Class 1 Worksheet 1. White wine should be served between and degrees Fahrenheit. 2. -shaped glasses help concentrate wine aromas at the rim. 3. Glasses should be filled no more than to full, leaving room to swirl. 4. To refresh your palate during a tasting, eat a or drink a sip of. 5. The is a dime-sized patch of nerve endings situated in the passage that connects the nose to the mouth. It is the primary receptor for aroma and flavors. 6. Scents in wine come primarily from chemical compounds called. 7. The sensation of taste is perceived by our tongue. The four tastes are:,,, and (although does not normally occur in wine). 8. Because and are sensed simultaneously in the mouth, we do not usually distinguish them as separate. 9. Match the taste with the texture it is associated with in the mouth: Sweet Sour Bitter a. sharp, puckering b. drying, astringent c. smooth, coating 10. are fragrances sensed via the nose; via the mouth. 1
Class 1 Worksheet 11. Tasting wine is subjective; individuals have unique sensory. 12. The 4S steps of sensory evaluation are:,,, and. 13. As a wine ages, its color evolves towards. 14. refers not to color itself, but to the concentration of color. 15. The more pronounced the legs and the longer they last, the the alcohol content and the full-bodied the wine. 16. The sense of is used to evaluate wine s body or weight. 17. A wine is or harmonious when no single element stands out. 18. The four structural elements in wine are,, and. 19. When tasting wines, we first perceive the taste of, then and finally the taste of. 20. Summarizing a wine involves evaluating its aftertaste,, and. 21. Mark the statement as True or False: A wine that is not crystal clear is spoiled. A wine s color is determined largely by grape variety. Generally speaking, the darker a wine s color, the lighter the flavor. Alcohol can give wine a perception of sweetness. Aftertaste refers to a length of time. In general, the longer the finish, the better the wine. 2
Class 1 Tasting Notes Pinot Grigio Chardonnay Producer Growing Area Vintage Alcohol Price SEE Circle the best descriptor for your wine in each category Brilliant clear hazy Clarity Brilliant clear hazy Green tinge straw gold amber Color Green tinge straw gold amber Pale medium dark Color Intensity Pale medium dark Faint pronounced Legs Faint pronounced SNIFF Circle the aromas you detect in your wine Faint medium powerful Aroma Intensity Faint medium powerful Citrus: Lemon, lime, grapefruit Citrus: Lemon, lime, grapefruit Tree Fruit: Apple, pear, peach, apricot, fig Tree Fruit: Apple, pear, peach, apricot, fig Tropical: Melon, pineapple, banana Tropical: Melon, pineapple, banana Floral: Orange blossom, honeysuckle Floral: Orange blossom, honeysuckle Herbal: Hay, grass, green vegetables, mint Herbal: Hay, grass, green vegetables, mint Earthy: Stone, slate, mineral, lanolin, mushroom Earthy: Stone, slate, mineral, lanolin, mushroom Spicy: Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice Spicy: Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice Nutty: Almond, hazelnut, marzipan Nutty: Almond, hazelnut, marzipan Woody: Vanilla, oak, coffee, smoky, burnt toast Woody: Vanilla, oak, coffee, smoky, burnt toast Caramel: Honey, butterscotch, butter Caramel: Honey, butterscotch, butter Other SIP Circle the best descriptor for your wine in each category Low medium high Acidity Low medium high Dry off-dry sweet Sweetness Dry off-dry sweet Light medium full-bodied Body Light medium full-bodied Flavor A wine s flavors and aromas are often similar. Underline each wine s flavors among the aroma descriptors in SNIFF above. SUMMARIZE Circle the best descriptor for your wine in each category Short moderate long Finish Short moderate long Unbalanced balanced Balance Unbalanced balanced Simple moderate complex Complexity Simple moderate complex Poor good excellent Quality Poor good excellent 3
