Wine Science
Terrior
"A Sense of place"
What are vineyards made in alluvial valleys made up of?
"Greywacke" (Sandstone)
Silt
.05 - .002 mm
Sweetness of (Dry) Wine?
1-4g/L residual sugar
Sweetness of (Medium-Dry) Wine?
10-18 g/L sugar
Alcohol level of (Fortified Wine)?
15-20% alcohol
When were they planted in Hawke's Bay?
1851
Sweetness of (Medium-Sweet) Wine?
19-45 g/L sugar
When did Montana plant the first vines in Marlborough
1973
How many years does it take for grapevines to have their first yield?
3 years
Sweetness of (Off-dry) Wine?
5-9 g/L sugar
How long have grape vines been used in comparison to other fruits?
5000 years
Alcohol level of (Table Wine)
8-15% alcohol by volume
How much wines in New Zealand today use screw caps?
90% +
Canopy Managment
A practical methodology to achieve the optimum canopy microclimate so the fruit and leaves obtain the best possible sun exposure and air flow
Roots
Absorb water and nutrients and also store carbohydrates
Aromas in Dessert wines
Added with raisins or grape concentrate gives a caramel-like odour
Woody aroma
Ageing wines in barrels can add a woody aroma
Climate
Annual patterns of temperature, sunlight and rainfall over several years (long term)
Describe the aromas in Chardonnay?
Apple, fig or melon
When are most vines replaced?
At 30-50 years old
How many species of grapevine are there
At least 60
Organics
Avoid use of synthetic chemicals
Romand God?
Bacchus
Aromas in bottled sparkling wines held on the yeast lees?
Biscuity and creamy
Aromas in Cabernet Sauvignon
Black currant, green olive, tomato stalk and mint
Aromas in Syrah
Black pepper, Blackberry
Trellis System 3 main groups
Bush-trained Vertical shoot positioning Big Vine
What does Malolactic fermentation add to aromas
Buttery and nutty aromas
What are the Red Varieties of wine?
Cabernet Savignon Merlot Pinot noir Syrah (Shiraz) Tempranillo Grenache
What can too much sun do to a grape?
Can cause bitterness
White wine colour
Can range from lemon-green to brown
Dormancy (Annual Wine Cycle)
Cannes over-winter
Describe the aromas found in Sauvignon blanc?
Capsicum, fresh-cut asparagus, passion fruit and cat's pee
Bacteria and viruses
Cause systematic diseases
Mouldy off-odour
Caused by mould of grapes
What are the White Varieties of wine?
Chardonnay Sauvignon blanc Riesling Chennin Blanc Pinot gris Gewürztraminer Viognier
Describe aromas in Pinot Noir?
Cherry, Raspbery, plum and herbal
Grape Variety considerations in vineyard management?
Choose a variety suitable for the environment. Any legal restrictions to which vines you can plant
Who invented Campagne
Christopher Merret
What does soil structure depend on
Clay content Calcium and Sodium content Organic matter Soil disturbance
Mesoclimate
Climate of a particular vineyard Differences due to elevation, slope, aspect or moderating factors
Macroclimate
Climate over small or larger areas
Microclimate
Climate within and immediately surrounding a plant canopy
What sensation/temperature is better for white or sparkling wines?
Cold
Physiological Ripeining
Colour changes skins, tannin development
Maritime climate means...
Cool summers and warm winters
When should the yield in the vine management be low
Cool, cloudy, low-nutrient sites
Trellising
Creating the permanent structure of the vine using stakes and wires present in a vineyard
Cuttings
Cuttings are taken from a healthy shoot, planted and start growing a new plant
Why is geology important?
Determines soil type/characteristics Determines climate
Greek God of harvest and winemaking?
Dionysus
When was Sauvignon Blanc first planted
During the 1970s
What do grapevines need glucose for?
Energy To build larger carbohydrates
Who invented the wine connoisseur
England
The Plantagenets
English Kings who controlled much of western France
Why do leaves not warm as much?
Evaporative cooling from transpiration
What can cause cloudiness in a wine?
Faulty winemaking, microbial spoilage, or ageing
What are Amphorae
Fermentation vessels in Rome
Which country has the largest wine production?
France
Noble Rot
Fungus in grapes
What colour do older red wines develop into?
Garnet or tawny
Which white wines show characteristics of linalool and other terpenes?
Gewurtztraminer, Muscat, Muller Thurgau and Riesling
Terroir: How do tool nights affect wine production?
Gives high acidities
Retsina
Greece. Wine with the addition of pine resin
Aperitiff wines
Have herbs and other flavours added. Vermouth (Italy), DuBonnet (France)
Terroir: How does rainfall affect wine production?
High rainfall can cause disease pressure
How does human intervention affect grape vine growth?
