Basics of Wine

This is a brief/basic run-down on the production of wine, wine terms, etc

BASICS OF WINE RESOURCE

I.                    Wine Service

a.       Still

                                                               i.      Present the bottle of wine to the guest who ordered it. Say the vintage, producer, varietal, and the region in that order.

                                                             ii.      Cut the foil from the top of the wine, with the label facing the guest the entire time, and put the foil in your apron.

                                                            iii.      Put the cork in front of the guest with the dry side facing them. If the wine is a screw top, take off the top and put in your apron.  

                                                           iv.      Pour a small taste to the guest who ordered it. If they approve, pour 3-4 ounces (a full glass is 6 ounces) to all guests, ending with the guest who ordered the bottle. Make sure the label is facing the guest the whole time and use open handed service.

                                                             v.      If the cork is synthetic, take it off the table. Otherwise, ask if you can take the cork off the table

                                                           vi.      Offer to bring a chiller with white wines, though we suggest letting white wines warm up a bit.

b.      Sparkling

                                                               i.      Automatically served with a chiller

                                                             ii.      Present the bottle of wine to the guest who ordered it. Say the vintage, producer, varietal, and the region in that order.

                                                            iii.      Cut the foil from the top of the wine, with the label facing the guest the entire time, and put the foil in your apron.

                                                           iv.      Place your thumb over the cage of the wine as you untwist it. When you take off the cage, immediately place your hand and a folded linen on the cork. The cork is under pressure and can sometimes shoot out of the wine, covering the top is mandatory a flying cork does not injure you or a guest. Place the cage in your apron.

                                                             v.      Pour a small taste to the guest who ordered it. If they approve, pour some to all guests, ending with the guest who ordered the bottle. Make sure the label is facing the guest the whole time and use open handed service.

II.                  Descriptive Terms for Wine

a.       Tannin: Tannin describes the drying sensation of a wine. Tannin is not tasted, it is felt. This term is mostly associated with red wines, as the skins, seeds, stems of the grape impart tannins. Tannin provides firm structure and ability to age. Tannins will mellow/soften over time.

b.      Acid: A wine acidity describes the mouth-watering sensation of a wine. Acidity brings out a sharpness in a wine.

III.                White, Rose, and Red Wine Production

a.       Basic Wine Production: Grapes are gathered and their juice is extracted. Yeast is essential in the production of alcoholic beverages. Yeasts present on the grapes themselves, or naturally present in the wine making environment start to ferment the grape juice. Some wine makers will add yeasts to the juice as well. Yeasts convert the sugars in the grape juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. After this primary fermentation, wine makers may elect to utilize a variety of other processes in order to achieve the type of wine they desire.

b.      Red Wine: Red wine gets its color from the skins of the red or black grapes used in its production. The juice from the grapes is left in contact with the skins as it ferments. The skin, along with the hips of the grapes, also impart tannins. For this reason, tannin is typically only associated with red wines.

                                                               i.      Red wine undergoes secondary/malolactic fermentation. During this process malic acid is converted to lactic acid. Malic acid is present in almost every fruit/berry. It is primarily associated with green apples; wines with high levels of malic acid often have pronounced green apple notes. Lactic acid is found in dairy products. This process softens the acidity of the wine and creates a rounder mouthfeel.

c.       White Wine: Grapes are crushed to exact juice. This juice is then removed from the skins and hips of the grape. Because the skin is removed early in the process, the wine retains little to no color or tannins from them.  

                                                               i.      Some white wines undergo malolactic fermentation. White wines that undergo this process have a softer acidity and lusher mouthfeel than wines that do not. Some white wines are described as “buttery,” these wines typically undergo malolactic fermentation.

d.      Rose Wine: Rose wine can be made via a couple of different methods. Some roses are simply made by blending red and white wines. Others are made by allowing some of the grape juice to ferment with the skins for a period of time. The skins are in contact with the juice long enough to impart some color/tannins, but to a far lesser degree compared to red wine production.   

e.      Sparkling Wine: Secondary fermentation is key to creating sparkling wines. Secondary fermentation takes place in a vessel different from where the wine underwent primary fermentation. During secondary fermentation the carbon dioxide produced from the interaction between yeast and sugar is contained in the vessel, which creates bubbles in the wine. There are a number of ways to make sparkling wine.

