WSET LEVEL 2 UPDATED EXAMS GUIDE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS MARKED A+
✔✔Grape Fermentation and Ripening - ✔✔bud break
flowering
fruit set
veraison
ripe grape
✔✔White winemaking process - ✔✔crush
press
alcoholic fermentation
storage and maturation
packaging
✔✔crushing - ✔✔splitting grape skins to release juice
✔✔pressing - ✔✔crushed grapes are squeezed in a press to extract liquid
✔✔alcoholic fermentation - ✔✔yeast consumes sugar creating CO2 and alcohol
stops naturally when all the yeast die
11.5-16% ABV
✔✔Storage and Maturation - ✔✔wine is stored before bottling
oak
✔✔making dry red wines - ✔✔crush
alcoholic fermentation
drain
press
storage and maturation
bottle
✔✔dry red wines - ✔✔black grapes
skins included in fermentation
skins drained after fermentation
✔✔extracting color and tannin - ✔✔heat created by yeast during fermentation extracts
color and tannin (needs to be mixed because skins float)
✔✔Cap - ✔✔thick layer of grape skins floating on top during alcoholic fermentation
✔✔Punching down - ✔✔breaks up cap by using a plunger to push the cap down into
the liquid
,✔✔pumping over - ✔✔pumping juice from the bottom of the tank to spray over the cap
✔✔short maceration - ✔✔black grapes are drained from skins after a short time to
produce rose wine
✔✔blending for rose - ✔✔blending red and white wine
not permitted in most of EU
✔✔Off-dry wine - ✔✔have a small amount of sugar
✔✔sweet wines - ✔✔can be red, white or rose
amount of rs can vary
many techniques
✔✔Concentrated Grape Sugar - ✔✔juice extracted from extra ripe grapes and there is
so much sugar the yeast can't eat it all
botrytis, frozen
✔✔removing yeast - ✔✔uses sophisticated filters that have small holes to remove the
yeast: EX: white zin
✔✔killing yeast - ✔✔add alcohol to fermenting juice (fortification)
wines between 15-20% ABV
✔✔Adding Sweetness to dry wine - ✔✔red, white, rose
sugar is added from grapes
unfermented grape juice may be used
✔✔adjusting sugar levels - ✔✔cool vintages will have low sugar and high acid
increasing sugar will increase alcohol
✔✔adjusting acid - ✔✔winemakers can adjust acid if there is too much or not enough
✔✔temperature for red wine fermentation - ✔✔20-32 C
✔✔temperature for white wine fermentation - ✔✔12-22 C
✔✔temperature for rose fermentation - ✔✔12-22 C
✔✔winery vessels - ✔✔stainless steel
concrete
oak
, ✔✔stainless steel and concrete vessels - ✔✔used for fermentation and storage
inert and don't add flavor
airtight
✔✔toasting - ✔✔oak staves are heated and bent into shape to form barrels
the length and level of the heat will influence flavor from the oak
✔✔new oak - ✔✔adds flavor to the wine
vanilla, coconut, charred wood and spice
✔✔used oak - ✔✔adds less flavor
after 2-3 uses has little or none left
✔✔Oak vessels - ✔✔wooden vessels used for fermentation and storage
adds flavor
adds oxygen
water tight
✔✔Oak Staves - ✔✔oak planks added during alcoholic fermentation to cheaply impart
oak flavor
✔✔oak chips - ✔✔small oak chips added during alcoholic fermentation to cheaply
impart oak flavor
✔✔Malolactic Conversion - ✔✔takes place after alcoholic fermentation by bacteria
bacteria lowers acidity and converts malic acid to lactic acid
buttery flavors, always in red sometimes in white
✔✔lees - ✔✔a layer of dead yeast cells at the bottom of the vessel that forms after
alcoholic fermentation
can be kept or discarded to give bready flavor
✔✔blending - ✔✔done at any stage
can help achieve consistency and add complexity
✔✔maturation in bottle - ✔✔most wines do not improve
wines need: higher acid, rs and tannin and to be deeply flavored
✔✔maturation changes white wine - ✔✔color changes from gold to amber and deepens
tertiary character: dried apricot, honey nut and spice
✔✔maturation changes red wine - ✔✔color changes from ruby to garnet to tawny and
