Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
32 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Preparing for Tasting
|
good natural light, free of smells, white surfaces, spittoons.
clean palate, not dehydrate palate or nose. clean glass no smell of detergent, salt or unclean polishing cloths. ISO Tulip glass. |
|
|
Appearance
|
... primarily to check for faulty.
... can provide some clues in regarding the identity of the wine. Clarity: a perfectly clear wine does not scatter a beam of light passing through the body of the wine. If the amount of scattering is within acceptable levels, the wine can be described as CLEAR. Opposite of that will be HAZY. |
|
|
Intensity
|
is how much color the wine has. Assessed of color intensity is how far color spread from the CORE to the RIM. White wines with watery rim should be described as pale, whereas pigment reach almost to the rim should be described as deep. All red vines are opaque, these ones who are lightly pigmented from rim to core and should be described as pale (can see stem down through wine, deep intensity wine is if is intensely pigmented right up to the rim ( can't see stem)
|
|
|
Color
|
White wine assessed at core and red wine at rim.
White wine color scale run from green (chlorophyll) lemon, orange, to brown (age or oxidation). From lemon, lemon-green, gold to amber. Red wine run from blue (skins), red (tannins), to brown (age or oxidation). From ruby, purple to garnet. Rose wine scale salmon purple-pink or orange-pink. |
|
|
Other Observation
|
bubbles, tears
|
|
|
Condition
|
TCA (Trichloroanisole): taints give the wine aromas of damp cardboard, due cork or equipment taint.
Reduction: gives a wine stinky character (rotten egg, boiled cabbage, onions). Very low reduction can be pleasant and describe as minerality. In some cases stinky aroma will disappeared when open bottle. Oxidation: is opposite of reduction. Deep color, brown, aroma to toffee, honey, caramel, coffee, low level SO2 or to old wine. Volatile Acidity V.A.: aroma to vinegar, polish nail. Low level make wine fragrant. Brettanomyces BRETT: is yeast which gives wine plastic or animal flavor (horse sweat, stall, hot vinyl). Some consumers don't consider as a fault. Out of Condition: Wines that is to old and taste dull stale . Sulfur Dioxide: High levels in sweet white wines can give acrid smell, at lower levels mask fruitiness and at low lead to oxidation. |
|
|
Intensity
|
Basically wines where we can detect aromas without putting the nose in bowl is described as pronounced, wines where we can hardly detect aromas even put a nose in glass is described to light, other wines can be medium and medium + or - intensity.
|
|
|
Development
|
Primary aromas: are fruity and floral aromas from the grapes. These aromas distinguish one grape variety from another while the wine is young. Fermentation can generate some fruity and floral aromas which are secondary aromas but can be treated as primary as pear in white inexpensive wine.
Secondary aromas: arise due production process in the winery, as oak, malolactic fermentation and yeast and lees. (buttery, yeasty, nutty, creamy, biscuity. Tertiary aromas: have their origin in agening processes and could be oxidative (in oak barrel) or reduction (in bottle). Oxidative tertiary aroma could be coffee, toffee, caramel or chocolate and reduction flavors will be savory, mushrooms, vegetable and earth. Generally if wine is dominate by primary or secondary aroma it can described as YOUTHFUL and secondary stand apart from primary aromas. If Tertiary aromas dominate than we called FULLY DEVELOPED even we have significant secondary aromas, in the middle of journey we described as DEVELOPED. Once the wine is ceases to improve it becomes PAST ITS BEST (lost of fruitiness or unpleasant) |
|
|
Aroma Characteristic
|
ESTERS-fruity aromas (fermenting and agening)
TERPENES-fruity and floral aromas associated with aromatic grape varieties as Muscat, Riesling. PYRAZINES-under ripe grapes in red wines and green pepper, grassy aromas in Sauvignon Blanc. MERCEPTANS and THIOLS-stinky sulfurous compounds, also part of fruity aromas in S.Blanc |
|
|
Palate
|
Sugar, Acid and Tannins important for balance and style of wine and food paring.
