Wine beer whiskey booze Flashcards
(21 cards)
Chardonnay
Fruity, buttery, with a velvety feel that’s atypical to dry white wines.
Pinot Grigio (aka Pinot Gris)
Simple, light-bodied, dry and crisp.
Riesling
Usually very sweet, with intense fruit flavors. Much lighter than chardonnay
Moscato
Fruity, and often sweet.
Sauvignon blanc
Dry, tart and acidic with herbal flavors as well as tropical fruit.
Cabernet sauvignon
Full-bodied with herbal notes. Younger cab has rich flavors of currant.
Merlot
Fruity, spicy. Very soft, less tannic than Cabernet sauvignon. Smooth and soft.
Pinot noir
Delicate and fresh, very soft tannins with fruity aromas. Stronger flavor and lighter color than merlot.
Zinfandel
Typically zesty, ranges from medium- to full-bodied and dry to off-dry.
Tannin
It’s all about the tannins for red wine. High tannin wines are astringent, maybe even bitter and inky. Lower tannin wines are smooth and soft, and depending on your tastes, more drinkable.
Body.
This refers to the perceived “weight” and viscosity of the wine. A full-bodied wine feels thick, coating the sides of the glass as you swirl. A light-bodied wine is almost like water. A medium-bodied wine is in-between.
Acidity
cidity is a big deal for white wines, and it makes them refreshing and crisp (or “sour” if its overdone). Lower acidity makes a wine taste “fat.”
Sweet vs what?
The opposite of sweet is dry. A wine can also be medium-dry or off-dry (i.e. just a hint of sweetness, but almost too faint to move the needle).
What is scotch?
Scotch is technically whisky (spelled without the “e”) that has been distilled and matured in Scotland. It is made mostly from malted barley – remember, bourbon is made from corn. Scotch, in layman’s terms, tastes a lot like bourbon, but with a trademark “bite” dragging along the back of your tasting
Malt Whisky
Malt Whisky ranks among the best whiskies and is predominantly produced in Scotland. It may only be made from malted barley and has to be distilled in pot stills.
Grain Whisky
Grain whisky is whisky that is not made from malted barley, mainly from Scotland and Ireland. It can contain any type of grain, also a mixture. Today grain whiskies mostly contain wheat, since it offers a higher utilisation level than corn, which was used in earlier times for cost reasons.
Blended Whisky
Blended Whisky can contain any mixture of different whiskies (malt, grain). These whiskies differ in type, but especially in their origin, i.e. the distillery they come from. Most blends contain more grain whisky than malt whisky. The higher the malt whisky ratio, the better the blend. Blended Whisky usually comes from Scotland or Ireland.
Single Pot Still Whiskey
This special type of whisky is from Ireland. It may contain grain, also unmalted barley, but it is exclusively distilled in pot stills.
Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey
Bourbon can be produced anywhere in the United States, but most bourbons are produced in Kentucky. An exception is the state of Tennessee, which established the category “Tennessee Whiskey” (which is essentially the same as an bourbon, but requires a charcoal filtering process prior to aging). There are different types of bourbon with regard to the production process.
Bourbon must contain at least 51% corn. The rest is a mixture of some barley for the fermentation process, as well as rye and/or wheat. Today many bourbons are produced using the sour mash process. American whiskey is mainly distilled in column stills.
Rye Whiskey
This type of whisky used to be produced mainly in the United States, and still today in Canada. It contains at least 51% rye and must also be matured in oak casks for at least 2 years. Today there are only few rye whiskeys in the US, since its very spicy taste is not so popular anymore.
Aging of whiskey/whisky
The type of cask determines the duration of the maturation, since fresh casks - contrary to used casks - release many aromas in a short period of time. Depending on the country and the type of whisky, by law the spirit must mature for at least 2 years (USA) or 3 years (Scotland, Ireland and Europe). Letting the whisky mature longer than the minimum amount of time affects the quality and thus the price of the whisky. Single Malt whisky is often only appreciated if it is 10 years old or older.
