1. Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine

Question 1

Do hazy wines feature in the WSET tasting?

Answer 1

No

Question 2

What is the ‘intensity’ of a wine?

Answer 2

How much colour a wine has

Question 3

How much colour a wine may have is given what term?

Answer 3

Intensity

Question 4

Are ‘intensity’ and ‘colour’ independent for a wine?

Answer 4

Yes

Question 5

Where is it best to assess colour of a white wine?

Answer 5

At the core

Question 6

Where is it best to assess colour of a red wine?

Answer 6

At the rim

Question 7

Most common colour for white wine is?

Answer 7

Lemon

Question 8

If there is a noticeable greeness to a white wine, what colour is it?

Answer 8

Lemon-green

Question 9

If there is a hint of orange or brown to a white wine, what colour is it?

Answer 9

Gold

Question 10

Most common colour for red wine is?

Answer 10

Ruby

Question 11

If there is a noticeable blue/purple to a red wine, what colour is it?

Answer 11

Purple

Question 12

If there is a noticeable orange/brown to a red wine, what colour is it?

Answer 12

Garnet

Question 13

If a red wine is more brown than red, then it is what colour?

Answer 13

Tawny

Question 14

When should ‘brown’ be used for colours of red wine?

Answer 14

When no redness remains

Question 15

If a rose wine shows a hint of orange then it is what colour?

Answer 15

Salmon

Question 16

What wines have thick and persistent legs?

Answer 16

Wines that contain sugar and high alcohol levels

Question 17

What visible characteristic do wines with sugar and high alcohol levels show?

Answer 17

Thick and persistent legs

Question 18

Why may some light-bodied and unoaked white wines have some spritz?

Answer 18

They may be bottled with dissolved CO2 for the purpose of freshness and texture

Question 19

Deliberate spritz to a white wine is for what purposes?

Answer 19

Freshness and texture

Question 20

In what wines are sulfur dioxide levels highest?

Answer 20

Sweet white wines

Question 21

An ABV of 11 - 13.5% is termed as what?

Answer 21

Medium alcohol

Question 22

Low alcohol is below what ABV?

Answer 22

11%

Question 23

High alcohol is above what ABV?

Answer 23

13.5%

Question 24

Mneumonic for quality level assessment?

Answer 24

BLIC

Question 25

BLIC stands for what?

Answer 25

Balance Length Intensity Complexity

Question 26

If a wine is simple, what MUST you do in the tasting exam?

Answer 26

Identify it as a simple wine

Question 27

In the lexicon, what characteristics only have low-medium-high ranges?

Answer 27

Alcohol characteristic

Question 28

In the lexicon, what nose characteristic only has 3 available in its range?

Answer 28

Intensity

Question 29

For red wines, when can primary and tertiary aromas become confused?

Answer 29

Youthful wines from dried grapes or hot climates may exihibit dried/cooked fruit aromas

Question 30

Aromas for youthful wines

Answer 30

Primary and secondary aromas dominate

Question 31

Aromas for developing wines

Answer 31

Primary and secondary aromas dominate but some tertiary aromas are detected

Question 32

Aromas for fully developed wines

Answer 32

Tertiary flavours are dominant

Question 33

What other element(s) add to the intensity of sweetness in a wine?

Answer 33

Alcohol and fruit

Question 34

What other element(s) reduce the intensity of sweetness in a wine?

Answer 34

Acidity

Question 35

High acidity wines generally come from what climates?

Answer 35

Cool climates

Question 36

How does sugar impact body?

Answer 36

Increases it

Question 37

How does acidity impact body?

Answer 37

Reduces it

Question 38

What is usually the main contributing factor for the body of a wine?

Answer 38

Alcohol

Question 39

What is the mousse for most sparkling wines?

Answer 39

Creamy

Question 40

When is mousse usually 'aggressive'?

Answer 40

When the sparkling wine is young

Question 41

When is mousse usually 'delicate'?

Answer 41

When the sparkling wine has undergone ageing or is bottled at lower pressure of CO2