Wines - Prelim 1

Front 1

What information on the wine label is important to review before accepting a wine in a restaurant?

Back 1

• Who made the wine
• Where it was made
• When it was made (vintage year)
• What is in the bottle (grape variety)
• Possibly some indication of special handling, ranking, or classification

Front 2

What are steps in the ritual of wine service in a restaurant and how should one proceed before accepting a wine?

Back 2

• Presentation, uncorking, poured taste, then service to entire table
• Smell and taste to ensure no defects are noticeably present

Front 3

What are generally accepted reasons for sending a bottle of wine back in a restaurant?

Back 3

• Defective odors:
• Sulfur dioxide—stinging sensation in the nasal passage
• Hydrogen sulfide—rotten eggs
• Mercaptans—essence of skunk and rotting cabbage
• Oxidized—bland, loss of flavor
• Maderized—cooked, sherry-like with nutty flavors
• Corked—musty, moldy
• Dekkera/Brettanomyces—horsey smell and bitter metallic taste
• Sorbate—bubble gum smell
• Pediococcus—dirty socks

Front 4

How does the temperature of a wine affect its taste?

Back 4

• Affects crispness and acidity

Front 5

What are the major differences between how white and red wines are made?

Back 5

• Red wine’s grape skins kept and incorporated, white wine not aged as long as red

Front 6

Which VITICULTURAL (grape growing) and VINICULTURAL (winemaking) practices effect a wine’s concentration, quality, flavor and price?

Back 6

• Viticultural:
• Microclimate (rain, average daily temperature, number of daylight hours, length of growing season), site (soil, slope, elevation, drainage, orientation to sun), marginal climates sometimes produce unique wines but vintage variation is different
• Vinicultural:
• Wine making (science and skill), equipment and facilities ($$$), production capacity and demand

Front 7

What do the various grape components contribute to the finished wine?

Back 7

• Growth of the vines, life of the grape, ripeness of the grape in harvest (contributes to residual sugar, alcohol content which then contributes to body)

Front 8

What are the major components in wine and how do these influence taste, texture, and shelf life?

Back 8

• Alcohol: Body, mouth-feel, and storage life
• Light bodied—7-10%; medium bodied—10-12%; full bodied—12-14.5%
• Organic Acids: crispness, structure, and balance
• Low acidity—flabby, flat taste; correct acidity—crisp, fresh, lively taste; excess acidity—green, harsh, sour taste
• Water: Body
• Residual sugar: Taste, acidity

Front 9

How does the winemaker shape or adjust various components in wine?

Back 9

• Through acidification, chaptalization, amelioration

Front 10

Appearance of wines

Back 10

Brilliant, clear, dull, cloudy, precipitated

Front 11

Smell/Bouquet

Back 11

Fragrances developed in the wine making and aging process

Front 12

Taste

Back 12

Sweet/sour/salt/bitter

Front 13

Four stages of taste

Back 13

Attack (introduction), evolution, finish, aftertaste

Front 14

Varietal Characteristics:
Chardonnay

Back 14

Apple, toasty, vanilla, lemon, sweet clove, buttery or creamy, figs, melons, coconuts, tea, pear, flinty; aged chardonnays: peach, pineapple, sage honey

Front 15

Varietal Characteristics:
Riesling

Back 15

Fruity, apricot, peach, green apple, floral, lemon, tropical lushness

Front 16

Varietal Characteristics:
Viognier

Back 16

Lime, kiwi, guava, apricot, acacia, anise

Front 17

Varietal Characteristics:
Cabarnet Sauvignon

Back 17

Herbaceous, tea, green olives, currants, cassis, bell pepper, spicy

Front 18

Varietal Characteristics:
Merlot

Back 18

Herbaceous, tea, floral, violet, roses, bell pepper, black pepper, cassis, cherry, peppermint, chocolate

Front 19

Varietal Characteristics:
Pinot Noir

Back 19

Cherries, wild violets, strawberries, roast coffee, earthy, pepper, leathery, mushrooms, chocolate, berries, pomegranate, caramelized sugar

Front 20

Varietal Characteristics:
Syrah

Back 20

Blackberries, peppery, cassis, smoky, spice, dry pepper, coffee, tar, hickory, wood, chestnuts, truffles

Front 21

Varietal Characteristics:
Zinfandel

Back 21

Blackberry, raspberry, jam, briary, herbaceous, eucalyptus, mint, leather, cedar, dark chocolate, cherries, black pepper, raisins

Front 22

What defects might one find in a white wine?

Back 22

Color: Amber to Brown

Front 23

What happens to wine as it ages? Which wines benefit from aging?

Back 23

• Changes color: White wine darkens to dark yellow/amber and brown; red wine darkens to brown
• Red wines benefit the most from long aging

Front 24

What historic events influenced the growth of the wine industry in the US and the individual states covered in class?

