Wine 101 Quiz

What is Wine?

• Wine is made from grapes, which contain sugar, acid, and tannin.
• The winemaking process involves converting sugar into alcohol through fermentation.

Grapes

• There are between 5,000 to 10,000 grape varieties, but only about 150 are commercially significant.
• Grape varieties can come from natural mutations, intentional crosses, or a combination of both.

Terroir

• Terroir refers to the natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including climate, soil, and topography.
• Climate factors include precipitation, temperature, humidity, sunlight, and frost, which affect the acidity and flavor profile of the wine.
• Soil factors include the direction or orientation of the soil, drainage, and irrigation, which impact the flavor and acidity of the wine.
• Topography refers to the three-dimensional aspect of a site, including slopes, valleys, and mountains, which affect the growth of the grapes.

Understanding Terroir

• Old World wines (e.g., from Europe) tend to be more earth and mineral-driven, while New World wines (e.g., from the Americas) tend to be fruit-driven with higher alcohol levels.
• The same variety of grape can express itself differently depending on the region it's grown in.

Wine Making Process

• The winemaking process involves several stages: ripening, harvesting, crushing and pressing, fermentation, racking, filtering and fining, and maturation/aging.
• The ripening process involves the change of color of grape berries, known as veraison, and the increase in sugar and decrease in acidity.
• Harvesting involves picking grapes at the optimal time to balance sugar, acidity, and tannin levels.
• Crushing and pressing involves sorting, crushing, and pressing grapes to extract the juice.
• Fermentation involves converting sugar into alcohol through the action of yeast.
• Racking, filtering, and fining involve clarifying and stabilizing the wine.
• Maturation and aging involve allowing the wine to develop its flavor and character over time.

The Impact of Oak

• Oak can affect the color, flavor, tannin profile, and texture of wine.
• Oak can come into contact with wine in the form of a barrel during fermentation or aging periods.
• New oak imparts more flavor and tannin than old oak.

How to Taste Wine

• The tasting process involves looking, swirling, smelling, tasting, and concluding.
• Looking involves visually inspecting the wine to assess its age, oxidation, rim variation, transparency, and color density.
• Swirling involves aerating the wine to release its aromas.
• Smelling involves identifying the aromas and flavors of the wine.
• Tasting involves assessing the flavors, body, acid, tannin, and sugar levels of the wine.
• Concluding involves assessing the overall balance and enjoyment of the wine.