Tasting And Evaluating Wine

Question 1

What are the ideal tasting room characteristics

Answer 1

Good natural light

Odour free

White surfaces for assessing wine appearance

Question 2

Name some outside influences that can affect the taste of wine

Answer 2

Coffee, toothpaste, colds, fatigue etc

Question 3

What is the recommended glass for tasting and evaluating wine, and why

Answer 3

An ISO glass (International Standards Organization)

Long stem to hold and avoid affecting the temperature

Rounded bowl to swirl the wine and release aromas

Inward sloping walls to capture the aromas at the top of the glass

Question 4

What are the steps for WSET level 2 assessment of tasting

Answer 4

Appearance - nose - palate - conclusion

Question 5

Why do we look at wine appearance

Answer 5

To assess the quality

If the wine is dull with a brown colour it may indicate that the wine is out of condition

Haziness May also indicate a fault

Question 6

What are appearance hints for red wine

Answer 6

PURPLE indicates youth
Purple with red is RUBY
Orange or brown hints is GARNET
Brown, orange, amber is TAWNY

Question 7

What are the appearance hints for white wine

Answer 7

YELLOW indicates youth
Yellow with green hints is lemon
Yellow with hints of orange is GOLD
Yellow with orange,brown is AMBER

Question 8

What is the most common fault of wine and what are the effects of it ?

Answer 8

Cork taint

At best the wine will lose its freshness & fruitiness

At worst there will be aromas of damp musty cardboard

Question 9

What will an out of condition wine smell like

Answer 9

Dull and stale (éventé). It may also have excessive oxydative aromas (toffee, caramel, sherry)

Question 10

What are the three categories of appearance

Answer 10

Clarity (clear - hazy) - Intensity (pale - medium - deep) - Colour (lemon - gold - amber) (pink - salmon - orange) (purple - ruby - garnet - tawny)

Question 11

What are appearance hints for Rose wine

Answer 11

Bright purply-pink indicates youth - Orange and Brown indicates age.

Question 12

What are the three categories of nose

Answer 12

Condition (Clean - Unclean) - Intensity (light - medium - pronounced) - Aromas char. (fruits, flowers, spices, …)

Question 13

What are the six categories of palate

Answer 13

Sweetness (dry - off-dry - medium - sweet) - Acidity (low - medium - high) - Tannin (low - medium - high) - Body (light - medium - full) - Flavours (fruits, flowers, spices, …) - Finish (Short - Medium - Long)

Question 14

What is the category of conclusion

Answer 14

Quality (faulty - poor - acceptable - good - very good - outstanding)

Question 15

Enumerate Acidity characteristics

Answer 15

Causes the mouth to water - Make wine taste fresh and vibrant - Riesling and Sauv blanc give high acidity wines - Cool climate = More acidity than hot climate - Sweet wines need a lot of acidity to balance sweetness

Question 16

What are the important elements for selecting and recommending wine

Answer 16

• Tastes - Preferences - Price requirements - For large number or diverse taster types avoid extreme styles, rather multiples alternatives - For special occasion - Appropriate quality but must not be the center of attention

Question 17

What are the aroma stages in wine

Answer 17

Primary - Created during the fermentation process
Secondary - Created by the post-fermentation winemaking
Tertiary - Origin in the ageing processes

Question 18

What are the alcohol levels for low, medium and high wines

Answer 18

Low - below 11%
Medium - 11-13.9%
High- above 14%