WSET Level 3 - Chapter 9 Questions and Answers With Verified Solutions 2025
What are the internationally important red grape varieties? - ✔✔Cab sauv, merlot, pinot noir, syrah, and
grenache.
What is the key to successful red wine making? - ✔✔The extraction of color and tannins from the skins
of black grapes, which is achieved by including the skins in the fermentation vessel.
When does pressing occur in red winemaking? - ✔✔After fermentation - not before like when making
white wine.
At what temperature does red wine fermentation occur? - ✔✔It ranges between 20 degrees celcius to
32 degrees celcius, depending on the style of wine. After 35 degrees celcius the yeast will die.
What is a cap? - ✔✔When fermenting red wine develops a thick mass of pulp and skins on its surface.
This cannot be left to just float, it must be broken up.
What are the different cap management techniques? - ✔✔Punching down, pumping over, rack and
return, and rotary fermenters.
Describe punching down. - ✔✔When mechanical paddles punch the cap down
Describe pumping over. - ✔✔This involves drawing off fermenting juice from the bottom of the vat and
pumping it up on to the top, wetting the cap.
Describe rack and return. - ✔✔The fermenting juice drawn from the fermentation vessel into another
vessel, leaving the cap behind. The juice is then pumped back over the cap.
Describe rotary fermenters. - ✔✔Fermentation takes place in rotating horizontal tanks. This keeps the
juice in constant contact with the skins.
, Does press wine happen pre or post fermentation? - ✔✔Post fermentation. When the mace ration has
finished, the free run wine is drawn off the skins and the remaining mass is pressed, creating press wine.
What are three forms of whole bunch fermentation? - ✔✔Carbonic maceration, semi-carbonic
maceration, and whole bunches with crushed fruit.
In the carbonic maceration method of winemaking, free-run juice is often used for higher quality wines
than press-run juice - ✔✔False. The press juice is better because it comes from inside the grapes where
the carbonic maceration occurred.
Carbonic Maceration is also known as ...
A. Whole Berry Fermentation
B. Malolactic Fermentation
C. Acidification
D. Chaptalization - ✔✔A. Whole Berry Fermentation
Carbonic Maceration - ✔✔Whole clusters or berries of red grapes are sealed in a tank and then carbon
dioxide is pumped in. In the absence of oxygen, intact whole berries undergo a short intracellular
fermentation (glucose and malic acid to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide) without the aid of yeast.
The grape will burst or be pressed and then ferment to dryness with the normal activity of yeast.
Semi-carbonic maceration - ✔✔(More common)
Carbon dioxide is not added to the vat, but produced naturally. Whole clusters at the bottom of the tank
crush under the weight of those above and begin fermenting normally. The carbon dioxide released
causes the whole berries above to ferment internally.
semi-carbonic macertion - premium - ✔✔some premuim Pinot Noir is made this way, progressively
punched down over the course of a few days and then followed by a post fermentation soak
Whole bunches with crushed fruit - ✔✔These whole bunches are mixed in at the start of fermentation.
They are largely submerged by the crushed grapes and kept away from oxygen allowing intracellular
What are the internationally important red grape varieties? - ✔✔Cab sauv, merlot, pinot noir, syrah, and
grenache.
What is the key to successful red wine making? - ✔✔The extraction of color and tannins from the skins
of black grapes, which is achieved by including the skins in the fermentation vessel.
When does pressing occur in red winemaking? - ✔✔After fermentation - not before like when making
white wine.
At what temperature does red wine fermentation occur? - ✔✔It ranges between 20 degrees celcius to
32 degrees celcius, depending on the style of wine. After 35 degrees celcius the yeast will die.
What is a cap? - ✔✔When fermenting red wine develops a thick mass of pulp and skins on its surface.
This cannot be left to just float, it must be broken up.
What are the different cap management techniques? - ✔✔Punching down, pumping over, rack and
return, and rotary fermenters.
Describe punching down. - ✔✔When mechanical paddles punch the cap down
Describe pumping over. - ✔✔This involves drawing off fermenting juice from the bottom of the vat and
pumping it up on to the top, wetting the cap.
Describe rack and return. - ✔✔The fermenting juice drawn from the fermentation vessel into another
vessel, leaving the cap behind. The juice is then pumped back over the cap.
Describe rotary fermenters. - ✔✔Fermentation takes place in rotating horizontal tanks. This keeps the
juice in constant contact with the skins.
, Does press wine happen pre or post fermentation? - ✔✔Post fermentation. When the mace ration has
finished, the free run wine is drawn off the skins and the remaining mass is pressed, creating press wine.
What are three forms of whole bunch fermentation? - ✔✔Carbonic maceration, semi-carbonic
maceration, and whole bunches with crushed fruit.
In the carbonic maceration method of winemaking, free-run juice is often used for higher quality wines
than press-run juice - ✔✔False. The press juice is better because it comes from inside the grapes where
the carbonic maceration occurred.
Carbonic Maceration is also known as ...
A. Whole Berry Fermentation
B. Malolactic Fermentation
C. Acidification
D. Chaptalization - ✔✔A. Whole Berry Fermentation
Carbonic Maceration - ✔✔Whole clusters or berries of red grapes are sealed in a tank and then carbon
dioxide is pumped in. In the absence of oxygen, intact whole berries undergo a short intracellular
fermentation (glucose and malic acid to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide) without the aid of yeast.
The grape will burst or be pressed and then ferment to dryness with the normal activity of yeast.
Semi-carbonic maceration - ✔✔(More common)
Carbon dioxide is not added to the vat, but produced naturally. Whole clusters at the bottom of the tank
crush under the weight of those above and begin fermenting normally. The carbon dioxide released
causes the whole berries above to ferment internally.
semi-carbonic macertion - premium - ✔✔some premuim Pinot Noir is made this way, progressively
punched down over the course of a few days and then followed by a post fermentation soak
Whole bunches with crushed fruit - ✔✔These whole bunches are mixed in at the start of fermentation.
They are largely submerged by the crushed grapes and kept away from oxygen allowing intracellular
