozen and the sediments are removed then it is re-corked.
What should be the main goal in pairing food and wine?
- Enhancing the flavors of both the food and the wine - Harmony between food and wine
Five Main Styles of Wine
-Red wines -White wines -Rose wines -Dessert/fortified wines -Sparkling wines
Sangiovese Grapes
-Sangiovese grosso -Sangiovese piccolo
Body Analysis Components
-Thin, weak, full, vigorous, heavy
What is Italy's wine denomination system?
-Vino da tavola: no strict rules or regulations regarding region or grape variety IGT: a few rules and regulations regarding region the are produced in DOC: stricter rules and regulations on the region, grapes, and production DOCG: very strict rules and regulations on the region it was produced in, the amount and types of grapes in the wine
Traditional Organic Biodynamic
-Wineries that produce certified organic wine cannot use toxic pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers to grow grapes -an organic vineyard will fertilize crops with compost, compost teas, green manure, and cover crops -certified organic wine doesn't use any genetically modified organisms (GMOS) -- GMO yeast is allowed in conventional wines -Don't contain sulphites -Biodynamic farming techniques use a vineyards natural resources to cultivate grapes without pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers or growth stimulants
Sicily
-central mediterranean -capital city: Palermo -Nerello Mascalese: major grape variety
Sangiovese
-central part of Italy -California and Washington -Argentina -Australia -Tuscany: best terroir
Tuscany
-central part of italy -capital is Florence
Terroir
-ecosystem -all the different factors can influence the growing of the berries and the making of the wine
Final Analysis Components
-evolutionary state --immature, young, ready, mature, old -harmony --disharmonious, quite harmonious, harmonious
Base Wine 2 Characteristics
-high acidity -low alcohol
Olfactory Analysis Components
-intensity -complexity -quality -description
Wine Components - The Foundation for a match with primary components in a particular food
-level of sweetness -level of acidity -effervescence
Wine Texture
-level of tannins -level of alcohol -oak -overall body
Food Texture
-level of: 1-10 --fattiness --oiliness --succulence -other factors --cooking method overall body
Visual Analysis Components
-limpidity -color -consistency -effervescence (bubbles)
Blanc de Noir
-means just 100% pinot noir
Piedmont "foot of the mountain"
-northwest side of Italy -has 8 main provinces
Gustative Analysis Components
-softness --sweetness (dry-excessively sweet) --alcohols (light-warm-alcholoic) --poly-alcohol (sharp-soft-velvetey) -roughness --acidity (flat-fresh-acidilous) --tannicity (flabby-tannic-astringent) --saltiness (tasteless-tasty-salty) -balance -intensity -complexity (short-persistent-very persistent) -quality (coarse-fine-excellent)
Food Components (basic elements)
-sweet -sour -salt -bitter -umami
Difference between charmat method and classic method
-the major difference in charmat and classic method is the removal of the individual bottle as the vessel used to turn a still wine into a sparkling one. -in charmat, they are base wine + sugar + yeast into a large tank, bottled without aging
Barbaresco vs. Barolo
-the soils in barbaresco are mostly limestone-based soils, which means less tannin -Barbaresco tend to have less tannin, color, and phenolics (aka aroma compounds) -Barbaresco wines are usually lighter tasting and less tannic than barolo
Food and Wine flavors
-types -length after taste
Charmat Method (Sparkling Wine)
-used for Prosecco Base wine + sugar + yeast -> 2nd fermentation -> filtering -> dosage -> bottling
Classic Method (Sparkling Wine)
-used for champagne
11 rules
