BJN Wine Basics.pptx

WINE 101  BY THE END YOU SHOULD KNOW... What wine is What terroir is The winemaking process Old World vs. New World The impact of oak How to taste wine  WHAT IS WINE? Grapes Alcohol Acid Tannin  ONE LAST TIME... THE ALL IMPORT...

WINE 101  BY THE END YOU SHOULD KNOW... What wine is What terroir is The winemaking process Old World vs. New World The impact of oak How to taste wine  WHAT IS WINE? Grapes Alcohol Acid Tannin  ONE LAST TIME... THE ALL IMPORTANT EQUATION Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + CO2 Grapes In grapes, the sugar comes from photosynthesis  GRAPES Not your mama’s grapes (unless she is a winemaker) Between 5,000 - 10,000 grape varieties ○ From this large number, about 150 are planted in commercially significant amounts Grape varieties may come from ○ Natural mutations/crosses (occurred spontaneously in nature) ○ Intentional crosses (made by growers or scientists) ○ Cab Franc + Sauvignon Blanc = Cabernet Sauvignon THE WINE BELT  WHAT IS TERROIR? Terroir is the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors like the climate, soil, and topography CLIMATE Precipitation, temperature, humidity, sunlight, frost Cool Climate = Higher Acid Warm Climate = Lower Acid SOIL Which direction or orientation North? South? East? West? Drainage Irrigation TOPOGRAPHY The three-dimensional aspect of a site Slopes, valleys, mountains, orientation (N,S,E,W)  UNDERSTANDING TERROIR The hardest part about understanding terroir is grasping its cultural significance OLD WORLD NEW WORLD Tend to be more earth and mineral Tend to be higher alcohol driven (due to more marginal climates) Tend to be fruit driven with dramatic Tend to be geared to enjoy more with aromatic profiles food These are generalizations as New World winemakers use Old World techniques and vice versa, but for our purposes, assume the classic producers follow the guidelines above. SAME VARIETY, DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS The same variety can express itself differently depending on the region. Pinot Noir Pinot Noir Burgundy, France Sonoma Valley, California Old World techniques in winemaking New World techniques in wine making ○ Old / large barrels ○ New oak, acidification, etc. ○ Little to no “messing” with the wine Very ripe fruit resulting in high alcohol, big fruit Very vintage-specific in flavor profiles Warm to hot climate and consistent weather Moderate climate, intense winds and exposure  CONSIDER THESE POINTS... Wine is an expression of time and place! It is everything that influences the growth of the grape! WHERE were the grapes grown? ○ What type of soil are the vines planted in? ○ What is the typical climate of the region? ○ Are they planted on a slope? At a high elevation? WHEN were the grapes grown? ○ Each growing season has different weather patterns from year to year! HOW were the grapes grown? ○ What type of viticulture techniques were used? ○ When is the typical expression of the variety? ○ When were they picked?  ACID Most important element in the pulp besides sugar and water Gives wine lift and makes it thirst quenching (like lemonade!) Acidification: Adding acid artificially to make up from a lack of natural acidity in the fruit Wines with naturally higher acidity will usually have… ○ Cooler nighttime temperatures ○ A shorter growing season  TANNIN A textural element that makes wine taste dry Typically manifests itself as a “pulling” on the gums and cheeks Grape tannins come from polyphenols in the skins, seeds, and stems Wood tannins dissolve into wine through contact Most commonly found in reds, although whites have them too (usually from aging in wooden barrels or fermenting on the skins) Natural preservative (a reason why reds typically age better) They do dissipate over time The winemaker makes key choices to the amount of tannins expressed during production (barrels, skin contact, etc.) → We will get to this later!  THE WINEMAKING PROCESS Ripening of Grapes Harvest Crush and Pressing Fermentation Racking Filtering and/or Fining Maturation / Ageing (To Oak or not to Oak?) Bottling (Vintage)  RIPENING Grapes change from a hard, green form to a soft, more colorful form “Veraison” ○ “The change of color of grape berries” ○ The onset of ripening Cool Climate vs. Warm Climate Sugars Increases / Acidity Decreases Not uniform by vineyard, or even individual wine!  