Class 1 Worksheet 1. White wine should be served between and degrees Fahrenheit. 2. One of consumers biggest pet peeves is being served white wines too and red wines too. 3. If a wine is too cold to the touch, mention to your customer that the flavors may be a bit loose / tight / fruity / sweet until the wine warms up a bit. (circle one) 4. -shaped glasses help concentrate wine aromas at the rim. 5. Glasses should be filled no more than about full, leaving room to swirl. 6. A bottle usually provides about glasses of wine. 7. Put the following presentation points in order from 1 to 5: Open the bottle Pour a one-ounce taste Present the bottle Present the cork Pour for the table 8. When pouring wine, pour C around the table. The W should be served first, and regardless of gender, the H is always served last. 9. The most common reason for wine returns is that the wine is C. 1
Class 1 Worksheet 10. To refresh your palate during a tasting, eat a or drink a sip of. 11. 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. 12. Scents in wine come primarily from chemical compounds called. 13. The sensation of taste is perceived by our tongue. The four tastes are:,,, and (although does not normally occur in wine). 14. Because and are sensed simultaneously in the mouth, we do not usually distinguish them as being separate. 15. Match taste with its associated texture or mouthfeel: Sweet a. sharp, puckering Sour b. drying, astringent Bitter c. smooth, coating 16. are fragrances sensed via the nose; via the mouth. 17. Tasting wine is subjective; individuals have unique sensory. 18. The 4S steps of sensory evaluation are:,,, and. 2
Class 1 Worksheet 19. As a white wine ages, its color evolves towards. 20. refers not to color itself, but to the concentration of color. 21. The more pronounced the legs and the longer they last, the the alcohol content and the more / less full-bodied the wine. (circle one) 22. The sense of is used to evaluate wine s body or weight. 23. A wine is or harmonious when no single element stands out. 24. The four structural elements in wine are,, and. 24. When tasting wines, we first perceive the taste of, then and finally the taste of. 26. Summarizing a wine involves evaluating its aftertaste,, and. 27. 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. 3
Class 1 Worksheet Answers 1. 45; 50 14. Taste; texture 2. Cold; warm 15. c, a, b 3. If a wine is too cold to the touch, mention to your customer that the flavors may be a bit tight until the wine warms up a bit. 4. Tulip 5. 1/3 6. Five 7. Put the following presentation points in order from 1 to 5: 2 Open the bottle 4 Pour a one-ounce taste 1 Present the bottle 3 Present the cork 5 Pour for the table 8. Clockwise; women; host 9. Corked 10. Cracker or plain bread; water 11. Olfactory epithilium; retronasal 12. Esters 13. Sweet; sour; bitter; salty (salty) 16. Aromas; flavors 17. Thresholds 18. See, Sniff, Sip and Summarize 19. Amber 20. Intensity 21. Higher; more 22. Touch 23. Balanced 24. Acidity, alcohol, tannins, sweetness 25. Sweet, tart or sour, bitter 26. Finish, balance, complexity 27. False True False True False True 4
Class 1 Tasting Worksheet Pinot Grigio Chardonnay Producer 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 Tree Fruit: Apple, pear, peach, apricot, fig Tropical: Melon, pineapple, banana Floral: Orange blossom, honeysuckle Herbal: Hay, grass, green vegetables, mint Earthy: Stone, slate, mineral, lanolin, mushroom Spicy: Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice Nutty: Almond, hazelnut, marzipan Woody: Vanilla, oak, coffee, smoky, burnt toast Caramel: Honey, butterscotch, butter Other SIP Circle the best descriptor for your wine in each category Citrus: Lemon, lime, grapefruit Tree Fruit: Apple, pear, peach, apricot, fig Tropical: Melon, pineapple, banana Floral: Orange blossom, honeysuckle Herbal: Hay, grass, green vegetables, mint Earthy: Stone, slate, mineral, lanolin, mushroom Spicy: Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice Nutty: Almond, hazelnut, marzipan Woody: Vanilla, oak, coffee, smoky, burnt toast Caramel: Honey, butterscotch, butter 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 Growing Area Vintage Alcohol Price 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 5
