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WSET D1 - Wine Production (Personal) > Chapter 11 - Wine Components > Flashcards

Chapter 11 - Wine Components Flashcards

1.1.1 - Wine Components (68 cards)

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1
Q

What is wine made of?

A
  1. Water
  2. Alcohol
  3. Acids
  4. Aromatic Compounds
  5. Residual sugar
  6. Glycerol
  7. Phenolics
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2
Q

Wine is approximately _% water by volume.

A

85%

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3
Q

What is the predominant alcohol in wine?

A

Ethanol

Ethanol is formed during fermentation.

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4
Q

What does ethanol contribute to wine?

A
  1. Sense of sweetness
  2. Sense of bitterness
  3. Oral warmth
  4. Fullness of body
  5. Moutfeel
  6. Aromas
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5
Q

Wines with alcohol levels 14.% and more increase what in wine?
And decrease what?

A
  • Increase sense of bitterness
  • Decrease volatility of wine aromas

Requires sufficient fruit concentration to be in balance with the alcohol

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6
Q

What are the principal acids of wine?

A
  • Tartaric acid
  • Malic acid

Both acids come from the grapes themselves.

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7
Q

Tartaric acid and malic acid make up about _ of the total acidity in wine.

A

2/3

Robin - Is this just for warm climates?

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8
Q

Name two other acids found in finished wine that are produced during either fermentation (primary or malolactic - meaning, they’re not naturally occurring).

A
  1. Lactic acid
  2. Acetic acid
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9
Q

Volatile acidity refers to which acid in wine?

A

Acetic acid (smells like vinegar)

Generally present in all wines in low concentrations and only a fault when in excess.

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10
Q

What does ethyl acetate smell like, and how is it produced?

A
  • Nail polish remover
  • Produced when acetic acid reacts with the alcohol in the wine
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11
Q

High acidity in a wine will make the wine seem _ on the palate.

A

Leaner

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12
Q
  1. Excessive acid will make wine taste __.
  2. Lack of acid will make wine taste __.
A
  1. Tart
  2. Flabby
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13
Q

What is total acidity in wine? How is total acidity generally expressed?

A
  • The sum of all acids.
  • Expressed in terms of grams per liter (g/l) in tartaric acid.

Exception is France, where might be expressed as sulfuric acid (ratio between sulfuric acid and tartaric acid is 1:1.5)

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14
Q

Total acidity in wine is typically in the range of _ to _ g/l.

A

5.5-8.5 g/l

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15
Q

What is pH a measurement of?

A

The concentration of the effective acidity of a solution.

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16
Q

Wines typically have a pH in the range of _ to _.

A

3-4

Scale is logarithmic, so pH of 3 is 10X more acidic than a ph of 4

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17
Q

The lower the pH, the more concentrated the _.

A

Acidity

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18
Q

Low pH increases what in wine?

A
  • Microbiological stability
  • Effectiveness of SO2
  • Wine’s ability to age
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19
Q

What color does low pH give a red wine?

A

Bright red color

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20
Q

There are four sources which aromatic and non-aromatic compounds in wine come from. What are these four sources?

A
  1. Aromas from grapes themselves.
  2. Aromas created by fermentation from the aroma precursors in grape must
  3. Aromas of fermentation and its byproducts.
  4. Aromas from other sources (e.g., vanillin from oak, eucalyptol)
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21
Q

The aromatic compound rotundone smells like what?

A

Pepper

Syrah, Gruner Veltliner

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22
Q

Give two examples of aroma precursors (aroma building blocks) that aren’t aromatic in the grape itself but become aromatic during fermentation.

A
  1. Thiols
  2. Terpenses
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23
Q

Give four examples of aromas created by fermentation and its byproducts.

A
  1. Esters
  2. Acetaldehyde
  3. Diacetyl
  4. Sulfur compounds
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24
Q

What is the ester that gives aromas of banana?