If there were no humans grape vines would ripen but not enough for winemaking
20th century technology
Improved vines: better rootstock, disease free vines, drip irrigation Advent of stainless steel allows improved sanitation Introduction of refrigeration means major quality increases and ever larger wineries Advances in education produces better trained winemakers
Slope
Incline of land. Preventing cool air from settling, resulting in enhanced ripening
What other options are available to the wine producer?
Integrated pest management Organics Biodynamics
What is the olfactory region?
It is a very small region located in the upper part of the nose used to detect odours
Sugar Ripening/ Verasion
Jan-Mar
Continental
Largest difference in continentality. Short dry summers, at risk from spring frost
Maritime
Low continentality. Rainfall evenly spaced throughout the year. Risk of rain during harvest period (Auckland)
Mediterranean
Low continentality. Warm dry summers, Low rainfall, risk of drought (Napa Valley)
How do Low temperatures affect CO2
Low temperatures hold CO2 better
Which country has the largest world wine consumption per capita?
Luxembourg
Conglomerate
Made up of pebble fragments greater than a few millimeters in diamter
Sand
Majority of particles between .05 and 2 mm
Which region does Sauvignon Blanc come from?
Marlborough
Loam
Mixture of clay silt and sand
Integrated pest management?
Monitor vineyards ad use chemical sprays only when neccesary
Sunlight
More light= more glucose
VSP
Most common system
Where are most vineyards located in latitude
Most vineyards are between 30 and 50 degrees north and south of the equator
Mouldy off-odour
Mould growth developed
Flowering, fruit set and fruit development
Nov-Dec
Classic approach
Objective, reasoned, or analytical Tasting blind
How much carbon dioxide is in sparkling wine?
Over 1 atmosphere of carbon dioxide
Treatment for pests and diseases
Phylloxera- no cure Nematodes-prevent them by sanitizing soil before planting Birds and mammals- netting, falcons Insects- sprays, traps
Growing environment...
Plants are sessile so the climate, soil and weather directly affect the yield and quality of the fruit produced
How do we measure canopy quality?
Point quadrat Berry Radial techniques Sun-Fleck assessment
Cluster thinning
Post fruit-set Remove less ripe clusters
Red wine temperature...?
Preferred warmer red wines for desirable odours and flavours
Why are vines sheathed with plastic sleeves
Protect from external damage
Name some Business considerations when choosing a proper site for vineyard management?
Proximity to utilities Availability of workforce Accessibility of machinery Finacnes
What colour can young red wines be?
Purple
What colours of wine are there?
Red White Rosé (pink, blush)
"Clones"
Refer to the different plants formed when you take a lot of cuttings and plant them because some will have natural mutaitons
Pruning
Removal of unwanted leaves, canes and permanent wood in either winter or summer
Big Vine systems
Require a lot of permanent wood. Pergola system- grow crops underneath the vines or create walkways
Berry Ripening
Requires warmth, sunlight and mild water stress
What is the most desired colour of red wine?
Ruby Red
Salt taste in wine...
Salt is rare in wine (Sherry from Jerez)
Which New Zealand wine is most widely planted and exported
Sauvignon blanc
Soil
Sediment on the surface of the earth
Shoot and leaf development (Annual Wine Cycle)
Sept-March
Two different ways grape varieties can arise?
Sexual reproduction and Mutation
Weather
Short Term Annual variation that occurs relative to climactic average
Aspect
Slopes facing the equator receive the most heat. Aspect has greater effect at higher latitudes East facing slopes warm earlier in the morning
Oldest vine?
Slovenia. 400 years old
Hydrogen sulphide off-odour
Smell of rotten eggs
Earthy off-odour
Smells like soil
Why do red grapes tend to need warmer climates
So the tannins can ripen
Which country has the largest vineyard area?
Spain
Bud-burst (Annual Wine Cycle)
Spring (Sept-Oct)
Bush-Trained "Gobelet"
Spur pruned...
Major Changes in Wine production during the 19th century
Steam trains provide cheap transport to markets and reduces of local producers
Biodynamics
Subset of organic viticulture developed by Rudolf Steiner and Maria Thun Prepare homeopathic remedies to ward off and treat vineyard diseases and pests
corked off-odour
TCA produced by the reaction of mould with chlorine
Diurnal range
Temperature difference between day and night
Altitude
Temperature falls about .6 degrees Celsius per 100m
Where were the first grape vines planted in new Zealand and by whom?