When assessing wine try with high or low component. Taste- sweetness, acidity and bitterness Touch- astringency and texture Smell- flavour characteristic Tongue perceptions zones: Sweetness-top; acidity-sides and bitterness-back |
|
|
Sweetness
|
mainly come from sugar in wine but also can come as a perception of sweetness from alcohol and glycerol.
DRY- up to about 4 g/l sugar OFF DRY - between 5 - 9 g/l sugar MEDIUM DRY - MEDIUM SWEET - between 10-45 g/l up to 18 g/l acid can cover sweetness in wine as Riesling, Gewurztraminer from Alsace and Germany SWEET - over 45 g/l Sauternes, Port LUSCIOUS - very sweet vines can have over 150 g/l EU levels for still wines are closely to previous described, but for sparkling EU levels are required more sugar for DRY 17-32 g/l and MEDIUM DRY 32-50 g/l |
|
|
Acidity
|
acidity and alcohol in wine are make hostiles environment for microbes. Acidity give a freshness to a wine. Most clear perception for acidity is on the sides of a tongue. When sip a high acidity wine in the mouth our organism want to balance acidity and insert more mouth water which is important when assessing acidity in wine where acidity is mask with higher sugar level. Balance between sweetness and acidity gives a wine round, broad and soft feeling.
|
|
|
Tannin
|
is extracted mainly from grape skins and oak, but stems and seeds also can have contribute in level of tannins. They can be detected through senses of taste and touch on gums up of front teethes. Tannins are sticking with proteins from our saliva and cause dry up mouth sensation, feel rough and have bitter flavour at the back of a mouth.
Level of tannin ripeness contribute to level of texture richness, astringent or softer feeling of wine, for example basic quality Cab. with barely-ripe tannin are astringent and harsh whereas high quality Shiraz with from hot climate regions have velvet textured ripe tannins. Tannins can become soft over time through wine aging. Tannins are commonly described in all red wines and some white wines who are passed through longer cold maceration or oak aging process. |
|
|
Alcohol
|
is detected through sense of touch. At low levels wine seem be watery and in higher level triggers pain perceptors and have hot, burning effect in our mouth especialy after swaloving or spiting.
Burning sensation can be confused with tingling sensation caused by acidity. To distinguish these two we need to look at mouth watering (high acidity) and thick and viscous (high alcohol). Low - up to 10.5 abv Medium (-) - 10.5 - 11.5 abv Medium - 11.5 - 13.5 abv Medium (+) - 13.5 - 14 abv High - above 14% abv Fortified wines Medium - 16.5 - 18.5 abv High - above 18.5 % abv |
|
|
Body
|
is a textural impression in mouth created by structural components working together. Alcohol is the main factor to contributing to body.
FULL BODY - high alcohol, ripe tannins and intense flavour. LIGHT BODY - low alcohol, high acid and delicately flavour. In case we have sweet wine with high acidity and low alcohol assessing the body will base on which factor more contributing to texture of the wine. |
|
|
Mousse
|
it is relevant for sparkling wines an it can be
AGGRESSIVE - Young wines with explosion of bubbles in mouth but disappear very quickly. DELICATE - well dissolved carbon dioxide during the long therm of maturation. |
|
|
Flavour Intensity and Characteristics
|
Body temperature affect to wine in mouth and releases more molecules in the back of the nose so we can detect easier flavours and characteristic of wines.
Some wine characteristic are more prominent on palate as oaky, spicy, earthy, savory than fruity and floral. |
|
|
Finish
|
it's collection of sensations after swallowed or spat the wine and linger of this sensation is a indicator of quality. When assessing lenght of a finish we should know that some long lenght sensations as bitterness does not mean that the wine have long finish it will dicribed as bitter aftertaste, if fruitiness disappear quickly this finish we can described as short. Some wines is designed to avoid aftertaste. Very fine wines have long aftertaste the flavours can lenght more than one minute.
|
|
|
Quality assessment
|
(does wine balanced despite have 15% abv?)
doesn't realy mater, more important is concentration and full of character. Assesing the quality are more common on numerical or point scale, but can use descriptive scale from poor to outstanding Wine quality against price - first judge absolute quality than add price, if the quality is not so high we can rather assess as value for money. Judge wine against other other wines same type (good sample of Napa Cab. Sauvignon) No sence to say one region producer have more quality wine than another. Criteria used to assessing quality: - Balance - Concetration - Lenght - Complexity - Expressivness - Ageability |
|
|
Balace
|
set of scales with fruit and sugar on one side, and acid and tannins on the other.
