Introductory Sommelier Questions and Answers Already Passed Graded A+
What happens to white wines as they age? - Answers They become darker and take on brown tones
What color indicates a "youthful" red wine? - Answers Purple (sometimes with bluish tinges)
What are tartrates? - Answers Tartaric acid in a crystalline form. Often found in white wines from
Germany & Austria. Can also be found in red wines. These are not harmful and do not indicate a flaw in
the wine.
What is the purpose of swirling a glass of wine? - Answers To volatize the esters, releasing aroma &
flavor elements in the wine
Smell accounts for what % of taste? - Answers 85%
What does TCA smell like? - Answers Musty cardboard, wet basement.
If a wine smells like nail polish, what is the flaw? - Answers Volatile acidity
What is botrytis cinerea? - Answers AKA "Noble rot", a useful mold that dehydrates the grapes. Used in
the production of the finest dessert wines in the world, notably from Sauternes.
In general, high alcohol and ripe, tropical fruit indicate a wine from where? - Answers New World
regions with warm climates.
Earthy notes, higher acidity and minerality generally indicates wines from where? - Answers Old World
regions with cooler climates.
American Oak will add what kind of notes to a wine? - Answers Vanilla, coconut and sweet baking spices.
What is the latitudinal range for most quality wine production worldwide? - Answers 30-50 degrees
What is a microclimate? - Answers Climate within a very restricted space of position--as small as a single
vine.
What is a mesoclimate? - Answers Between the size of a microclimate and macroclimate. Could refer to
a single vineyard or hillside.
What is a macroclimate? - Answers Regional climate, refers to a large, broad area.
What is an AVA? - Answers American Viticultural Area
What is the species of grapevine used in quality production (not including rootstocks)? - Answers Vitis
vinifera
What vineyard pest carries Pierce's Disease? - Answers Glassy-winged sharpshooter
, What is phylloxera? - Answers A grape louse that nearly wiped out the vineyards of Europe in the 19th
century. It attacks the vine's rootstocks and kills it in 3-5 years. There is no cure and it is easily spread.
What is free run juice? - Answers Juice that will drain without pressing from a mass of freshly crushed
grapes, will have lower tannins than pressed wine.
What region employs carbonic maceration and what does that mean? - Answers Beaujolais, whole
cluster fermentation occurs without crushing the grape in an anaerobic atmosphere. Usually only used
for red wine.
What is a cultured yeast? - Answers A yeast that studied abroad in college...NOPE! An inoculated yeast,
or cultured yeast, has been cultivated in a lab environment to produce a controlled and consistent
fermentation.
What is chaptalization? - Answers The addition of grape sugar before fermentation. Used in cool regions
where full ripeness is not always achieved naturally.
What type of fermentation vessel do most modern wineries use today? - Answers Stainless steel.
What is extraction? - Answers The amount of phenolics present in a pressed wine, extracted from the
grape solids before, during and after fermentation.
What type of fortified wine employs the solera system? - Answers Sherry
What is malolactic fermentation? - Answers Secondary fermentation in which harsh, malic acid is
converted to softer, lactic acid (which is found in milk).
What are lees? - Answers Dead yeast cells, a byproduct of fermentation. Can be used to add a nutty,
biscuit component or rounder mouthfeel if wines are 'aged on the lees'.
What are common fining agents for wine? - Answers Bentonite (clay), egg whites, isinglass
What is the reason for fining a wine? - Answers To remove unstable colloids which may cause a
cloudiness or other flaw in the wine. Some winemakers choose to produce wines without filtering and
fining because they feel it strips away essential flavors.
How is sulfur dioxide used in winemaking? - Answers As a preservative and disinfectant.
