MODULE 6

Wine Knowledge

CONTENTS

• What is wine?• What makes one wine different to another• Grape Varieties

White Grapes Red Grapes

• How to taste wine• Essences & Flavors

White Grapes Red Grapes

• Food & Wine

What is Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made by the fermentation of the juice of grapes that grow on vines. So ancient that its origin is unknown, wine is mentioned in early Egyptian inscriptions and in the literature of many lands. Wines are distinguished by color, flavor, bouquet or aroma, and alcoholic content.

FermentationDuring fermentation the yeasts work on the sugars which are naturally present in the grapes, the sugars are naturally converted to carbon dioxide and alcohol.

What is Wine – Continued

• Wines are distinguished by color, flavor, bouquet or aroma, and alcoholic content.

• Wine is also divided into three main types, still or natural, fortified, and sparkling.

• Wines are red, white, or rosé (depending on the grape used and the amount of time the skins have been left to ferment in the juice).

• For red wines the entire crushed grape is utilized, for white wines, the juice only. In rosé wines, the skins are removed after fermentation has begun, thus producing a light pink color.

What is Wine – Continued

• Wines are also classified as dry or sweet, according to whether the grape sugar is allowed to ferment completely into alcohol (dry), or whether some residual sugar has been left (sweet).

• In a natural wine all the alcohol present has been produced by fermentation.

• Fortified wines, such as Sherry, Port and Madeira are wines to which brandy or other spirits have been added.

• Sparkling wines, of which Champagne is the finest example, are produced by the process of inducing a secondary fermentation in the bottle.

What makes one wine different to another

What makes one wine different to another?

• There are a lot of factors involved in the making of wine. The most important being the Climate and Soil. The way the wine is produced also impacts the quality, taste, aroma and texture of the wine.

• Soil should for example not be too fertile. Reason for this is, if the soil is too fertile the vines don’t have to dig their roots very far down to reach nutrition. As soil contains various minerals depending on the depth, vines digging their roots deeper into the soil receive nutrients from different layers, hence become more complex in flavor.

What makes wine different – Continued

• Climate is also very important is. Vines that grow in a warmer climate with a lot of sun, will produce grapes containing a lot of sugar. If the grapes are high in sugar, the wine will eventually have a higher alcohol percentage.

• There is an old French saying. “The vines need to suffer to produce great grapes”. Meaning the vines should almost be held on the edge of drying out and dying, this will produce highly concentrated grapes which in turn will make for a better wine.

Grape Varieties

• The choice of grapes is also very important. Some grapes are better suited for certain climates and soils then others.

• The next pages is a brief summary of some of the common white and red grape varieties:

White Grapes – Chardonnay

• The Chardonnay grape variety is a classic white wine grape grown all around the world. The original fame of Chardonnay comes from its success in the Burgundy and Champagne regions of France.

• When Chardonnay is aged in oak barrels, it may pick up vanilla overtones in its aromas and flavor.

• Some producers put their Chardonnay (or some of it) through secondary fermentation called malolactic fermentation which reduces crispness and brings out a rich, buttery taste.

White Grapes – Sauvignon Blanc

• The Sauvignon Blanc grape produces wines of distinction in most of the areas where it is grown.

• Sauvignon Blanc is higher in acid and often exhibit melon, exotic and citrus fruit in the nose and tastes.

• In the U.S. it is also known as Fumé Blanc. • Sauvignon Blanc is especially good when served

with seafood.

White Grapes – Pinot Grigio

• Pinot Grigio, also known as Pinot Gris.• The styles of wine from these grapes vary widely,

from a rounded, fuller wine, to a light wine. The common factor is the delicate aroma, commonly with a hint of honey.

• Much of the Italian Pinot Grigio is lighter bodied with superb light color and aroma, and a crisp finish. Pinot Gris has its origins in the Alsace region of France. The style of Pinot Gris, while made from the same grape as Pinot Grigio, is medium to full-bodied.

• Both are a fresh alternative to Chardonnay.

White Grapes – Riesling

• The Riesling is considered on of the 'noble' grape varieties for wine making.

• It can produce wines of high acidity and elegance in very cool growing conditions.

• Its wines usually show fresh fruit flavors and a zesty character.

• Riesling has the ability to produce wines that are bone dry to very sweet but are usually made in dry to semi-dry styles.

• It has aromas of peach and honeysuckle notes and can develop a 'petrol' nose as it ages.

Red Grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon

• Cabernet Sauvignon is the premier red wine grape in the world.

• The Cabernet Sauvignon grape produces distinctive wines that are tannic and can have long aging potential.

• It is usually blended with other varieties to make wines with increased complexity.

• Cabernet Sauvignon taste characteristics are dark cherry, cedar, tobacco, black currant,

• Up to 18 months of aging in small oak barrels before bottling Cabernet is common in order to achieve more complexity.

Red Grapes – Merlot

• The Merlot grape is a close cousin to Cabernet Sauvignon in many respects.

• It is lower in tannins and makes wines that mature faster and are softer in texture. 

• Merlot is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon in order to soften the blend.

• Merlot usually has ripe berry components in the bouquet.

• Its wines tend to be soft, fruity and smooth in texture.