The Bay of Islands by James Busby, Governor General
Inflorescences
The flowers and berries that are grouped in bunches of a grape vine
Canopy Microclimate
The microclimate is the climate within the canopy The density of the shoots within a canopy will determine the microclimate of that canopy
Shoots (Vine Anatomy)
The new green growth a vine produces each year
Training
The permanent wood and canes are trained to follow the trellising system
Phylloxera in France
The root louse appeared in the Rhone Valley in 1867 and quickly spread throughout France The only solution was to replant on resistant rootstock. The huge cost meant the vineyards ended up in the hands of the wealthy
Geology
The science dealing with the history of the earth as recorded in rocks
Vine balance
The state at which vegetative and reproductive growth lead to the most "balanced" vine
How to wines aged in barrels or bottles affect wine colour?
They eventually turn amber or brown
What do orange or brown tints mean for rose wines?
They usually indicate oxidation
How are grape varieties preserved?
Through vegetative propagation
Why is mulch used in grapevine planting?
To stop weed growth
Oldest commercial vineyard?
Turkey Flat in Barrossa
Which country has the largest world wine consumption?
USA
Umami
Umami can be found in some rich red wines
Tendril (Vine Anatomy)
Used by vines to grip supporting structures
Spur pruning
Used for vines of medium-high vigor and in warmer climates
Ways Vines can be obtained...
Vine nursery Cuttings bought from neighbor
The grape vine or Vitis genus is part of the....
Vitaceae family
When should the yield in the vine management be high?
Warm, sunny, high-nutrient sigtes
Proximity to water masses
Water absorbs and stores large quantities
Millerandage
When a bunch contains berries of different sizes and maturity levels
Coulure
When more flowers than normal fail to fertilise
Retronasal
When odours that come from the olfactory region can come through the mouth
What is wine?
Wine is the alcoholic beverage produced by the yeast fermentation of whole grapes or grape juice
Eleveur (French Winegrowing)
Wine sold to eleven. Sold the wine to negotiants
How do cool regions affect wine colour?
Wines made in cool regions are usually lighter and may be slightly green
How do warm regions affect wine colour?
Wines made in warmer regions are more golden
Who had an influence on the beginning of the modern wine industry
Yugolsavians as they planted vineyards during the late 1800s and early 1900s and brought viticultural knowledge
What affects the sour taste?
alcohol and sugar levels
How many years ago did the introduction of vegetative propagation alter the evolution of Vitis vinifera?
around 4000 years ago
Lactic (or sauerkruat) off-odour
bacterial off-odour which results from the growth of lactic acid bacteria
When do vine cells stop functioning
below 10 degrees celsius
Which taste varies dramatically from person to person
bitterness
What is the most common pruning method in New Zealand?
cane pruning
Stemmy off-odour
caused by stems getting into the fermentation of red grapes
Birds and mammals
damage and consume ripe grapes
Tertiary aromas
derived from ageing
Secondary aromas
derived from fermentation and production
Foreign and undesirable aromas
derived from many sources
Primary aromas
derived from the grape
Mercaptan off-odour
derived grom hydrogen sulphide but with a lower detection threshold
Fungi
diseases
Prickliness
due to dissolved carbon dioxide
Viscosisty/body/mouthfeel
due to ethanol content and sugar content. High acid makes a wine appear lighter
Subjective approach to wine tasting
emotional, intuitive, romantic "Label drinkers"
What can cause a reddish brown precipitate in wine?
excess copper or iron
What can cause Crystalline deposits in a wine?
excess potassium bitartrate
Insects and arachnids
feed on stems
What affects sweetness in wine?
glucose and fructose
Vigneron (French Winegrowing)
grew grapes and made wine for owner Kept half
Clay
less than .002mm
oxidized off-odour
loss of fruitiness and a rise of acetaldehyde cause by air exposion
Phylloxera
louse that attacks vine roots
How many grape varieties are there?
more than 5000 known varieties of Vitis vinefera
When did the cultivation of vines first occur
occurred between 6000-8000 years ago
Replacement cane pruning "guyot"
one or more canes retained
Where does this bitter taste originate from
originates from polyphenol compounds in grape skins and seeds
Sweetness of (Sweet or luscious) wine?
over 45 g/L sugar
Shoot thining
remove shoot congestion and remove sterile non-crop nodes
Canopy trimming
restrict vegetative growth
Acetic Acid off-odour
smell of vinegar and is derived from the action of acetic acid bacteria on the alcohol in wine
How does sweetness affect the acidity?
sweetness can reduce the apparent acidity
Continentality
temperature difference between summer and winter
Astrigency
the "puckery" feel from tannins derived from skins and oak
How is the sour taste of wine developed?
through titratable acidity and the pH
Leaf stripping
to ensure grape bunches get sunlight
Pruning
to maintain shape and the architecture of the canopy
Green off-odour
under-ripe grapes or leaves in fruit during processing
Sulfur dioxide
universally used in wine as an anti-microbial agent and anti-oxidant
Cordons
wood comprised of the trunk and arms of the vine that is used to store carbohydrate
Nematodes
worms that attack roots and transmit viruses