Sweet Wines

Question 1

Sweet wines are made throughout the winemaking world.

Depending on the appellation or the style of sweet wine permitted within an appellation, sweet wines are generally made in the ___ or in the ___.

Answer 1

1. In the vineyard
2. In the winery

Question 2

What are the 4 ways to make sweet wine in the vineyard?

Answer 2

1. Late Harvest
2. Botrytis / Noble Rot
3. Drying grapes – either on the vine or after they’ve been picked
4. Freezing grapes on the vine

Question 3

What are the 4 ways to make sweet wine in the winery?

Answer 3

1. Fortification
2. Chilling down the wine and filtering out remaining yeast
3. Chilling down the wine and hitting it with sulfur dioxide (SO₂) which kills any remaining yeast
4. Adding sweetness into the wine

Question 4

What is the intention of trying to make a sweet wine in the vineyard?

Answer 4

To concentrate the grape sugars

Question 5

Describe Late Harvest.

Answer 5

Grapes left on the vine after normal harvest to allow sugars to concentrate

Question 6

What is Botrytis cinerea and what does it do?

Answer 6

• A mold aka Noble Rot;
• Lives in humid regions;
• Mold spores attack grapes leaving holes in the skin, causing grapes to dehydrate and concentrate the sugars;
• Grapes shrivel (and yields are reduced);
• Causes oxidation of grape juice, which slightly darkens the wine;
• Distinct flavors develop: mushroom (from the mold!), honey, saffron, candied ginger.

Question 7

Drying grapes to concentrate their sugars – where is the drying done?

Answer 7

1. On the vine
2. On mats after they’ve been picked

Question 8

How are grape sugars concentrated by freezing the grapes on the vine?

Answer 8

1. Healthy grapes (read: low-to-no Botrytis) are left on the vine into winter to freeze;
2. When the grapes freeze it’s the water in the berries that are frozen, not the sugars, so the sugars concentrate and intensify;
3. Once the grapes are frozen they’re hand picked and pressed, and only the sweet nectar is released (the frozen water stays behind).

Question 9

Name 2 styles of wine made by freezing grapes on the vine.

Answer 9

1. Icewine > Canada
2. Eiswein > Germany

Question 10

Name 3 countries where you find sweet wines that are affected by Botrytis / Noble Rot.

Answer 10

1. France
2. Germany
3. Hungary

Question 11

In France, name 3 regions that make Botrytis-affected sweet wines.

Answer 11

1. Bordeaux
2. Alsace
3. Loire Valley

Question 12

What is the appellation in Bordeaux that is famous for its Botrytis-affected wine?

Answer 12

Sauternes

Question 13

What are the 2 styles of Botrytis-affected wine in Alsace?

Answer 13

1. Vendange Tardive (VT)
2. Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN)

Question 14

What are the 3 appellations in the Loire Valley that make Botrytis-affected wines?

Answer 14

1. Quarts de Chaume
2. Bonnezeaux
3. Vouvray Moelleux (pronounced MWAH-luh)

Question 15

Which 3 German wines can be affected by Botrytis?

Hint: it’s 3 Prädikat levels.

Answer 15

1. Auslese (can have Botrytis, but it doesn’t always)
2. Beerenauslese (BA)
3. Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA)

Question 16

What region in Hungary is known for its Botrytis-affected wine?

And what is this wine called?

Answer 16

Tokaj = region

Tokaj Aszú = name of the wine

Question 17

What does the word Aszú mean?

Answer 17

That the grapes were affected by Botrytis

Question 18

Where is the Tokaj region within Hungary?

Answer 18

Northeastern corner

Question 19

What is the main grape of Tokaj that goes into Tokaj Aszú?

Answer 19

Furmint

• there are 5 other white grapes allowed

Question 20

How is Tokaj Aszú made?

Answer 20

1. Botrytis-affected grapes are harvested berry by berry, collected in small bins, then brought to the winery;
2. Botrytised grapes are made into a mushy paste;
3. Paste is added to a base wine (made from non-Botrytised grapes);
4. Amount of paste determines sweetness level.

Question 21

What is Tokaj Eszencia?

Answer 21

• Wine made from only the sweet, syrupy, free-run nectar from 100% Botrytised grapes;
• There’s so much sugar the yeasts are overwhelmed, so abv is low (4-6%)
• Wickedly expensive (retail ~US$200-$500)
• Rare (not made every year)
• Insanely delicious

Question 22

What country makes several sweet wines made from drying grapes?

Answer 22

Italy

Question 23

What are the 2 terms on labels that indicate the wine is both sweet and made from dried grapes?

Answer 23

1. Passito
2. Recioto

Question 24

Name 3 Italian appellations and the region they’re in which make sweet wines from dried grapes.

Answer 24

1. Vin Santo > Tuscany
2. Elba Aleatico Passito > Tuscany
3. Recioto della Valpolicella > Veneto
4. Recioto di Soave > Veneto

Question 25

When a winemaker wants to make sweet wine but isn’t working with grapes whose sugars were naturally concentrated, what action can they take?

Answer 25

Stop fermentation so the yeasts stop metabolizing the sugars.

Question 26

How does fortification stop fermentation?

Answer 26

The high alcohol level of the neutral grape spirit is enough to kill the yeasts and therefore stop fermentation, leaving natural sugars in the wine.

Question 27

What are the 2 ways you can stop fermentation after chilling a wine?

Answer 27

1. Filtering out the remaining yeasts
2. Adding sulfur dioxide (SO₂) to kill any remaining yeasts

Question 28

Name 2 ways to add sweetness back into a wine.

Answer 28

1. Add unfermented grape juice
2. Add sweet wine to a dry wine