becomes paler
tannins drop
ANSWERS MARKED A+
✔✔Grape Fermentation and Ripening - ✔✔bud break
flowering
fruit set
veraison
ripe grape
✔✔White winemaking process - ✔✔crush
press
alcoholic fermentation
storage and maturation
packaging
✔✔crushing - ✔✔splitting grape skins to release juice
✔✔pressing - ✔✔crushed grapes are squeezed in a press to extract liquid
✔✔alcoholic fermentation - ✔✔yeast consumes sugar creating CO2 and alcohol
stops naturally when all the yeast die
11.5-16% ABV
✔✔Storage and Maturation - ✔✔wine is stored before bottling
oak
✔✔making dry red wines - ✔✔crush
alcoholic fermentation
drain
press
storage and maturation
bottle
✔✔dry red wines - ✔✔black grapes
skins included in fermentation
skins drained after fermentation
✔✔extracting color and tannin - ✔✔heat created by yeast during fermentation extracts
color and tannin (needs to be mixed because skins float)
✔✔Cap - ✔✔thick layer of grape skins floating on top during alcoholic fermentation
✔✔Punching down - ✔✔breaks up cap by using a plunger to push the cap down into
the liquid
,✔✔pumping over - ✔✔pumping juice from the bottom of the tank to spray over the cap
✔✔short maceration - ✔✔black grapes are drained from skins after a short time to
produce rose wine
✔✔blending for rose - ✔✔blending red and white wine
not permitted in most of EU
✔✔Off-dry wine - ✔✔have a small amount of sugar
✔✔sweet wines - ✔✔can be red, white or rose
amount of rs can vary
many techniques
✔✔Concentrated Grape Sugar - ✔✔juice extracted from extra ripe grapes and there is
so much sugar the yeast can't eat it all
botrytis, frozen
✔✔removing yeast - ✔✔uses sophisticated filters that have small holes to remove the
yeast: EX: white zin
✔✔killing yeast - ✔✔add alcohol to fermenting juice (fortification)
wines between 15-20% ABV
✔✔Adding Sweetness to dry wine - ✔✔red, white, rose
sugar is added from grapes
unfermented grape juice may be used
✔✔adjusting sugar levels - ✔✔cool vintages will have low sugar and high acid
increasing sugar will increase alcohol
✔✔adjusting acid - ✔✔winemakers can adjust acid if there is too much or not enough
✔✔temperature for red wine fermentation - ✔✔20-32 C
✔✔temperature for white wine fermentation - ✔✔12-22 C
✔✔temperature for rose fermentation - ✔✔12-22 C
✔✔winery vessels - ✔✔stainless steel
concrete
oak
, ✔✔stainless steel and concrete vessels - ✔✔used for fermentation and storage
inert and don't add flavor
airtight
✔✔toasting - ✔✔oak staves are heated and bent into shape to form barrels
the length and level of the heat will influence flavor from the oak
✔✔new oak - ✔✔adds flavor to the wine
vanilla, coconut, charred wood and spice
✔✔used oak - ✔✔adds less flavor
after 2-3 uses has little or none left
✔✔Oak vessels - ✔✔wooden vessels used for fermentation and storage
adds flavor
adds oxygen
water tight
✔✔Oak Staves - ✔✔oak planks added during alcoholic fermentation to cheaply impart
oak flavor
✔✔oak chips - ✔✔small oak chips added during alcoholic fermentation to cheaply
impart oak flavor
✔✔Malolactic Conversion - ✔✔takes place after alcoholic fermentation by bacteria
bacteria lowers acidity and converts malic acid to lactic acid
buttery flavors, always in red sometimes in white
✔✔lees - ✔✔a layer of dead yeast cells at the bottom of the vessel that forms after
alcoholic fermentation
can be kept or discarded to give bready flavor
✔✔blending - ✔✔done at any stage
can help achieve consistency and add complexity
✔✔maturation in bottle - ✔✔most wines do not improve
wines need: higher acid, rs and tannin and to be deeply flavored
✔✔maturation changes white wine - ✔✔color changes from gold to amber and deepens
tertiary character: dried apricot, honey nut and spice
✔✔maturation changes red wine - ✔✔color changes from ruby to garnet to tawny and
becomes paler
tannins drop