Increase fruit and sugar can brought into balance with increase acid and tannins. Low level of fruit and sugar affect to austere or thin wine taste. With too little acid or tannins, will seem unstructured and clumsy the wine. Questions when assessing the wine balance: - How is the overall balance achieved? - How well balanced is this wine? - How well integrated are each of the wine's components? |
|
|
Concetration
|
concetration of flavours and structural componets
weak and dilute flavours is seldom high quality also above certain level more concentration does not necessarily mean higher quality. When the wine intensely flavoured we should think about wheather it is also balanced. |
|
|
Lenght
|
refers to how long pleasant sensations linger after has been swallowed or spat out.
Concentrate winess have long finish. Question when assessing concentration and lenght: - What are the levels of key components as flavour, sugar, acid and tannins? - How long is the impression of each of these last after swallowing/spitting? |
|
|
Complexity and Expressiveness
|
of flavours or aromas are disirable features in a wine.
Complexity can come from fruit character alone or through secondary and tertiary characteristic. A great wine should also express some of the character of its origin, otherwies is just a generic wine. This character comes from grape variety, but character of outstanding wines will reflect the location where the grapes are grown too. Questions when assessing complexity and expressiveness: - Which clusters of flavours/aromas are present in this wine (primary fruits, secondary and tertiary characteristic)? - Which elements of this wine are typical of its grape variety or region (where this is known)? - are any elements atypical for the grape variety or region? |
|
|
Ageability
|
is often used as evidence of quality. In order to age well, wine needs to have sufficient levels of structural components (acid and tannins), but it also need to have potential in the flavour extracts to generate atractive aromas as it ages.
MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF QUALITY IS CAPACITY TO GIVES A PLEASURE |
|
|
GOOD WINE
|
has a
- balance of fruit, sugar, acid and tanins - all componets are well integrated - free of faults - show some characteristic of its grape variety ( typical aromas or level of structural components) or region ( cool or warm climate fruit character). |
|
|
ACCEPTABLE WINE
|
- little out of ballance
- dilute in flavour - fails to express any particular grape variety or region - but is drinkable |
|
|
POOR WINE
|
- poor balance
- minor faults - any dominant upleasant flavour or components |
|
|
FAULTY WINE
|
- any fault who make the wine unsuitable to drink.
|
|
|
VERY GOOD WINE
|
- good wine elements
- clear expression of grape variety - more precise regional character (more than just climate) |
|
|
OUTSTANDING WINE
|
- Should be almost entirely free of criticism.
- elegantly balanced ... - well crafted ... |
|
|
Readiness for Drinking
|
- is it kind of wine that take a benefit from aging at all?
DRINK NOW: NOT INTENDED FOR AGEING - mainly fruit, light acid or tannin TOO OLD - fruity, light acid or tannin, lost its freshness or - wine was so much better in the past and no need to keep it so long. TOO YOUNG - can be so much better in a few years CAN DRINK NOW, BUT HAS POTENTIAL FOR AGEING - very firm structure of acid or tannin - high level of flavour concentration Develop in the bottle - flavours develop away from fruit towards more savoury, earthy and spicy characters. - Tannins soften - Alcohol level are unchangeable - Acid and Sugar level change very little |
|
|
Identity
|
For assessment correctly identity of wine is need skill, luck and answer correctly on lot of questions, some of them are:
- Level of quality of wine? - Comes from Old World or Premium New World? - Hot or Cool region ? - Old World or New World style ? - Prominent varietal character ? - Thick or Thinner skinned grape variety? |
