Topic 2 - Introduction to wine production and wine styles Flashcards
What is alcoholic fermentation?
Transformation of sugar (glucose + fructose) into ethanol and carbon dioxide
What is the basic process for making dry white table wine?
- Grape Harvest
- Crushing
- Pressing
- Juice clarification
- Juice fermentation to wine
- Wine clarification and stabilisation
- Wine bottling
What is modified in the red wine-making process?
To make red wine, the process is modified to leave the skins in contact with the juice and allow the colour from the grape skins to be extracted into the juice or wine during fermentation.
Therefore pressing to separate the liquid which has been either totally or partially fermented into wine from the grape skins takes place after fermentation of the skins/juice (known as must).
What is the basic red winemaking process?
- Grape harvest
- De-stem for removal of grape stalks, Crushing of grapes to produce must
- Ferment on skins
- Press
- Clarification & stabilisation (*Malolactic fermentation / MLF)
- Maturation (oak)
- Bottling/ Packaging
Are red grapes always destemmed?
No, often red grapes are not destemmed/ crushed – fermented with whole bunches and/or whole berries (e.g. Pinot Noir or Shiraz/Syrah).
Where do red wines derive their colour?
Most red wines derive their colour from the grape skins, and this is why the skins remain in contact with the juice and/or wine during (and sometimes before and/or following) fermentation.
What are teinturier grapes?
Teinturier grapes are red grape varieties whose flesh/juice is red in colour. These include Alicante Bouschet, Saperavi, and Chambourcin.
According to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (Standard 4.5.1), what is wine?
Wine means the product of the complete or partial fermentation of fresh grapes, or a mixture of that product and products derived solely from grapes.
How do we distinguish between wine types?
Alcohol concentration within broad limits; sugar concentration within broad limits; presence or absence of red colour; presence or absence of effervescence.
What is the difference between wine type and style?
The words ‘wine type’ and ‘wine style’ tend to be used interchangeably.
Still, it is desirable to make an arbitrary distinction between them, such that differences in ‘type’ are significant and differences in ‘style’ are relatively minor.
Small variations in alcohol or sugar or in flavours relating to fruit or winemaking technique account for differences in wine style.
Wine and sparkling wine must contain no less than how much ethanol at 20˚C?
No less than 45 mL/L of ethanol at 20˚C. (Food Standards 4.5.1)
White wines will generally be less than how much alcohol?
White wines will generally be less than ~14 - 14.5˚ v/v
Red wines will generally be less than how much alcohol?
Red wines are generally less than ~ 15 - 15.5˚ v/v
Fortified wine (such as vintage fortified, muscat, topaque, apera) must contain no less than how much and no more than how much ethanol at 20˚C?
Fortified wine must contain no less than 150 mL/L (15%) and no more than 220 mL/L (22%) of ethanol at 20˚C. (Food Standards 4.5.1)
True or False:
There are not levels of sugar content that define if a wine is sweet or not.
True
There are not levels of sugar content that define if a wine is sweet or not.
What are terms sometimes used to describe wines which have perceptible sweetness but are not obviously sweet?
‘Off dry’ or ‘Medium-dry’
Wines with what residual sugar concentration levels are generally regarded as medium dry or medium sweet?
What is it dependent on though?
Wines that have levels of approximately 50 to 80 g/L residual sugar concentration would generally be regarded as being medium dry or medium sweet.
It is dependent on the balance provided by the acidity.
Acid balance/tannin balance in red wines – often when a wine has a high amount of tannin a taster will perceive it as dry
How are wines that have 100 to 200g/L residual sugar concentration produced and what are they colloquially regarded as?
Wines with levels ranging from approximately 100 to 200g/L are generally produced by late harvest and/or Botrytis infection and are regarded as sweet, or more colloquially as ‘dessert’ wines.
What three colours have wines traditionally been described as?
Red, White, Rosé
What are orange wines?
Orange wines are wines that are generally produced using white grape varieties and techniques such as skin contact and/or deliberate oxygen contact, techniques that have been practised for thousands of years.
The amount of red colour is a reflection of what factors?
The amount red colour is a reflection of several factors including variety, ripeness levels, maceration time and temperature as well as due to different cap management and their frequency.
Australian sparkling wines must contain no less than how much-dissolved carbon dioxide gas?
Australian Sparkling Wines must contain no less than 5g/L CO2 (Food Standards 4.5.1).
What are some white wines that are bottled with levels of 900-1200mg/L dissolved CO2 to produce the perception of a lift in acidity and increased aromatics?
Some white wines, usually aromatic varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling, may be bottled with levels of around 900-1200 mg/L dissolved CO2 to provide the perception of a lift in acidity and increased aromatics.
Levels of 1-2 g/L can give an obvious spritz to the wine.
What are some key factors that can impact a wine’s style?
- Variety
- Region / Geographical Indication (GI)
- Composition at harvest
- Winemaking factors