                                                               i.      Some wines are simply injected with carbon dioxide. This produces big bubbles that disappear quickly.

                                                             ii.      The Charmat method is next. Wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in bulk tanks. This wine is then bottled under pressure to preserve the bubbles. The wines produced in this method have smaller, longer lasting bubbles than the first method. Prosecco is commonly made via this method.

                                                            iii.      Champagne method is the traditional method for producing sparkling wines and yields wines of a higher quality. Using this method, wine undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle. Typically, a small amount of sugar is added to the wine just before it is bottled. This sugar is eaten by the yeasts in the wine to produce carbon dioxide and thus bubbles.

IV.                Sherry Production

a.       Sherries can range from bone dry to cloyingly sweet

                                                               i.      Two types of Sherry: Fino and Oloroso

1.       Fino is lighter in color and body. Tends to have salty, crisper notes

2.       Oloroso is oxidized, it is darker in color, and has more weight. Tends to have rich notes of nuts, caramel, and spice.

b.      Sherries come from Southwestern Spain in the Jerez region of Andalusia.

c.       Grapes used in sherry: Palomino (95% of sherries,) Pedro Ximenez, and Moscatel.

                                                               i.      All are pretty neutral grapes, sherries get their character from the solera system

d.      Grapes are crushed and their juice undergoes primary fermentation in stainless steel tanks. It is then fortified with a neutral spirit (booze is added.) Then it goes into the solera system

e.      Solera system consists of multiple rows of American oak barrels that are lined up and stacked on top of each other. The solera system progressively bends and ages the wine. Because the wine is constantly being blended, sherries do not contain a vintage.

f.        How the solera system works

                                                               i.      The barrels on the bottom, touching the floor, contain the oldest wine. This is called the solera row.

                                                             ii.      A small amount of wine from the solera row is bottled every time an order is placed.

                                                            iii.      Wine from the barrels directly above the solera row is added to the solera row to replenish the wine that was taken out to be bottled.

                                                           iv.      Wine from the barrels directly above barrel #2 is taken out to replenish the wine taken out of barrel #2. This pattern repeats until there are no more barrels.

g.       Flor

                                                               i.       Flor is important in the production of Fino sherries. Flor separates Fino and Oloroso sherries.

                                                             ii.      Flor is a yeast that develops naturally in Jerez. The humidity of the region and its proximity to the ocean contribute to the development of flor.

                                                            iii.      Flor forms a layer over the sherry in the solera system. This layer prevents the sherry from oxidizing.

1.       Oloroso sherry does not involve the development of flor, thus is becomes oxidized. This oxidization gives Oloroso its color and complexity.

V.                  Barrel Aging/ Use of Oak in Wine Production

a.       Oak and wine have a very special relationship. Oak has the ability to transform wine- no other wood can do this. Oak helps to mellow out the wine over time and imparts character/texture into the wine.

b.      Most wines are aged  in oak, not fermented in oak barrels.

c.       French oak vs. American oak

                                                               i.      Profound differences between the two

                                                             ii.      American oak: imparts more flavor into the wine, strong vanilla/toasty notes

                                                            iii.      French oak is more subtle

d.      Old vs. New Oak

                                                               i.      New oak imparts more flavor, while old is more subtle

e.      Some wine makers blend wine aged in new barrels with older barrels. They may blend wine aged in oak with wine that has not been aged.

f.        Oak is typically associated with toasty notes of vanilla and wood.

VI.                Geography and Wine Cheat Sheet

a.       These rules are not unchanging/constant/universal laws, they are just rules of thumb to help you out

b.      Colder weather=higher acidity in wines

                                                               i.      If the weather is cool grapes are prevented from ripening fully. Think about when you bite into a small grape….sour right?

c.       Warmer weather=lower acidity, often higher alcohol

                                                               i.       In warmer weather the grapes are exposed to more sun, therefore they are able to ripen fully. The riper the grape, the higher the sugar. Think about eating a plump, juicy grape: its not sour at all. If there is more sugar then there is more food for yeasts to eat, which will create more alcohol.

d.      Coastal climates

                                                               i.      Locations on the coast with warmer climates typically experience cooling breezes from the ocean. These breezes help to preserve the acidity of the grape.