WSET Level 1 Wine Exam with complete solutions

What fruit is wine made from? - Answer- Grapes What microorganisms turn the grape juice into alcohol? - Answer- Yeast What part of the fruit gives wine its color? - Answer- Skin What process turns the grape juice into wine? - Answer- Alcoholic Fermentation What are the two principle types of grapes? - Answer- Black and white grapes What part of the grape looks the same for all grapes? - Answer- The pulp or flesh of the grape All grapes start out as what color skins? What happens when they change color? - Answer- All start with green skins. Black grapes turn to purple skins. White grapes change to golden skins. What do the skins have? How do they taste? - Answer- Skins- Tannins, dry and bitter What does the pulp have? How does it taste? - Answer- Pulp- soft and fleshy, same color regardless of the grape, sweeter and makes mouth water What is the pulp- grape juice made of? - Answer- Sugar, water and acid Eaten together the skin and pulp create what effect? - Answer- A balanced effect in your mouth White wines are made from? - Answer- The juice of the grape pulp only Red wines are made from? - Answer- The juice and the skins of the grape What is the formula for alcoholic fermentation? - Answer- yeast + sugar(grape)=alcohol + carbon dioxide When does alcohol production stops? - Answer- When the yeast has eaten all the sugar or when the alcohol level becomes too toxic for the yeast (15% ABV) Within certain limits, the more sugary the grapes the more ______ is possible to occur - Answer- Alcohol After alcoholic fermentation, the _____ stays in the wine and the ____________ _____________ releases into the atmosphere - Answer- Alcohol, Carbon Dioxide Where can yeast be found? - Answer- Naturally growing on the skins of the grapes, or added to the grape juice by the wine maker Resting alcohol level in wine after alcoholic fermentation is measured by? - Answer- ABV What does ABV stand for? 10% ABV? - Answer- Alcohol by volume. 10% of the liquid is alcohol. Two PRODUCTS of fermentation? - Answer- Alcohol and carbon dioxide How and where are grapes grown? - Answer- Grapes are grown in bunches on vines Grapes have a _______ growth that is linked to __________ - Answer- Cyclical, seasons Every year a grape vine _________ in the _____________ - Answer- Flowers, spring The _________ become grapes when they ripen in the __________ - Answer- Flowers, summer Grape are picked in what seasons? - Answer- Late summer or autumn What season do vines rest? - Answer- Winter In the springtime, grape vines form clusters of many small flowers, true or false: each flower will become a grape - Answer- TRUE After flowering & turning into grapes-- what season and what do they look like? - Answer- spring to summer, small, green and hard Grapes ripen in what season? What happens? - Answer- Summer, warmth and sunshine effects the grape As grapes ripen, what changes occur? Grapes swell with ___________ Sugar levels in the grapes ____________ Acid levels in the grapes ___________ Flavors become ___________ White grapes change from __________ to _________ Black grapes change from ________ to ___________ - Answer- Water, rise, fall, riper, green to golden, green to dark purple Think of the ripening of a grape like fruits like: - Answer- Banana or mango -first green and firm -tastes different compared to a brown banana or orange mango Wine need just the right amount of _________ & ___________. If it is too _________ or too _________ this cant be done. - Answer- Sunslight and warmth. Hot or cold. Grape vines grow best where the ___________ is __________ enough for them to rest - Answer- Winter, cold ________ has an impact on the characteristics of a grape - Answer- Climate The colder it is, the _______ the levels of sugar are & _________ the levels of acidicity are The hotter it is, the _________ the levels of sugar are & ___________ the levels of acidicity are - Answer- Lower, higher Higher, lower Most grape vines grow at latitudes of between ______ - _______ degrees North or ___________ - __________ degrees South - Answer- 30 - 50 Cool climate regions, list examples - Answer- Further away from the equator and closer to the poles Germany, Northern France and New Zealand Low temperatures and less sunlight Grapes can struggle to grow White grapes are more commonly grown Warm climate regions, list examples - Answer- Closer to the equator and further from the poles Australia and California High temperatures and lots of sunlight Grapes ripen consistently Black grapes are more commonly grown White wines CANT be made from black grapes, true or false? - Answer- FALSE, they can! To make a white wine from a black grape what must be done? - Answer- Because the grape pulp/juice is clear (all the same color as well), the grapes are pressed lightly and the skins are discarded BEFORE fermentation Example of a white wine being made from a black grape? *Trickly Question* - Answer- CHAMPAGNE, often made from the black grape Pinot Noir List the processes of creating white wine: - Answer- Crushing, Pressing, Fermentation, Maturation and Bottling. What happens during Crushing? - Answer- Splits the grape skins and releases the grape juice What happens during Pressing? WHITE WINE - Answer- Crushed grapes are then pressed to release the remaining juice. Pressing separates the the grape juice (contains the sugar, acid and water) from the grape skins. What happens during Fermentation? - Answer- Yeast are added to the grape juice and alcoholic fermentation starts. Can take place in oak barrels or stainless steel tanks. IN WHAT does Fermentation occur? - Answer- Oak barrels or stainless steel tanks What happens during Maturation? - Answer- Wines are stored in stainless steel tanks or oak barrels to mature. What happens during Bottling? - Answer- The wine is bottled. What is the key difference between white and red wine production? - Answer- Black grapes are not pressed before Fermentation, so the skins remain with the juice and are fermented with the juice -- giving red wine its color and tannin level Red wine and Rose wines can ONLY be made from black grapes, true or false? - Answer- TRUE! We need the skins for the color and tannin levels List the processes of creating red wine. - Answer- Crushing, Fermentation, Draining, Pressing, Maturation and Bottling What happens during draining for Rose and Red Wines? - Answer- Rose: only after a few hours the juice is drained from the skins. The color is pink. It finishes fermentation without the skins. Red: Skin remains in contact during the entire fermentation process. Once fermentation is finished, the skins are removed. What happens during Pressing for red / ro