Red Grapes – Pinot Noir

• Pinot Noir is one of the most difficult grapes to grow and make into fine wine. It is also one of the very best when it is done properly.

• It has low amounts of tannin and relatively high acid levels for a red grape.

• Pinot Noir found its fame in the Burgundy region of France where it is the primary grape used for red wines.

• Strong cherry and strawberry aromas and flavors are often the most notable components in these wines.

• Pinot Noir is very versatile in its ability to match up with foods.

Red Grapes – Syrah (Shiraz)

• This grape is known as Syrah in France and Shiraz in Australia.  In the United States, it can appear under either name.

• It produces full rich wines of intense color and flavor. • In warmer climates like Australia, where it’s known

for its peppery and fruity style the grape produces wines that are sweeter and riper tasting.

• In cooler climates like the Rhône Valley of France, it often has more pepper and spice aromas and flavors.

• The Shiraz grape is the most widely planted red grape variety in Australia where it is sometimes blended with Cabernet Sauvignon.

How to Taste Wine

All you need to taste wine is your own sense of sight, smell and taste, plus a little practice. After all, you can easily tell the difference between pineapple and strawberry. Tasting wine is simply a matter of adding to the taste memory you already have by making a conscious effort to notice the different aromas and flavors of each wine as you taste it.

How to Taste Wine – Continued

• Flavor is a reflection of both smell and taste, with emphasis on the sense of smell, so you need to use both your nose and your taste buds to be able to make a mental note of what the wine has.

• This way you will eventually train your memory to remember the differences wine has.

• But remember you can only recognize what you’ve smelt or tasted before.

• Your taste buds are only able to detect four primary tastes : Sweet – Salt - Sour - Bitter.

Essences & Flavors

There are around 6,000 documented essences and flavors found in wine, needless to say most of us can only recognize a small percentage of these. The next pages list some flavors associated with particular grapes. Not all wines made from these grapes will exhibit these flavors, but many will:

Essences & Flavors – White Grapes

• Apple: Chardonnay, Muscadet• Apricot: Viognier• Grapefruit: Riesling• Lemon: Semillon• Lychee: Gewürztraminer • Mango: Chardonnay• Melon: Semillon, Chardonnay• Peach: Semillon• Pineapple: Chardonnay• Tropical Fruits: Chardonnay, Semillon

Essences & Flavors – Red Grapes

• Red Currant: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah

• Blackberry: Zinfandel• Cherry: Gamay, Sangiovese • Plum: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah• Raspberry: Pinot Noir, Gamay, Syrah • Strawberry: Pinot Noir, Gamay

Food & Wine

The matching of the ideal wine with a dish has only become a subject of interest in the last century. In the past, in non-wine-producing areas the most inappropriate matches, oysters with red Bordeaux in Britain in the 19th century were for example common, and in wine-producing regions one simply drank the local wine with the local food.

Food & Wine – Continued

• Food and wine styles in any given region have usually evolved to complement each other,

• Italian food are seldom as good as when the right Italian wine is served with them.

• Good French wines have a finesse that complements the elegance of French cuisine.

• Australian wines, which can have far too much concentrated fruit to marry happily with complex French or Italian dishes, come alive when put with the simplicity of good Australian steak.

Food & Wine – Continued

There are also basic rules:• Red wine with red meat • White wine with fish and white meat.• These still largely apply, but happily they are not

binding, which can make pairing dishes with wine even more difficult.

• Wine styles have changed in recent years, mostly for the better, and the way we view food has also changed.

• The people who laid down those rules had never thought of drinking wine with Chinese food, for example.

Food & Wine – Continued

There are still, though, certain points to remember:• Match not only the flavor of the wine to the flavor of

the food, but to the intensity of flavor and weight or body of the wine as well.

• A heavy, alcoholic wine will not suit a delicate dish.• Try to match the acidity of a dish to the acidity of the

wine. Acid flavors like lemon or tomato need acidity in the wine.

• Consider sweetness when pairing wines with food. Sweet food makes dry wine taste unpleasantly lean and acidic.

Food & Wine – Continued

• There is a great deal of sense in the old rule of white wine before red, young wine before old and light wine before heavy.

• The palate adjusts easily to wines served in this order, it is however only a guideline.

• Red wine is traditionally drunk with cheese, but white is generally better.

• Blue cheeses, in particular, are unhappy matches for red wines (except port).

• Excluding blue cheese, a basic rule is, the harder the cheese, the more tannin it can handle in a wine and the softer the cheese, the more acid it can handle in a wine.

Food & Wine – Continued

• Certain foods match great with particular grapes. Lamb with Cabernet Sauvignon, for example. It often seems to be the case, too, that Cabernet Sauvignon is best with plain roasted meat and Pinot Noir is best with sauced meat.

• Contrary to the old saying that white wine should be served with fish, the red grapes Pinot Noir and Gamay (Beaujolais) can go with certain types of fish, such as salmon and swordfish. Syrah can also, occasionally, if there is a lot of garlic involved. Other red grapes do nothing for fish.

• The final though is your own palate. If you like Chardonnay with red meat, go ahead and enjoy it.