A

Isoamyl acetate

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25
Esters are responsible for which one of the following? * Many fresh and fruity aromas * Rotundone * Thiols
Many fresh and fruit aromas
26
Acetaldehyde, also known as ethanal, occurs in wine due to the oxidation of what? What does it smell like?
* Ethanol * Smells stale and is a fault in most wines escept Fino Sherry, where it is a distinctive aroma
27
The aroma created by malolactic fermentation that smells like butter, or movie theater-popcorn butter, is called _.
Diacetyl
28
What does residual sugar contribute to wine?
1. Sweetness 2. Body
29
Go through the EU's four classic of sweetness levels in still wine.
1. Dry/sec/trocken, etc. 2. Medium dry/demi-sec/halbtrocken, etc. 3. Medium or medium sweet/moelleux/lieblich, etc. 4. Sweet/doux/süss, etc.
30
What are the permissible residual sugar levels for Dry/sec/trocken?
* Up to 4 g/l RS * not exceeding 9 g/l provided total acidity expressed as grams of tartaric acid per liter is not more than 2g below RS content ## Footnote For example, a wine with 9 g/l RS can be labeled 'Dry/Sec/Trocken' if it has 7 g/l total acidity.
31
What are the permissible residual sugar levels for Medium dry/demi-sec/halbtrocken?
* Between 4 g/l and 12 g/l RS * up to 18 g/l provided that the total acidity expressed as grams of tartaric acid per liter is not more than 10g below the RS content
32
What are the permissible residual sugar levels for Medium or medium sweet/moelleux/lieblich?
Between 12 g/l and 45 g/l RS.
33
What are the permissible residual sugar levels for Sweet/doux/süss?
At least 45 g/l RS ## Footnote Sauternes is 150 g/l, Pedro Ximenez sherry is up to 400 g/l
34
What is glycerol derived from?
The sugar in grapes
35
What does glycerol contribute to wine?
1. Smooth texture 2. Perception of fullness of the wine's body 3. Has a slightly sweet taste
36
Give two wine style examples that have elevated glycerol levels.
* Botrytis-affected grapes, e.g., Tokaji * Wines made by carbonic maceration, e.g., Beaujolia
37
Anthocyanins and tannins are: * aromas from the grapes * results from high glycerol * phenolic compounds
Phenolic compounds
38
What aromatic compounds give a grassy, green pepper aroma?
Methoxypyrazines
39
What are aroma precursors?
Compounds that are not in themselves aromatic but are building blocks that become aromatic during fermentation.
40
Provide an example of thiols.
4MMP which gives the box tree aromas in Sauvignon Blanc
41
Provide an example of terpenes.
Linalook and geraniiol - grapey aromas/flavors in Muscat
42
How is vanillin derived?
Derived by aging wine in new oak barrels
43
How is eucalyptol volatized?
Volatized from eucalyptus trees by heat and abosrbed in the waxy layer of the skins of grapes in nearby vines, and may be detected in the wine.
44
Describe Vincente Ferreira's model for wine aromas.
1. Common to all wine 2. Contributory aromas 3. Impact aromas 4. Nonvolatile wine matrix
45
According to Vincente Ferreira's model for wine aromas, what aromas are common to all wine?
* Aromas produced by fermentation, e.g., ethanol, higher alcohols, some acides (acetic) * Slightly sweet, pungent, alcoholic, a little bit fruity
46
According to Vincente Ferreira's model for wine aromas, what are contributory aromas?
Aroma compounds that are below normal individual perception threshold but make a contribution when they interact with certain other compounds found in wines. Examples: ethyl acetate (fruity notes at low levels), vanillin
47
According to Vincente Ferreira's model for wine aromas, what are impact aromas?
* Specific aromas that can be recognized * Examples: rotundone, 4MMP
48
According to Vincente Ferreira's model for wine aromas, what are non-volatile components?
Affect the way aromatic compounds are sensed
49
Where do phenolics occur?
Occur in the grapes, especially in the skins, stems, and seeds
50
What are anthocyanins?
Color pigments in the grapes that are responsible for the red color - and sometimes blue tints - of red and rosé wines.
51
What causes tannin to give a drying sensation in the mouth?
Tannins bind with proteins; however, the exact relationship between tannin compounds in grapes, tannin compounds in wine, and sensation of tannins in the wine is very complex and not understood.
52
Small amount of RS can make tanins appear _.
Softer
53
Dry wines with high acidity can make tannins appear _.
Astringent.
54
Which wine components come from the grape itself versus fermentation?
* Grapes: sugars, acids, polyphenols (tannins, anthocyanins) * Fermentation: alcohols, expanded range of acids, glycerol
55
What are two methods for reducing the level of alcohol in a wine?
* Reverse osmosis * Spinning Cone Techology
56
How does spinning cone technology reduce the alcohol in a wine?
Wine is poured over a series of spinning cones that spread the wine into a thin layer so that the more volatile alcohol can evaporate away at a low temperature, while the rest of the components are unaffected.
57
At what stage of vinification is the control of total acidity achieved?
Principally at the must stage because adjustments are best made before fermentation to help better blend the adjustments into the wine. Possible to make further adjustments to acidity in either direction after fermentation.
57
58
Which acid found in wine can only be found in grapes?
Tartaric acid
59
How can methoxypyrazines levels be reduced in red wines?
* Starts in the vineyard * Slow down the growth of the vine just before the methoxypyrazine accumulation stage; thereby lowering the accumulation.
60
What percentage of the population cannot smell Rotundone in a wine?
1/5th ## Footnote Science of Wine
61
What is a terpene found in Gewürztraminer?
Rose-cis oxide – sweet, flowery, rose-petal aroma
62
63
Where do esters come from?
Result from the interaction of acids and alcohols during both fermentation and aging.
64
What is residual sugars?
Name given to the residue of sugars that is left when a fermentation has come otherwise an end.
65
What are the two senses of how one perceives tannins in a red wine?
Taste - bitterness Touch - astringent (drying sensation)
66
At what point are anthocyanins no longer found in bottles of red wines?
Recent studies have shown that after 4 years in bottle, there are no colored anthocyanins left in red wine. ## Footnote Science of Wine
67
How do red wines that have been aged in bottle for longer than four years retain their color?
Pigmented polymers (formed by the chemical linkage between tannins and anthocyanins during fermentation and barrel aging) help form stable color in wines.

WSET D1 - Wine Production (Personal) (11 decks)

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