Principal Grape Varieties Flashcards
(47 cards)
1
Q
Cabernet Sauvignon: characterize
A
- Late ripening
- Needs at least moderate climate to ripen
- High color, flavor, tannin
- Blackcurrant and black cherry
2
Q
Cabernet Sauvignon: likely winemaking approaches
A
- Lower fermentation temp (26 - 30 C) to limit tannin extraction
- Limit cap extraction
- Possibly extended post-ferm maceration to soften tannins
- Blending with other grape varieties, especially Merlot
3
Q
Dolcetto: characterize
A
- Earlier ripening than Nebbiolo and Barbera
- Deep color (often purple)
- Black plums, red cherries, dried herbs
- Ageable for several years
- Dolcetto d’Alba DOC
4
Q
Barbera: characterize
A
- Late-ripening
- Medium to deep color
- Low to med tannins
- High acidity
- Red cherries and plums, sometimes black pepper
- Can be youthful and fruity or barrel-aged to give spicy flavors
- Barbera d’Asti DOCG
5
Q
Nebbiolo: characterize
A
- Late-ripening
- Little color
- High acidity and tannins
- Sour cherries, herbs, sometimes dried flowers
- Developing aromas of truffles, tar, and leather
- Benefits from barrel and bottle ageing
- Barolo DOCG and Barbaresco DOCG
6
Q
Sauvignon Blanc: characterize
A
- Early ripening
- Well suited to cool climates
- Can be blended with another variety to give more body and richness (e.g., Semillon)
7
Q
Riesling: characterize
A
- Late budding and mid to late ripening (depending on style)
- Well suited to cool climates
- High acidity even when picked late
8
Q
Chardonnay: characterize
A
- Early budding
- Can thrive in a wide range of climates (though it is susceptible to frost)
- Acid declines the riper it gets
9
Q
Pinot Gris/Grigio: characterize
A
- Early budding and early ripening
- Loses acid as it ripens
- Can have an oily texture when ripe
- Pinot Grigio clones tend to be larger than Pinot Gris clones, and thus produce more neutral wines (with less flavor concentration)
10
Q
Sangiovese: characterize
A
- Late ripening
- High acid and tannin
- Red cherries, plums, dried herbs
- Usually aged in oak to soften tannins and add spicy flavors
- With bottle age, meaty and gamey
11
Q
Montepulciano: characterize
A
- High levels of color and tannins
- Medium acidity
- Black plums and cherries
- Most are simple and fruity, but some are matured in oak for a short time
12
Q
Gewurtztraminer: characterize
A
- Skins have light pink tinge, giving golden color to some wines
- Full-bodied with a rich, oily texture
- Low to med acidity
- High alcohol
- Pungent aromatic spicy nose (lychees, roses, sweet baking spices)
13
Q
Viognier: characterize
A
- Full-bodied
- Low acidity, high alcohol (as aromas develop only very late in the season)
- Perfumed aromas of blossom and apricots, and flavors of stone fruits
- Grapes need careful handling so wines do not develop overtly oily character
- New oak increasingly used, but careful use so as not to overwhelm aromas
- Usually dry; very small number off-dry
14
Q
Grüner Veltliner: characterize
A
- Full-bodied, high acidity
- Citrus or stone fruit, with hints of white pepper
- Develops honey and toast
- Majority: stainless steel, some some old oak. Some age a proportion of their best in new oak barriques
- Can produce fresh but unexciting wines at high yields
15
Q
Chenin Blanc: characterize
A
- High acid, non aromatic
- Dry through sweet (including noble rot) and can be used for sparkling
- Fresh apple through tropical fruit, depending on ripeness
- Dry: steely, smokey
- Developing honey, toast, and hay
- Ripens unevenly, so several passes may be required (and hand harvesting)
16
Q
Chenin Blanc: which five places is it found?
