Dessert Wines

Question 1

Give four ways that dessert wines can be made.

Answer 1

1. Botrytis Cinerea
2. Freezing
3. Raisening
4. Halting Fermentation early

Question 2

The difference in “balance” between French and German dessert wines please?

Answer 2

In German dessert wines the sugar is balanced with acid.

In French, the balance is between sugar and alcohol.

Question 3

Botrytis Cinerea by another name?

Answer 3

Noble Rot Wines.

Question 4

What is Botrytis and where is it found?

Answer 4

A Fungus.

Dormant in the vine bark and the soil.

Question 5

what conditions are critical for developing noble rot?

Answer 5

Temperature and Humidity.

Question 6

Explain the perfect conditions required for influencing nobel rot.

Answer 6

• For infection phase: 20-25 degrees.
• Relative humidity of 85 - 89% for max 24 hours.
• After infection phase: relative humidity should drop below 60% to dehydrate the berries.
• Generally in valleys where autumn fogs are the norm.

Question 7

What is the undesirable rot called that occurs if conditions are too wet? Both names

Answer 7

Grey Rot

Porriture gris.

Question 8

What is the essential result of Botrytis?

Answer 8

Dehydration with acids and sugars concentrating.

Question 9

Explain how botrytis develops.

Answer 9

1. Wind borne botrytis spore attaches itself to the grape skin
2. It Germinates and produces tube.
3. The germinative tube penetrates the skin of the grape where it finds water and nutrients.
4. Fungus enzymes degrade the grape cells and the grape turns brown.
5. The berry remains in tact but the skin is no longer waterproof and shrivels.
6. The fungus creates spores which spread in the wind to contaminate other grapes.
7. As the berry dries the fungus stops developing and the process is conclude. this is called Pourriture Noble.
8. Takes 5-15 days.

Question 10

Describe the picking of Noble rot grapes.

Answer 10

Individual picking of almost mature intact ripe berries over several passes by skilled pickers who also know the difference between Noble rot and grey rot.

Question 11

Expensive picking process due to several passes. What is the “pass” called? and how many may be done and over what time frame?

Answer 11

tries

1-10 over 60 days.

Question 13

Name some areas known for Noble Late Harvests.

Answer 13

Sauternes,

Barsac

Coteaux du Layon

Vouvray

Beerenauslese

Trockenbeerenauslese

Tokaj

Question 14

What flavours are unique for Noble late?

What enzyme is present in Noble late and what does this enzyme do?

Answer 14

Complexity, silky mouthfeel.

Lacasse. Oxidiases the sugars to produce honey, caramel and apricot flavours.

Question 15

Noble rot in English

French?

Italian?

German?

Hungarian?

Answer 15

Pourriture Noble

Muffa Nobile

Edelfäule

Aszú

Question 16

The 1855 classification included which Chateau as the only Premier Cru Superieur?

Answer 16

Chateau d’Yquem

Question 17

Where are theSauternes and Barsac AOP’s and what is a special requirement about how the wine is made.

Answer 17

South of Bordeaux.

Southern section of the Graves district on the left bank of the Garonne River.

Over ripe botyritised grapes picked in tries.