1: Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine

Question 1

What is the purpose of the SAT?

Answer 1

To describe a wine accurately and formulate a reasonable conclusion

Question 2

What is the ideal tasting environment?

Answer 2

•Good natural lighting
•Odor free
•Sufficient space for notes/glassware/spittoons

Question 3

How should one be prepared to taste?

Answer 3

•Clean palate
•Well hydrated
•Notebook or other form of note taking
•Suitable glassware

Question 4

Why is it important to stay hydrated while tasting?

Answer 4

Nasal aroma passages can dry up due to dehydration and dehydration can occur due to loss of saliva when spitting out wine.

Question 5

What is described as suitable glassware of the SAT?

Answer 5

An odorless and colorless ISO glass free of any residue

Question 6

Why is the ISO glass an ideal glassware for tasting?

Answer 6

It has a rounded bowl to aid swirling to capture aromas and is small enough to use with a tasting sample.

Question 7

What is a sufficient amount to be poured as a tasting sample?

Answer 7

5cl (50ml)

Question 8

Most wines are considered clear..Why might a wine be considered “hazy?”

Answer 8

Particles suspended in the wine could indicate a fault.

Question 9

What is intensity

Answer 9

How much color the wine has

Question 10

How is the level of color intensity assessed in a wine?

Answer 10

By holding the glass at a 45 degree angle and looking from above to see how far the color extends from the core to the tim

Question 11

When is a white wine considered pale or deep

Answer 11

•Pale = broad watery rim
•Deep = Pigment almost reaches the rim

Question 12

When is a red wine considered pale or deep?

Answer 12

-pale= Lightly pigmented from rim to the core (visible stem)
-deep= Intensely pigmented up to the rim (non-visible stem)

Question 13

What is color?

Answer 13

Red, blue, yellow, green, or brown balanced pigments found in a wine (separate of intensity)

Question 14

White and rose’ wines are best assessed for color at the rim or at the core?

Answer 14

At the core due to the paleness of the wine.

Question 15

Red wines are best assessed for color at the rim or at the core?

Answer 15

The color is best assessed at the rim due to the opaqueness of the core.

Question 16

What is the most common color used when describing white wine?

Answer 16

Lemon

Question 17

What is the color scale for white wines?

Answer 17

•Lemon
•Lemon green
•Gold (hint of orange/brown)
•Amber
•Brown

Question 18

Assessing an amber , tawny or brown color in a white wine typically means what?

Answer 18

Either very old or deliberately oxidized

Question 19

What is the color scale when assessing red wines?

Answer 19

•Purple
•Ruby
•Garnet
•Tawny
•Brown

Question 20

What is the most common color when assessing a red wine?

Answer 20

Ruby

Question 21

What is the color scale for rose’ wines?

Answer 21

•Pink
•Salmon (pink with hint of orange)
•Orange

Question 22

What does TCA do to a wine?

Answer 22

Trichloroanisole
can impart a taint from the cork on the wine that smells of damp cardboard “corked”

Question 23

What does reduction do to a wine?

Answer 23

Makes wine stink of rotting eggs, boiled cabbage or onions, or blocked drains.
It can add complexity and characters in small levels but is considered a fault

Question 24

What does high levels of sulfur dioxide do to a wine?

Answer 24

Can make the wine smell of recently extinguished matches and is considered a fault

Question 25

What is the opposite of reduction?

Answer 25

Oxidation.

Question 26

Oxidation can be a fault due to?

Answer 26

Unwanted oxygen interacting with the wine in a failure of closure.

Question 27

What does VA (volatile acidity) do to a wine at high levels?

Answer 27

Can give aromas of vinegar or nail polish

Question 28

What type of yeast can give wine a plastic or animal aroma and is considered a fault in high levels?

Answer 28

Brettanomyces (Brett)

Question 29

What is the scale of **Intensity** on the nose

Answer 29

•light (struggle to smell in glass with swirl) •medium •pronounced (smelt away from glass)

Question 30

What are the 3 types of **aromas** and how are they produced?

Answer 30

•**Primary** (from grapes or fermentation) •**Secondary** (oak, lees, or malolactic conversion) •**Tertiary** (Bottle aging or oxidation)

Question 31

When is a wine **youthful**?

Answer 31

Dominated by primary and secondary aromas.

Question 32

When is a wine considered to be **developing**

Answer 32

Most aromas are primary and secondary but tertiary aromas are detected.

Question 33

A **Fully developed** wine will have?

Answer 33

Predominant tertiary aromas/flavors even with some primary and secondary aromas/flavors still present

Question 34

When does a wine become **Tired/past it’s best**?