Back 24

• Prohibition: Alcohol made illegal, struggle afterwards to move from fortified to refined wines
• California: Too much manipulation of wine in the 1980’s (decade of the winemakers); wine brats and wineries take over in the 2000s, AVA proliferation

Front 25

Which individuals had significant impact on the growth of California’s wine industry?

Back 25

• Father Juniper Serra: Established missions along California’s coastline
• Robert Mondavi: Godfather of modern California wine
• E&J Gallo: Popular wineries

Front 26

Which individuals had significant impact on the growth of Oregon’s wine industry?

Back 26

• David Lett: First producer of Pinot Noir in Oregon
• James Halliday: Australian producer/author

Front 27

Which individuals had significant impact on the growth of Washington’s wine industry?

Back 27

• Allen Shoup: Father of the Washington Wine Industry

Front 28

What are the major grape varieties grown in New York State? Give examples of vinifera, labrusca and hybrid varieties.

Back 28

Hybrids:
• Cayuga, Ravat/Vignoles, Seyval Blanc, Vidal, Traminette
Labruscana:
• Concord, Delaware, Niagara
Vinifera

Front 29

California Label Regulations

Back 29

• Varietal—Minimum of 75% of the grape named on the label
• Generic—Place name from a famous region (Champagne, Chablis, Burgundy, or wine style like Sherry or Port)
• Proprietary—Made-up name
• Statements of production:
 Grown, produced, and bottled by—100% of the grapes grown or wine made by the company named on the bottle
 Produced and bottled by—75%
 Made and bottled by—10%
 Bottled by or Cellared and vented by—None
 **Vintage dated—95% of the grapes from that year
• Geographic statements of origin:
 California—100% of the grapes come from the state
 County—75% of the grapes come from within the specific county
 AVA—85% of the grapes come from the specific AVA (American Viticultural Area)
 Vineyard—95% of the grapes come from the specific vineyard

Front 30

Oregon Label Regulations

Back 30

• 90% Minimum Varietal (Cabernet Sauvignon 75%)
• Region 100%
• Generics—No generic names permitted

Front 31

New York Label Regulations

Back 31

• At least 75% of varietal named on the label; if grape is labrusca 51% minimum of that grape
• Grape source—NYS: At least 75% of the wine labeled NYS must be from that state; AVA: At least 85% of grapes must be from that AVA

Front 32

Washington Label Regulations

Back 32

• 75% Varietal
• Generics—No generic names permitted
• WA or AVA—100%

Front 33

What regions in New York are known for specific wine styles and grape varieties, and why?

Back 33

• Finger Lakes: Riesling, Sparkling, Chardonnay
• Hudson River: White hybrids
• Niagara Escarpment: Native grapes and hybrids
• Long Island: Merlots and reds

Front 34

Major Grape Varieties:
Washington

Back 34

• White grapes: Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillon
• Red grapes: Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah

Front 35

Major Grape Varieties:
New York

Back 35

• White grapes: Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Muscat
• Red grapes: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Meunier

Front 36

Major Grape Varieties:
Oregon

Back 36

• White grapes: Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling
• Red grapes: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah

Front 37

Major Grape Varieties:
California

Back 37

• White grapes: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, trendy varietal—Viognier
• Red grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir

Front 38

Signature Grapes:
California

Back 38

Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon

Front 39

Signature Grapes:
Oregon

Back 39

Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris

Front 40

Signature Grapes:
Washington

Back 40

Syrah

Front 41

Signature Grapes:
New York

Back 41

Riesling

Front 42

Geographic Factors:
New York

Back 42

Cool with Adirondacks Mountains, good rainfall

Front 43

Geographic Factors:
Oregon

Back 43

Coastal Range and Cascade Range are dominant factors, rainfall from 6-40” per year, temperate climate with cooler growing conditions than CA or WA with more vintage variation

Front 44

Geographic Factors:
Washington

Back 44

West is too wet and cool to grow grapes. 6-8” rainfall in Eastern regions, hot, dry days with cool nights, 17 hrs sunlight

Front 45

How does climate influence wine styles produced in various regions?

Back 45

• Affects life of the grape and the grapevine, vintage variations

Front 46

Acidification

Back 46

The addition of acid (usually tartaric) to the finished wine (done in hot climates where the natural acidity in the grapes is low)

Front 47

Chaptalization

Back 47

The addition of sugar to the grape must to boost the natural sugar level and produce a slightly higher alcohol level in the finished wine (common practice in cool growing regions)

Front 48

Amelioration

Back 48

The addition of water and sugar to the grape must to dilute acidity and boost the alcohol in the finished wine (practice used in NYS’s cooler wine regions)

Front 49

What are the most important AVAs in Oregon?

Back 49

Eastern—Columbia Valley, Walla Walla, Columbia Gorge, Snake River Valley; Western—Willamette Valley, Rogue Valley

Front 50

What are the most important AVAs in Washington?

Back 50

Eastern—Columbia Valley, Walla Walla, Yakima, Red Mountain; Western—Puget Sound

Front 51

What are the most important AVAs in New York?

Back 51

Finger Lakes, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake, Long Island