Blind tasting

Question 1

Name this grape: Neutral, high lees impact, no new oak, high acid, moderate-minus to moderate alcohol.

Answer 1

Muscadet

Question 2

What are the three white wines most likely to be bottled under screwcap closure?

Answer 2

Oregon Pinot Gris, Austrian Gruner Veltliner, Hunter Valley Semillon

Question 3

What are the hints towards identifying a wine under screwcap closure?

Answer 3

Light effervescence indicates bottling under an environment without gas transfer; gunflint-esque reduction (careful as the reduction from added sulfur can be detected under a cork closure)

Question 4

What are terpenes? What white wines characteristically show this?

Answer 4

the floral lifted aromatic compound,
High in Muscats, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Viognier and Torrontés (impact aroma)
[Medium in Albariño and Verdicchio]

Question 5

What is rotundone?

Answer 5

a kind of terpene that is found in the essential oils of black pepper, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and basil.

Question 6

What are pyrazines?

Answer 6

an aromatic organic compound that has vegetable-like smells, classically herbaceous, such as grass in Sauvignon Blanc and bell pepper in Bordeaux varieties