HADM 4300 (Prelim 1) Verified Study Guide 2024

What information is listed on a wine label? - - Where the wine was made/bottled - Grape varietal - Labels can be generic, proprietary, or varietal (in the US) - Producer/négociant - Vintage What are the major differences between how white and red wines are made? - - Red wine is made by including the skins of the grapes in the maceration process Which VITICULTURAL (grape growing) and VINICULTURAL (winemaking) practices effect a wine's concentration, quality, flavor and price? - - Viticultural: climate, soil, angle to the sun, labor associated with harvest (small baskets, by hand, ...), yield, ... - Vinicultural: oak barrels vs stainless steel, wood chips, chaptalization, aging, ... What do the various grape components contribute to the finished wine? - - Color, body, acidity from unripe grapes, tannins from stems, skins, and seeds, sugar from ripe grapes, taste, smell, legs from alcohol and sugar content, aroma (from the grape), bouquet (from the bottle/winemaking process), astringency/texture from tannins, What are the major components in wine and how do these influence taste, texture, and shelf life? - - Acids (tartaric, malic, citric, and lactic - contribute to crispness and structure), tannins, sugar (dry < 0.4% sugar, contributes to body), alcohol (7-14.5% for table wines, adds body and affects storage life), water (85% of table wines), anthocyanins (color), phenols, sulfites, residual solids - Add to body, taste, texture, and color How does the winemaker shape or adjust various components in wine? - - Chaptalization: addition of sugar (cool climates) - Malolactic fermentation: converting malic acid to lactic acid through secondary fermentation; adds buttery/creamy flavors; red (and some white) wines go through this process - Acidification: addition of (tartaric) acid (hot climates) - Amelioration: addition of water and sugar (cool climates) What is the definition of Viniculture and Viticulture? - - Viniculture = winemaking - Viticulture = grape growing How do we evaluate wines? - - Sight (color), smell (aroma), taste (flavor + aroma) What are the varietal (aroma & flavor) characteristics of the major grape varieties tasted in class? - - See wines_grapevarietals document What defects might one find in a wine? - - Sulfur dioxide (stinging sensation), hydrogen sulfide (rotten eggs), mercaptans (skunk, rotting cabbage), oxidized (bland), maderized (cooked fruit, nutty), corked/TCA (musty, moldy), Brettanomyces/dekkera (barnyard), sorbate (bubble gum), pediococcus (dirty socks) What happens to wine as it ages? Which wines benefit from aging? - - More complex flavors, adds to body - High quality wines benefit Which individuals and historic events have had significant impact on the growth of California's wine industry? - - Father Junipero Serra - established the first vineyards in CA and grew mission grapes (Criolla) - Beulieu Vinyards (BV) - owned by Ernest and Julio Gallo - Andre Tchelistcheff - hired at BV in 1937 and revolutionized winemaking (cleaned up winery, used smaller oak barrels) - Robert Mondavi - began the wine revolution in the 1960s (changed how wine was made and how grapes were grown) - 1976 Paris Tasting - "judgement of Paris" - put CA wines on the map when a CA wine beat French wine in a blind tasting - 1980s - more AVAs, international interest in CA wines - 1990s - more varietals grown, phyllozxera came back, pierce's disease, talk of terroir - 2000s - lot of growth - Today - consolidation as people sell their wineries/vineyards How does one decode a California wine label? What are the labeling requirements and regulations for California? E.g. % of grape variety, meaningful controlled terms etc. - - Varietal (minimum 75% varietal on label), generic (wine style or wines named after famous regions), and proprietary labels allowed - Geography o CA - 100% of grapes from CA o County - 75% from that county o AVA - 85% from that AVA o Vineyard - 95% from that vineyard - Vintage o CA/county - 85% from that vintage o AVA - 95% from that vintage - Statements of production o Estate bottled - 100% from vineyard controlled and owned by named producer o Produced/Made and bottled by - 75% from named producer o Bottled/Vented/Cellared by - none of the grapes need to be grown by or the wine produced by the named producer - Old vine, reserve, chateau (outside of France) - no meaning by law