A
- Savennières (west of Anjou-Saumur): Dry, full-bodied, harvested late
- Coteaux du Layon (west of A-S): Sweet, noble rot wines)
- Paarl (South Africa coastal)
- Swartland (South Africa coastal): old vines
- Worchester (South Africa Breede River Valley): high-volume and distillation
17
Q
Muscadelle: characterize
A
- Found in Bordeaux
- Pronounced grapey, floral flavors
- Important supporting role in sweet and dry white production, but only a small percentage
18
Q
Melon Blanc: characterize
A
- Ripens early and is frost-resistant
- Suited to cool climate
- Muscadet wines
- Dry, high acidity, light body, med alcohol (~12%), green fruit
- Not ageable
- Muscadet Sur Lie
19
Q
Torrontés: characterize
A
- Med body and acidity
- Intense fruity, floral perfume, with flavors of stone fruits and melons
- Widely planted in Salta (esp. Cafayate–the best), La Rioja, San Juan, and Mendoza
20
Q
Cortese: characterize
A
- Pale and light-bodied
- High acid and aromas
- Citrus, green apples, pears
- Gavi DOCG: Altitude and sea breezes lengthens ripening to enhance acidity
- Norm is cool ferm with steel, but some use old oak and lees stirring to add complexity
- Most ready to drink, but the best can age
21
Q
Verdejo: characterize
A
- Highly susceptible to oxidation and was used to make Sherry-like wines
- Protective winemaking: light-bodied, med to high acid, melon and peach
- Lees stirring and barrel ferm: richer, fuller-bodied style
22
Q
Albariño/Alvarinho: characterize
A
- Thick-skinned, and thus resistant to fungal disease
- High in acidity, citrus and stone fruit
- Can be made into richer, fuller-bodied style with MLC, oak and lees stirring
- Found in Rías Baixas and in Vinho Verde (especially in Vinho Verde Alvarinho from Monção e Melgaço)
23
Q
Semillon: characterize
A
- Thin skin and susceptible to noble rot
- Sauternes, Barsac (sweet wines)
- Riverina, New South Wales (sweet wines)
- Hunter Valley (harvested early (low alc, high acidity), protective ferm, neutral in youth developing honey/toast)
- Barossa Valley (old: fuller, oaked; now: fresh, unoaked)
24
Q
Garganega: characterize
A
- Med to high acidity
- Med body
- Pears, red apple, stone fruit, sometimes white pepper (no oak)
- Developing almonds and honey
- Higher acidity in limestone/volanic hills because it is cooler (Classico)
- Soave DOC, Soave Classico DOC, Recioto di Soave DOCG
25
Merlot: characterize
* Earlier budding and ripening than Cab Sauv
* Int'l style: late harvested, deep purple color, concentrated blackberry and plum, soft velvety tannins
* Bordeaux style: harvested earlier for med body and alc, higher acidity, fresh red fruit and vegetal/leafy
* More supple skins, so less rigorous extraction than cab
* 12-18 months in oak common
26
Pinot Noir: characterize
* Early budding and ripening
* Thin skin
* Best in cool to mod climates
* Lots of clones
* Possible whole bunch ferm
* Common for hot (above 30 C) ferm for more tannin/color/flavor for longer-aged wines
* 12-24 in oak, often mostly old
* Developing forest floor and mushrooms
27
Pinot Noir: name where top quality is found (7 countries and the specific regions)
* Burgundy
* Baden (Germany)
* Los Carneros and Sonoma (CA)
* Martinborough, Marlborough, Central Otago (NZ)
* Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Tasmania (Australia)
* Walker Bay (SA)
* Casablanca Valley (Chile)
28
Cabernet Franc: characterize
* Less body and tannin than Cab Sauv
* Contributes vibrant fruit and floral to Bordeaux blend (but can be herbaceous when unripe)
* Grown in Chinon and Bourgueil (Loire) and Saumur-Champigny (Loire - was light now fuller bodied)
* Light/fruity from sandy soils; fuller-bodied, more tannic from southerly slopes with limestone and clay
* Used in blend with Cab Sauv in Cabernet d'Anjou (med-dry to med-sweet Rosé)
29
Syrah: characterize
* Small with thick, darkly colored skins
* Can range from med-bodied with pepper and fresh black fruit to smooth and full-bodied with intense, very ripe fruit and liquorice
* Developing meat and leather
* In hotter climates, can decide between max extraction and a more restrained style (earlier harvesting, gentler cap mgmt, portion of whole bunch ferm, post-ferm maceration, larger/older oak)
30
Grenache/Garnacha: characterize
* Late-ripening variety
* Needs warm or hot climates; drought tolerant
* Thin-skinned
* High in alcohol, low in acidity, full body, soft tannins, red fruit
* Usually blended
* Pre-ferm maceration is common to extract flavor and color before alc levels rise
* Some do portion of whole bunches to enhance red fruit
* Usually no post-ferm maceration
* Usually matured in large old oak foudres, as new oak can overwhelm fruit
31
Grenache/Garnacha: name the blending partners
* Priorat: Carignan
* Rioja Oriental: Tempranillo
* Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Syrah, Mourvèdre
* Languedoc and Roussillon: Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cinsault
* Australia: Cabernet Sauvignon
32
Mourvèdre/Montrastrell: characterize
* Thick-skinned
* Needs hot, sunny climate; drought-tolerant
* Deeply colored and very high in tannins
* Dense black fruit, gamey and meaty
* At northern limit in Southern France, requiring warmest sites (e.g., **Bandol**--where full body high tannin wines need bottle age to show bramble, meat, liquorice)
* Dominant in **Jumilla** and **Yecla**; most there youthful and fruity.