What country made the strongest push to popularize the screwcap enclosure, which is now used in 70%
of their wines, including high quality? - Answers New Zealand
What year was France's appellation system established? - Answers 1935
What system is replacing the AOC? - Answers Appellation d'Origine Protegee, designed to align countries
in the EU
What happens to white wines as they age? - Answers They become darker and take on brown tones
What color indicates a "youthful" red wine? - Answers Purple (sometimes with bluish tinges)
What are tartrates? - Answers Tartaric acid in a crystalline form. Often found in white wines from
Germany & Austria. Can also be found in red wines. These are not harmful and do not indicate a flaw in
the wine.
What is the purpose of swirling a glass of wine? - Answers To volatize the esters, releasing aroma &
flavor elements in the wine
Smell accounts for what % of taste? - Answers 85%
What does TCA smell like? - Answers Musty cardboard, wet basement.
If a wine smells like nail polish, what is the flaw? - Answers Volatile acidity
What is botrytis cinerea? - Answers AKA "Noble rot", a useful mold that dehydrates the grapes. Used in
the production of the finest dessert wines in the world, notably from Sauternes.
In general, high alcohol and ripe, tropical fruit indicate a wine from where? - Answers New World
regions with warm climates.
Earthy notes, higher acidity and minerality generally indicates wines from where? - Answers Old World
regions with cooler climates.
American Oak will add what kind of notes to a wine? - Answers Vanilla, coconut and sweet baking spices.
What is the latitudinal range for most quality wine production worldwide? - Answers 30-50 degrees
What is a microclimate? - Answers Climate within a very restricted space of position--as small as a single
vine.
What is a mesoclimate? - Answers Between the size of a microclimate and macroclimate. Could refer to
a single vineyard or hillside.
What is a macroclimate? - Answers Regional climate, refers to a large, broad area.
What is an AVA? - Answers American Viticultural Area
What is the species of grapevine used in quality production (not including rootstocks)? - Answers Vitis
vinifera
What vineyard pest carries Pierce's Disease? - Answers Glassy-winged sharpshooter
, What is phylloxera? - Answers A grape louse that nearly wiped out the vineyards of Europe in the 19th
century. It attacks the vine's rootstocks and kills it in 3-5 years. There is no cure and it is easily spread.
What is free run juice? - Answers Juice that will drain without pressing from a mass of freshly crushed
grapes, will have lower tannins than pressed wine.
What region employs carbonic maceration and what does that mean? - Answers Beaujolais, whole
cluster fermentation occurs without crushing the grape in an anaerobic atmosphere. Usually only used
for red wine.
What is a cultured yeast? - Answers A yeast that studied abroad in college...NOPE! An inoculated yeast,
or cultured yeast, has been cultivated in a lab environment to produce a controlled and consistent
fermentation.
What is chaptalization? - Answers The addition of grape sugar before fermentation. Used in cool regions
where full ripeness is not always achieved naturally.
What type of fermentation vessel do most modern wineries use today? - Answers Stainless steel.
What is extraction? - Answers The amount of phenolics present in a pressed wine, extracted from the
grape solids before, during and after fermentation.
What type of fortified wine employs the solera system? - Answers Sherry
What is malolactic fermentation? - Answers Secondary fermentation in which harsh, malic acid is
converted to softer, lactic acid (which is found in milk).
What are lees? - Answers Dead yeast cells, a byproduct of fermentation. Can be used to add a nutty,
biscuit component or rounder mouthfeel if wines are 'aged on the lees'.
What are common fining agents for wine? - Answers Bentonite (clay), egg whites, isinglass
What is the reason for fining a wine? - Answers To remove unstable colloids which may cause a
cloudiness or other flaw in the wine. Some winemakers choose to produce wines without filtering and
fining because they feel it strips away essential flavors.
How is sulfur dioxide used in winemaking? - Answers As a preservative and disinfectant.
What country made the strongest push to popularize the screwcap enclosure, which is now used in 70%
of their wines, including high quality? - Answers New Zealand
What year was France's appellation system established? - Answers 1935
What system is replacing the AOC? - Answers Appellation d'Origine Protegee, designed to align countries
in the EU