HARVEST Goal is to pick at optimum ripeness Finding balance of sugars, acidity, and tannin By hand - The preferred method By machine - More efficient but can be tough on the grapes Night harvesting - Why do it? Vintage  THE CRUSH AND PRESSING Sorted into bunches with the rotten or under ripe grapes removed Grapes are stomped or trodden into a must The must is freshly pressed grape juice that contains skins, seeds, and solids White vs. Red SORTING CRUSHING THE MUST  FERMENTATION The All Important Equation! Sugar → Dry vs. Sweet Can occur naturally within 6-12 hours when aided by wild yeasts in the air Yeast is typically added to ensure consistency and have control over the end result  MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION “Malo” Conversion of Malic Acid to Lactic Acid Gives white wine the distinct buttery flavor All red wine goes through malolactic fermentation It can be controlled! ○ By dropping the temperature → This usually happens naturally in cooler regions ○ By filtering out the bacteria  RACKING Racking is when a winemaker siphones the wine must from one container to the next to leave sediment behind Essential part of the winemaking process Aids the clarification of the wine Helps inhibit unwanted off-flavors ("yeast bitten")  FILTERING & FINING Fining occurs when a substance is added to clarify the wine ○The unwanted particles (like dead yeast) will adhere to this substance ○E.g.: clay or egg whites (is wine vegan?) Filtration occurs by using a filter to capture the larger particles in wine The clarified wine is then racked into another vessel and prepared for bottling or future aging MATURATION & AGING CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON OAK STAINLESS STEEL OAK Affects the color, flavor, tannin profile and texture Allows the slow ingress of oxygen Can come into contact with wine in the form of a barrel during the fermentation or aging periods Can impart other qualities to wine through the processes of evaporation and low level exposure to oxygen New vs. Old Size matters  STAINLESS STEEL Anaerobic chambers that inhibit the ingress of oxygen into a wine Used to preserve acidity and floral flavors  HOW TO TASTE LOOK! SWIRL! SMELL! TASTE! CONCLUSION!  LOOK! A visual inspection of the wine in neutral lighting to assess… Age / Oxidation Rim Variation Transparency / Clarity Color Density Beware the common assumption of relating intensity of color to intensity of flavor!  SWIRL! Since most of the enjoyment of wine comes primarily from aromas Swirling the wine will aerate it slightly These will rest in the bowl of the glass as you raise it to your nose. You do not need to constantly swirl a glass of wine unless it actually needs heavy aeration You only need to swirl just enough to release aromas before your first sip  SMELL! Smelling a wine is critical to tasting it Our sense of smell fatigues extremely quickly, so only sniff when you are ready Put your nose in the glass and take a series of short, quick sniffs Aroma is highly dependent on temperature The average person can differentiate over 2000 different scents Smell is our longest retained memory This is subjective and can be developed  TASTE! (FINALLY) The 5 Sensations of Taste We can only taste about 4-5 different flavors Identify flavors → Fruit / Non-Fruit / Inorganic / Oak Assess the body → Low / Medium / Full ○ Higher the alcohol = Fuller the body ○ Imagine skim milk, whole milk, half & half Acid → Low / Medium (+/-) / High Tannin → Low / Medium (+/-) / High Finish → Low / Medium (+/-) / High Sweetness → Bone Dry / Dry / Off Dry / Sweet As you taste more and more, compare acid, tannin, and finish to past wines you have tasted  CONCLUSION! Asses the flavors, body, acid, tannin, and sugar to determine the wine’s BALANCE Do you like the wine? Why or why not? As you go through each step (look, smell, taste) verbalize or write down your thoughts! It is easy just think about what you smell or taste, but verbalizing or putting it down on paper will help you better understand the wine! No one is innately born a good taster! It takes practice, which means more wine  BUT HOW MUCH? We pour 6 oz. of wine in each glass (That is over 4 glasses per bottle) Dessert wines are 2 oz.