WSET LEVEL 1 EXAMPREP SOLVED
QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED ANSWERS
FULL SOLUTION VIEW
●● Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + CO2
Answer: What is the high-level equation for alcoholic fermentation?
●● ABV (Alcohol by volume) e.g. 10% ABV = 10% of the liquid is
alcohol
Answer: What is the measure of alcohol in wine?
●● 1) Flowering 2) Flowers become grapes 3) Grapes ripen
Answer: What are the three main stages in growing grapes?
●● A cluster of grape vine flowers forms. Each flower will become a
grape.
Answer: What happens during the Flowering stage of grape growing?
●● Each flower in a cluster is transformed into a small, green, hard
grape.
Answer: What happens during the stage of grape growing during which
flowers become grapes?
,●● (1) Grapes swell with water (2) Sugar levels rise (3) Acid levels fall
(4) Flavors ripen (5) Coloring: white grapes change from green to
golden and black grapes change from green to purple
Answer: What 5 processes occur during the ripening stage of grape
growing?
●● 30-50 degrees N and S of the equator
Answer: Between which latitudes do grapes grow best?
●● Sufficient sunlight, sufficient heat and winters that allow grape vines
to rest
Answer: What are three qualities of environments where grapes grow
best?
●● (1) Germany (2) Northern France
Answer: What are 2 examples of cool-climate regions?
●● White grapes
Answer: What color of grape grows best in cool climates?
●● (1) Some parts of California (2) Australia
Answer: What are (2) examples of warm-climate regions?
,●● Black grapes
Answer: What color of grape grows best in warm climates?
●● (1) Cooler climate = low sugar/high acid
(2) Warm climate = high sugar/low acid
Answer: How is sugar/acid level related to climate temperature?
●● Flavors taste riper in warmer climates (e.g. pineapple instead of
lemon)
Answer: What happens to grape flavor in warmer climates?
●● (1) Crushing
(2) Pressing
(3) Fermentation
(4) Maturation
(5) Bottling
Answer: What is the overall series of steps to make white wine?
●● (1) Crushing
(2) Fermentation
(3) Draining
(4) Pressing
, (5) Maturation
(6) Bottling
Answer: What is the overall series of steps to make red wine?
●● (1) Crushing
(2) Fermentation
(3) Draining
(4) Maturation
(5) Bottling
Answer: What is the overall series of steps to make rose wine?
●● White wine grapes are pressed before they are fermented. Red wine
grapes are fermented in the skins first, then pressed. Fermentation with
skins releases color and tannin from the skin into the juice.
Answer: What is the primary difference in the series of steps to make
white vs. red wine?
●● Rose wine is fermented on the skins for a limited time to prevent
deep coloring, and is not pressed
Answer: What is the primary difference in the series of steps to make
rose vs. red wine?
●● The grapes are tumbled to break the skins and release some of the
grape juice
QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED ANSWERS
FULL SOLUTION VIEW
●● Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + CO2
Answer: What is the high-level equation for alcoholic fermentation?
●● ABV (Alcohol by volume) e.g. 10% ABV = 10% of the liquid is
alcohol
Answer: What is the measure of alcohol in wine?
●● 1) Flowering 2) Flowers become grapes 3) Grapes ripen
Answer: What are the three main stages in growing grapes?
●● A cluster of grape vine flowers forms. Each flower will become a
grape.
Answer: What happens during the Flowering stage of grape growing?
●● Each flower in a cluster is transformed into a small, green, hard
grape.
Answer: What happens during the stage of grape growing during which
flowers become grapes?
,●● (1) Grapes swell with water (2) Sugar levels rise (3) Acid levels fall
(4) Flavors ripen (5) Coloring: white grapes change from green to
golden and black grapes change from green to purple
Answer: What 5 processes occur during the ripening stage of grape
growing?
●● 30-50 degrees N and S of the equator
Answer: Between which latitudes do grapes grow best?
●● Sufficient sunlight, sufficient heat and winters that allow grape vines
to rest
Answer: What are three qualities of environments where grapes grow
best?
●● (1) Germany (2) Northern France
Answer: What are 2 examples of cool-climate regions?
●● White grapes
Answer: What color of grape grows best in cool climates?
●● (1) Some parts of California (2) Australia
Answer: What are (2) examples of warm-climate regions?
,●● Black grapes
Answer: What color of grape grows best in warm climates?
●● (1) Cooler climate = low sugar/high acid
(2) Warm climate = high sugar/low acid
Answer: How is sugar/acid level related to climate temperature?
●● Flavors taste riper in warmer climates (e.g. pineapple instead of
lemon)
Answer: What happens to grape flavor in warmer climates?
●● (1) Crushing
(2) Pressing
(3) Fermentation
(4) Maturation
(5) Bottling
Answer: What is the overall series of steps to make white wine?
●● (1) Crushing
(2) Fermentation
(3) Draining
(4) Pressing
, (5) Maturation
(6) Bottling
Answer: What is the overall series of steps to make red wine?
●● (1) Crushing
(2) Fermentation
(3) Draining
(4) Maturation
(5) Bottling
Answer: What is the overall series of steps to make rose wine?
●● White wine grapes are pressed before they are fermented. Red wine
grapes are fermented in the skins first, then pressed. Fermentation with
skins releases color and tannin from the skin into the juice.
Answer: What is the primary difference in the series of steps to make
white vs. red wine?
●● Rose wine is fermented on the skins for a limited time to prevent
deep coloring, and is not pressed
Answer: What is the primary difference in the series of steps to make
rose vs. red wine?
●● The grapes are tumbled to break the skins and release some of the
grape juice