Class 1: My Wine Portfolio Retail By getting to know your products, you can increase your ability to satisfy customers, represent the brands in your store and meet sales targets. To do this, complete the Wine Portfolio questionnaire for each class after finishing the tasting. If your store has a refrigerator case, what types of wine are in it? Whites? Reds? Sparkling? Half bottles or full bottles? Does your store have a wine well, or another way to quickly chill bottles? If so, how does it work? Does you sell wine buckets? Where are they located? What is their price range? Does you sell corkscrews? Write down each type you sell and its price. (Know how to use each type.) Do you sell stemware? What brands do you carry and what is the difference between them? Are there different types of glasses for different wines? What is their price range? (If you don t sell stemware, make sure you can refer customers to a store in your community that does sell stemware.) Does you sell any plastic cups or something that can be used as a spit cup? 6
Class 1: My Wine Portfolio Retail PINOT GRIGIO Do you sell any Pinot Grigio? If so, how many different brands do you carry and what is their price range? Describe your top-selling brand of Pinot Grigio in the spaces below: brand & growing region aromas & flavors body acidity finish price Pinot Grigio made outside of Italy is usually called Pinot Gris. Do you sell any Pinot Gris? Look in the Alsace section within France, or in the Oregon section. CHARDONNAY Describe your three most popular Chardonnays in the spaces below: brand & growing region aromas & flavors body acidity finish price 7
Class 1: My Wine Portfolio Hospitality By getting to know the wines in your portfolio, you can increase your ability to satisfy customers, represent the brands in your restaurant and meet sales targets. To do this, complete the Wine Portfolio questionnaire for each class after finishing the tasting. What bottle sizes do you carry? Do you have half bottles, full bottles, and magnums? Are they both reds and whites? Do you sell wines by the glass? How full should the glasses be poured? How are the wines stored overnight? Do you have a way to quickly chill bottles? Or are the bottles that should be chilled, already chilled? Does you have wine buckets? Where are they located? What about napkins to wipe off the bottles? What kind of stemware do you have? Do you have different shapes for different wines? Do you have special stemware for more expensive bottles? If so, when should you use it? What is the policy on bottle returns when the wine is corked? How should you handle the situation in which the customer doesn t like the wine? 8
Class 1: My Wine Portfolio Hospitality PINOT GRIGIO Do you sell any Pinot Grigio? If so, how many different brands do you carry and what is their price range? Describe your top-selling brand of Pinot Grigio in the spaces below: brand & growing region aromas & flavors body acidity finish price Pinot Grigio made outside of Italy is usually called Pinot Gris. Do you sell any Pinot Gris? Look in the Alsace section within France, or in the Oregon section. CHARDONNAY Describe your three most popular Chardonnays in the spaces below: brand & growing region aromas & flavors body acidity finish price 9
Class 1 Study Guide: Presentation and Pouring STILL WINES Presentation Present the bottle by showing the label to the guest who ordered it. Open the bottle at tableside. Use a waiter's corkscrew while holding the bottle in your hand. Place cork on the table. Pour a one-ounce taste -- about a finger's width -- for the guest who ordered the wine. Pouring Sequence The host is always served last, even when the host is a woman. For a table of two, the "other" person is always served first. In a party of three or more, pour clockwise around the table, serving women first, followed by the men. At tables where there is a "Guest of Honor," the special guest is always served first. Pouring Tips For a drip-less pour, roll the bottle with a quick twist of your wrist as you finish pouring each glass. When serving from a bottle, fill the glasses one-third to one-half full. When serving wine by the glass (BTG), the glass is usually filled nearly to the top when it s a small glass, part-way when it s a large glass. Learn your establishment s policy. 10
Class 1 Study Guide: Presentation and Pouring CHAMPAGNE AND SPARKLING WINE Opening Safely To prevent injury, always keep the cork pointed away from people. Remove the foil. There is usually a tab you can pull. Keep one hand on top of the cork at all times. With your other hand, untwist and loosen the wire cage covering the cork. Place a clean napkin over the cork and grasp the napkin and cork with one hand. Not only will you get a firmer grip, but the napkin acts as a safety net if the cork decides to pop. Rotate the bottle slowly as you gently ease out the cork. If you have opened the bottle correctly, you should hear a gentle hiss; the Champagne should not foam out of the bottle. Pouring without Frothing Over Pour slowly, gently filling the flute about one-fourth full. Wait a moment as the froth settles. Fill the flute to about three-quarters full. Proceed to the next flute. 11
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. 12