Intensive Wine Course: Lesson 1: Basic Wine Knowledge
Intensive Wine Course: Lesson 1: Basic Wine Knowledge
WINE MAKING
Malolactic fermentation
might be applied
Maturation in oak
barrels/stainless tanks
Malolactic fermentation
Maturation in oak
barrels/stainless tanks
Maturation in oak
barrels/stainless tanks
bread)
ISO glass: rounded bowl, large enough to swirl the wine; tulip shape to
- Appearance can warn us of - Take the 1st sniff before - Tasting is subjective
FAULTS swirl the glass - Our sensitivities to
- The colour of a wine from - Then swirl to release aroma sweetness, acidity, tannins
any particular region or molecules and certain aroma
grape variety depends compounds differ
greatly on the age of the - In common: compare wines
wine and the winemaking - It requires experience to
techniques used. say whether a wine has
medium or high or low
levels of these components
WINE TASTING: APPEARANCE
Clarity
Dull – Cloudy/Turbid –Clear
Why faults? Wine is too old, or has been badly stored, failed
cork seal : out-of-condition.
Intensity:
pale – medium – deep
Color
White: lemon – gold – amber − brown
Green indicates youth, orange and brown indicates age
INTENSITY
Light – Medium – Pronounced
Other words: Boring, Sharp, Feminine, Elegant, Clumsy
TYPES OF AROMAS
Fruit (Citrus, Berries, ...) Buttery Mineral (flint, chalk)
Flowers (rose, orange blossom, Burnt (café, cacao, caramel, burnt Earth (mushroom, wet ground)
Wines made from very ripe grapes can have a slightly sweet flavor even no
sugar.
higher tannin levels than thin skin ones (Pinot Noir, Grenache)
Hot climates : soft, ripe tannin – contribute to the body of the wine
flavours compounds
spat out
WINE TASTING: CONCLUSION
Close your eyes and ask yourself
How much do you like it? What do you like about it?
Why you did not like?
Is it a good example of its type? (even you don’t like)
Balance: Complexity:
Great wines have many different flavours
Fruitiness – Tannin Expressiveness:
Sweetness – Acidity Express grape varieties, regions, “terroir”
Intensity:
Dilute flavours can indicate a poor wine but intense flavours are not necessarily a sign of
quality, because it can upset the balance.
Length:
Good quality: Balanced, pleasant finish with flavours linger for several seconds
Inferior wines: flavours may disappear, no lingering impression or unpleasant
SELECTING AND RECOMMENDING WINES
• Tastes
• Preferences
Of those who will be consuming
the wine
Large numbers of people with diverse or
unknown taste: avoid extreme wines
(Alsace Gewurztraminer) or Barolo
• Occasion
Except the themes are for wine, wine
should not be the centre of attention
Special occasion: premium wines
Fine, rare, special bottles: modest occasion
• Food pairing
DO YOU KNOW?
SWISH THE WINE IN THE SPIT OR NOT?
MOUTH TO FEEL MORE
MATURATION
CLIMATE Water
Temperature Affect the intensity SOIL
Rainfalls
Sunshine
The weather changes year to year Warmth
Important in Bordeaux, For production of Compositions of soil:
Champagne... sugar
- Drainage
Modern techniques and blending of - Nutrients
varieities are useful to keep - Absorb or reflect
consitency Nutrients
warmth
Small amount
Poorer soils result
better quality grapes
Champagne
Old world
China, Japan
California
South Afica
South
Aus + NZ
America
QUALITY FACTORS: GRAPE GROWING
Main factors:
Vineyard acitivities
- Pruning
- Controlling the number of brunches
- Positioning of the leaves
- Manual care or mechanisation
Yields
- Lower yields or generally result in riper grapes, more concentrated
flavours, but higher price
- High yields produce cheaper but not very interesting wines
Harvest
- Hand harvest or machine
- Time and weather
Also: pets and diseases are bad for production of health grapes (animal
pets – birds, insects; fungal diseases – mildew, rot; fungi, bacteria,
viruses,etc.
QUALITY FACTORS: WINE MAKING
- Choosing of yeasts
fermenters, etc.
REGION OF ORIGIN
VINTAGE
CLASSIFICATION
AOC
PRODUCER
Alcohol content
PRODUCER
GRAPE VARIETY
VINTAGE
REGION OF ORIGIN
RANGE OF PRODUCT
Back label:
CAPACITY (750ml, 1.5L,etc)
Alcohol content
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
STYLE AND PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES
• Oak aged
• Aged in new barriques
• Barrel-fermented (white only)
• Oaked
• Unfined/Unfiltered
• Vegetarian/Vegan
• Organic (and Biodynamic)
• Characteristics: dry, off-dry, demi-sec (medium dry)
• Spain & Portugal: Reserve, Riserva, Reserva
This is
not
the end
CLASSIC GRAPE VARIETIES
Chardonnay
Not an aromatic grape variety PREMIUM CHARDONNAY REGIONS
Delicate and suitable to express oak and • Chablis
yeast -derived flavours & mineral from • Côte d’Or : Meursault, Puligny-
soil Montrachet
• Mâconnaise: Pouilly Fuissé
• Australia: Hunter Valley Region,
COOL CLIMATE (Chablis, Californian Central Valley)
Victoria, Limestone Coast Zone
Green fruits: apple, pear (including Pathaway) & Adelaide
Citrus Hills, Margaret River Region in
Vegetal notes: cucumber Western Australia
• New Zealand: Hawkes Bay,
MODERATE CLIMATE (Burgundy, some New World) Gisborne & Marlborough
Stone fruits: peach • California: Coastal Range and the
Citrus & hint of lemon Pacific
• Chile: Central Valley, Casablanca –
Argentina: Mendoza
WARM CLIMATE (most New World sites) • South Africa: Walker Bay
Tropical fruits: peach, banana, pineapple, mango, fig
Citrus & hint of lemon
MODERATE CLIMATE
Citrus
Stone fruits
Very strong smell of fresh lime and white peach