33
Gamay: characterize
* Early budding and early ripening
* If not managed, can produce large yields with dilute flavors
* Best in granite soils with low nutrients
* Low to med tannin and body
* Fragrent aromas of raspberry and cherry
* Styles range from light and fruity to those that can age.
34
Corvina: characterize
* Med color, low to med tannins, high acidity
* Other varieties blended to increase color and tannin
* In Valpolicella, foothills with limestone, clay, volcanic gives more acidity (Classico); in gravel and sand, less acidity and more fruit
35
Aglianico: characterize
* Deep color, high acid and tannin, black fruit, develops earthy, forest floor
* Matured in oak
* At its best in Taurasi DOCG (in Campania)
36
Negroamaro: characterize
* At high yields, fruity
* With controlled yields, full body, med tannins and acid, high alcohol, baked red and black fruit
* Many of best from Salice Salentino DOC (in Puglia)
37
Zinfandel/Primitivo: characterize
* With high yields, fruity
* With controlled yields, full body, med tannins and acid, high alc, and very ripe berry fruit
* In California, can have small residual sugar, subtle herbaceous, red and black fruits, dried berries, and liquorice.
* Ripens unevenly
* White Zinfandel (Rosé) is made from early-picked grapes, usually fruit, pale, med-sweet, and low in alc
38
Nero d'Avola: characterize
* Med to full body, med acidity and tannins, plums and black cherries
* Often made fruity, but best producers make it concentrated and complex
* Dominant black grape in Sicily
39
Graciano: characterize
* Highly valued but difficult to grow
* Small quanities used to add concentrated black fruit, acidity, and tannins to structure
* Mostly grown in Rioja
40
Carmenère: characterize
* Late ripening
* Best in warmest and sunniest
* Full body, high tannin
* Herbaceous when unripe, but when right balance between black fruit and herbal
* Grown primarily in Chile, especially Aconcagua Valley, Cachapoal Valley floor, Colchagua Valley
41
Malbec: characterize
* Deeply colored, full body, smooth high tannins, black fruit
* In Argentina, most matured in new oak
* Can be floral at higher altitude
* Mostly a varietal in Argentina, but can be blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and/or Petit Verdot.
* Also most important variety in Cahors
42
Pinotage: characterize
* Can be light/fruity with red flavors, or very fully body, rich, spiced berries
* When fermented or aged in oak, coffee or chocolate
* Can be blended with international varieties to make a "Cape Blend"
* Pinot Noir x Cinsault
43
Tempranillo/Cencibal/Tinta Roriz/Aragonês: characterize
* Early ripening, thick skin
* Med acid
* Best either (i) hot with large diurnal range or (ii) moderate cooled by ocean or altitude.
* Varietal: Semi-carb maceration "Joven" wine
* Long-lived when blended with Garnacha, Graciano, Cariñena/Mazuelo, or Cab Sauv.
* Grown throughout northern and central Spain
44
Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc: characterize
* Orvieto DOC (Umbria): blend with Grechetto
* Light body, med to high acid, ripe grapefruit and peaches
* Frascati DOC (Lazio): blend with Malvasia
* Med body, med to high acid, citrus (sometimes with Malvasia providing floral, orange blossom)
* Also in Côtes de Gascogne as dry, light-body, green apple
45
Muscat: characterize
* Refers to a number of grape varieties
* Low to med acid, light to med body, aromatic with orange blossoms, rose, grape
* **Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains** (or **Sárga Muskotály**): more aromatic, but prone to poor fruit set and rot
* **Muscat Ottonel**: less aromatic, but more reliable
* Used in fortified muscats and Asti DOCG
46
Carignan/Cariñena/Mazuelo: characterize
* Late ripening
* High tannin, acid, color, but lacks fruit or finesse
* Was popular because of high yields
* Small amount blended with Tempranillo (in Rioja) and Garnacha (in Priorat) can enhance structure
* Old vines in Cariñena, Calatayud, and Priorat can give greater intensity
47
Vidal: characterize
* Hybrid
* Little character when made into a dry white
* High-quality icewine, but without the acid structure and aromatic complexity of Riesling
* Niagara Peninsula (Ontario, Canada)