Class 1 Worksheet Answers 1. 45; 50 12. See, Sniff, Sip and Summarize 2. Tulip 13. Amber 3. 1/4 to 1/3 14. Intensity 4. Cracker or plain bread; water 15. Higher; more 5. Olfactory epithilium; retronasal 16. Touch 6. Esters 17. Balanced 7. Sweet; sour; bitter; salty (salty) 18. Acidity, alcohol, tannins, sweetness 8. Taste; texture 19. Sweet, sour, bitter 9. c, a, b 20. Finish, balance, complexity 10. Aromas; flavors 11. Thresholds 21. False True False True False True 4
Class 1 Study Guide: Your Senses of Smell & Taste YOUR SENSE OF SMELL AND WINE AROMAS / FLAVORS How it Works: Smelling Each time you inhale through your nose or your mouth, you pull air into your retronasal passage, which connects your nose and mouth. Incoming scents are picked up by the olfactory epithelium, which transmits the scent signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain. The average adult can identify nearly 10,000 unique scents and distinguish the presence of many more aromas -- even at very low levels. Aromas and Esters The aromas in wine come primarily from esters, fragrant chemical compounds. Esters also give foods their characteristic aromas. Aroma vs. Flavor Scents that enter the retronasal passages via the nose are called aromas. Scents that enter the retronasal passages via the mouth are called flavors. YOUR SENSE OF TASTE AND WINE How it Works: Tasting Your taste buds, which, for the most part, are located on your tongue pick up tastes. The taste buds are undifferentiated, meaning that each bud senses all the tastes. Tastes in Wine Sweetness comes from sugars and alcohol. Tartness comes from acids. Bitterness is caused by tannins, which are found primarily in red wines. Taste and Mouthfeel Sweetness has a smooth, rich, thick feeling that seems to coat your mouth. Tartness feels sharp and may cause the mouth to pucker and salivate. Bitterness has a drying, astringent feeling. Sensitivity and Sensory Thresholds The minimum concentrations at which an aroma, flavor or taste can be sensed or identified. The threshold varies considerably from individual to individual, making wine appreciation a personal and highly subjective experience. 5
Class 1 Study Guide: 4S Tasting Method 4S Step SEE Tilt the glass at 45 degree angle against a white background. SNIFF Swirl, then put your nose inside the rim of the glass and take 2-3 sharp sniffs. SIP Take a small amount of wine into your mouth. Evaluation Questions Clarity, Intensity, Color Is the wine brilliant, clear or hazy? What color is the wine? Is the color pale or intense? Legs Are they pronounced-indicating a fuller body? Intensity and Identification Are the aromas faint or intense? What are the aromas? Temperature Is the wine too cold, so it seems tart, with muted fruit flavors? Is the wine too warm, so it seems alcoholic and flabby? Roll the wine around, bringing it into contact with every part of your mouth. Retronasal passages smell flavors. Tongue tastes sweet, tart, bitter. The mouth feels cloyed, gummy from sweetnees puckered, refreshed from acidity dried out, fur-lined from tannin Back of the throat feels burning heat of high alcohol. SUMMARIZE Spit or swallow the wine and record your impressions. Body Does the wine fill your mouth? (Think skim milk vs. cream) Is the wine light-, medium- or full-bodied? Flavor Are the flavors intense, or just barely there? What are the flavors? Taste and Mouthfeel What are the tastes and sensations? Tart - pucker? Sweet - cloying? Bitter - furry, dry? Hot? Are the fruit, acidity, tannins and alcohol in balance? Or does one dominate? Is the wine s texture rough, smooth or silky? Finish Do the flavors linger for a long time or do they stop short? Quality What is the wine s quality level? Is it well-made? Poor, good, excellent or outstanding? Is it a weekday, weekend or special occasion wine? Value Does the wine provide good value for the price? Preference Do you like the wine? Would you drink a second glass? How would you describe the wine in one sentence? What stands out or makes the wine distinct, memorable? 6