Answer 34

When attractive aromas fade and unpleasant ones develop

Question 35

What is the aim of a trained taster?

Answer 35

To assess the levels of individual components by reference to objective criteria.

Question 36

When is a wine considered **Dry**?

Answer 36

When there are no sugar levels or that they are so low that they are not noticeable.

Question 37

What is **sweetness** when tasting wine?

Answer 37

“The taste of sugars present in the wine.”

Question 38

What is considered an **off-dry** wine?

Answer 38

A tiny amount of residual sugar

Question 39

**Medium-dry** and **Medium-sweet** wines have?

Answer 39

A distinct amount of sugar but not typically sweet enough to pair with a dessert.

Question 40

When a wine has sugar as a prominent feature it is considered?

Answer 40

Sweet

Question 41

**Luscious** wines are?

Answer 41

Viscous and sticky sweet with the high levels of sugar in them.

Question 42

What are the main acids in wine?

Answer 42

•Tartaric •Malic (from grape juice) •Lactic (converted from malic acid)

Question 43

Where is acidity detected for most people and what sensation does it give?

Answer 43

The sides of the tongue and sharp tingling sensation that makes mouth water

Question 44

Grapes ripened in **cool conditions** can tend to make a wine have higher?

Answer 44

Acidity

Question 45

What are the 2 things to remember the most when it comes to **acid** and **sugar** in wine?

Answer 45

**1.)** High levels of sweetness and acid can mask one another **2.)** Acidity serves as a balance to high sugar levels making it less obvious

Question 46

What can create a sensation close to alcohol when tasting wine and how do you tell the difference?

Answer 46

•Acid •The mouth watering feel

Question 47

How do **tannins** make your mouth feel?

Answer 47

They cause the mouth to dry up and feel rough, especially on the gums of the front teeth

Question 48

What is the difference between **Ripe** and **Unripe** tannins

Answer 48

•*Ripe* tannins contribute to textural richness while •*Unripe* tannins tend to be more astringent

Question 49

If the tannins are *astringent* ask?

Answer 49

“Does the body feel thin?” If so, it is probably low in tannin

Question 50

If the tannins are *astringent* ask?

Answer 50

“Does the body feel thin?” If so, it is probably low in tannin

Question 51

If the astringency is low in a wine ask?

Answer 51

“Is wine full bodied and mouth filling?” If so there is probably high tannins

Question 52

What does **alcohol** contribute to a wine?

Answer 52

Body and texture

Question 53

What do high and low alcohol levels feel like in a wine?

Answer 53

•High: Hot burning sensation •Low: Watery unless high inSugar

Question 54

What are the specific alcohol %s in wine?

Answer 54

•*Low*: **Below 11% ABV** •*Medium*: **11-13.9% ABV** •*High*: **14%ABV and above**

Question 55

What are the alcohol levels for *fortified* wine?

Answer 55

*Low*: **15-16.4% ABV** *Medium*: **16.5-18.4%ABV** *High*: ** 18.5 and above**

Question 56

What is *Body*?

Answer 56

The overall textural impression of a wine’s components working together “mouthfeel”

Question 57

What is the main contributor to body?

Answer 57

Alcohol

Question 58

__Is a set of scales with fruit and sugar on one side and acidity and tannins in the other?

Answer 58

Balance

Question 59

Another word for intensity is?

Answer 59

Concentration

Question 60

What is the first thing that needs to be considered when assessing readiness to drink?

Answer 60

If the wine is made in a style that may benefit from aging.

Question 61

*Drink now, not suitable for aging* is given to a wine that?

Answer 61

Mainly shows primary and secondary aromas/flavors with light acid/tannin structur.

Question 62

*Drink now, not suitable for aging* is given to a wine that?

Answer 62

Mainly shows primary and secondary aromas/flavors with light acid/tannin structur.

Question 63

A *too old* wine will have

Answer 63

•Light tannin/acid •Lost its freshness •Should have been fruity

Question 64

What components should a wine have to potentially benefit from aging?

Answer 64

•Firm acid/tannin structure •Sufficient level of flavor concentration

Question 65

What happens to a wine that benefits from aging?

Answer 65

•Move towards tertiary characteristics •Tannins soften •Alcohol level stays the same •Acid and sugar change very little

Question 66

When should you choose *Can drink now, but has potential for aging*?

Answer 66

Drinking pleasurably now, but will make positive improvements in a few years.

Question 67

When should *Too young* be used?

Answer 67

It would be a waste to drink it now and taste much better with age (tannins ect)

Question 68

If a wine has undergone an aging process but is close to its drinkable life span, it should be qualified as?

Answer 68

*Drink now: not suitable for aging or further aging*