1) food sweetness level should be less than or equal to wine sweetness level 2) food acidity level should be less than or equal to wine acidity level 3) highly salty foods work better with wines that have high effervescence 4) the negative impact of bitter foods is lessened when combined with wines of moderate to high levels of effervescence 5) wine tannins level should be equal to animal-based food fattiness level 6) wine acidity level should be equal to vegetable-based food fattiness level 7) wine overall body should be equal to food overall body 8) food spiciness should be equal to wine spiciness 9) spicy food should be paired with off-dry, acidic white wines 10) wine and food flavor intensity should be equal 11) wine and food flavor persistency should be equal
Food Pairings Basic Guidelines
1) subjective 2) tradition 3) seasonal 4) emotional 5) technical/logical -culture vs. scientific
Wine sensory pyramid
Components: Dryness, Sweetness, Acidity, Effervescence Texture: Tannins, Alcohol, Oaky, Overall body Flavor: Type, Intensity, Persistency, Spiciness
Food sensory pyramid
Components: Sweet, Sour (acidity), Salty, Texture: Fattiness, Cooking method, Overall body Flavors: Type, Intensity, Persistency, Spiciness
Classic Method (Sparkling Wine)
Cuvee -> tirage -> aging -> riddling/disgorging -> dosage
The Italian Classification System
DOCG DOC IGT Table Wine
Know Your Favorite Wine Tasted in Class
Muller Thurgau - Valle Isarco 2016 Winery: Alois Lageder Grape variety: Muller Thurgau -brilliant, crystal clear, straw-yellow with a green shimmer, scarcely consistent -quite intense, quite complex, fine, fruity (apricots, apples), floral, nutmeg -dry, lightly to medium warm, quite soft, quite fresh (smell the sourness), tasty, very refreshing -lightly bodied - weak -its young, don't age this wine -harmonious Age of vines: 7-58 years
Red Wine Process
Picking grapes (mid-august) -> Destemming -> crushing -> sulfating -> alcohol fermentation -> draining-pressing -> blending -> aging -> filtering -> bottling
What are some rules for pairing food and wine?
- Food sweetness should be less or equal to wine sweetness - Food acidity level should be less or equal to the wine acidity level - High salty foods work better with wines that have high effervescence - Bitter foods work better with wines that have high effervescence - Wine tannin levels should be equal to animal based fattiness levels - Wine acidity levels should be equal to veggie based food fattiness levels - Wine overall body should be equal to the foods overall body - Food spiciness should be equal to food spiciness - Spicy food should be paired with off-dry acidic white wines - Food and wine flavor types can be matched using similarity or contrast - Wine and food flavor intensity should be equal - Flavor persistency of wine and food should be equal
Levels of match when pairing food and wine
- No match - Refreshing - Neutral - Good match - Synergistic
What are tannins and in which wines can you find them?
- Tannins come from the red grapes seeds and skins, it is an assortment or yeast, anti-oxidants and other natural minerals within the grape. It makes the mouth feel dry
What is terrior?
- Vine, man, soil, sun - Everything that goes into making the wine and growing the grapes
What is wine and how is it made?
- Wine is fermented grape juice - Sugar plus yeast= fermentation - Grape juice goes through the vinification process and comes out wine
Blanc de blanc
-"white" -means just chardonnay
When was wine created for the first time and where?
-4100 bc in ancient armenia
When wine became part of religion, which one?
-As the Roman Empire adopts the Catholic Church and Christianity, wine becomes a central part of the sacrament.
Sangiovese Different Biotypes
-Biotipi "Chianti" -Biotipi "Montalcino e prugnolo" -Biotipi Morellino -Biotipi Romangnolo -Biotipi Toscano
Sparkling Wine Methods
-Carbonation -*Charmat* -Transfer -*Classic*
Classic Base Wine
-Chardonnay -Pinot Noir -Pinot Meunier
5 Wine Districts in Tuscany
-Chianti -Montalcino -Cortona -Pomino -Grosseto
3 Wine Regions from Piedmont
-Langhe -Monferrato -Roero
International Red Grapes
-Merlot -Cabernet -Sauvignon
3 Grapes from Piedmont
-Nebbiolo (Barolo and Barbaresco) -Barbera -Dolcetto