Question 1
Wines 1-4 come from 4 different countries and are made from 4 different grape varieties.
For each wine:
a)
Identify grape variety as closely as possible, giving reasons.
b)
Identify origin as closely as possible, giving reasons.
c)
Comment on style and quality.
Description Wine #1
This pale straw yellow wine displays a distinct oak influence on the nose. Toasted oak, cinnamon, and coconut completely disguise the fruit on the nose. The wine is light to medium bodied, but with relatively high alcohol at about 13%. Mild acidity, low fruit flavour intensity, but with pineapple, lychee, and yellow apple-like fruit comprising the palate. The finish is short.
a)
I believe this wine to be a Chardonnay because of the pineapple fruit, medium body despite obvious high-yield grapes, and obvious use of oak.
b)
Because of the exotic fruit and obvious use of oak, probably chips, and what appear to be high-volume, protective vinification methods, I believe this wine to be from California.
c)
This is a wine engineered and designed more than grown and is tuned for the mass consumer. It is a clean and likeable wine and although it lives primarily from the oak flavours, or perhaps even because of them, it will appeal to a broad base of consumers. This is an entry level wine worth approximately 6 Euros on the current market.
Description Wine #2
This pale green-yellow wine has a distinctly grassy nose, reminiscent of nettles. The wine is light-bodied and possesses refreshing acidity and a perky, not unpleasant, herbaceous quality. The finish is short. Alcohol content is medium at approximately 12.5%.
a)
Because of the distinctive herbaceous qualities, grassiness, and perky acidity and no use of oak, I derive this to be a Sauvignon blanc.
b)
The wine lacks the exotic fruit and high ripeness that I would associate with New Zealand. It lacks the flint or mineral character that I would associate with the Loire. The wine appears to be rather high-volume high-yield production. The vinification is clean and modern: the climate of origin moderate. My guess is that this wine is from South Africa.
c)
The style is a classic, yet very simple and basic Sauvignon blanc defined by its lack of oak influence and its refreshing, perky somewhat herbaceous character. The finish is short and the wine lacks complexity. This is a simple entry level wine to be branded and marketed under its well-known varietal name. Its current market worth is approximately 5 Euros.
Description Wine #3
This pale straw coloured wine has a subdued, rather neutral, but clean nose. In the mouth, the wine is medium-bodied and has racy, but integrated acidity. No oak was used in vinification. The wine is lightly yeasty. The finish is slightly bitter with mineral character, but not extremely long.
a)
and b) Because of the subdued, rather neutral flavour profile, medium body, lack of oak, and discreetly yeasty character, I believe that this is a Melone de Bourgogne, a Muscadet sur Lie from the Sevre et Maine region of the Loire.
c) The dry, crisp mineral style combined with a medium body and lightly yeasty character make this wine a good match for a variety of foods that can otherwise be difficult to pair with wine. Not just mussels or raw oysters, but even sushi with discreet use of wasabi can be paired successfully with this wine. The quality is good for its type. This wine would command approximately 6 Euros on the current market.
Description Wine #4
This medium green-yellow wine has CO2 visible on the surface. The nose is clean, intense, and complex with floral, spice, and soft peach fruit. The wine is dry and its acidity racy and refreshing. No new oak was used in vinification. White peppercorn, celery seed and green mango flavours come through on the palate. The wine is medium-bodied and high in alcohol. There is some mineral complexity on the long finish.
a)
I believe this wine to be a Grüner Veltliner because of its body combined with its acidity, spice, fruit and floral character.
b)
The complexity, full body, and refreshing acidity combined with mineral nuances lead me to believe that this wine is from the Wachau region of Austria.
c)
The wine is of excellent, classic quality and would command approximately 20 Euros on the current market. It is a late harvest wine and if it is indeed from the Wachau, a "Smaragd".
Question 2
Wines 5-7 are all made from a single grape variety. Three different countries are represented.
For each wine:
a)
Identify country and region of origin as closely as possible, giving reasons.
b)
Identify grape variety, giving reasons
c)
Comment on the potential for aging and development.
d)
Comment on the level of quality within the context of country and region of origin.
Description Wine #5
This deep dark, dense wine is dark red with a maroon coloured rim and a completely opaque core. The nose is warm, ripe and slightly figgy with smoky fragrances as well as leather. In the mouth the fruit is reminiscent of cherries and cranberries combined with spices and the abundant tannins are firm and combined with a perky acidity. The body is medium and the alcohol extremely high --- approximately 14.5%. The wine has a rather racy and simultaneously alcoholic finish.
a)
and b) This wine has a nearly port-like character with marmalade fruit and high alcohol. The flavour profile and structure (tannin, acidity, and alcohol) lead me to believe that this is a Shiraz from South Australia, perhaps Barossa.
c) This wine is at peak and although it requires no further maturation in bottle, it should continue to hold well until 2015.The vintage is approximately 1999.
d) The quality of this wine is decent, but the alcohol is far out of proportion and makes the wine clumsy, heavy-footed, and a bit too ballsy. I think that the trend for this type of wine from Australia is now passé and that discerning consumers are looking for more elegance and certainly more balance than this wine has to offer. The market value of this wine is around 12 Euros.
Description Wine #6
This wine is less deep in colour than the previous wine, but still deep and dark, although one can actually see through it. The wine is fragrant and reminiscent of plums and violets. The tannins are abundant, firm, and astringent. The finish is anamalic and has a mineral character.
a)
and b) Although this wine was not my "banker" (the first in this flight was), it still fits nicely in the Shiraz/Syrah theme. The combination of spice, ripe fruit, floral character and high alcohol - high tannin content all coincide with a Syrah profile from a warm climate. The style is modern, nicely balanced and I cannot help but think of the French winemakers in the Walla Walla Region of Columbia Valley in Washington.
c) This wine is at peak, but should continue to offer drinking pleasure over the next 3-4 years. The vintage is approximately 1999.
d) This wine is of quite good quality and is nicely balanced. Both Washington and Syrah are currently trendy in the US where good quality wines demand a slightly higher price than their old world counterparts often do. I would expect this wine to command 20 Euros on the current market.
Description Wine #7
This wine is also dark red, but more transparent than the previous two and the nose is acetic and oxidized. The palate is also oxidized and the wine sharply acidic. I derive that over-ripe fruit in a wet harvest has led to this unfortunate wine.
a)
and b) Here also the grape variety is predominantly Syrah, unfortunately the wine is faulted. There are consumers that actually like this kind of thing, but the region is completely indefinable --- it is the fault and not the terroir or style or even the grape variety that define this wine.
c) Only a desperate winemaker would use such fruit to vinify a wine. There is no potential for aging or development for this liquid; unfortunately it will only get worse.
d) The quality of this wine is poor for any region and should not have been bottled as a quality wine under any circumstances.
Question 3
Wines 8-9 are from the same country and region of origin and are made from a similar blend of grape varieties
For both wines:
a)
Identify the country and region of origin as closely as possible.
With two such diversely styled wines coming from the same region of origin and similar blend of varieties, the choices are fairly limited as to what the wines could actually be. The first wine is sweet and fortified; the second is dry, tannic, and acidic. Both are deep in colour. Although Australia or Duoro in Portugal could be options, I believe these two wines to be from Rousillon.
b)
Identify the grape varieties, giving reasons.
Because I believe the region to be Rousillon, it follows that the main grape varieties used are Grenache and Carignan. The colour is dark, the first wine sweet, the second acidic and dry. The first wine is a simple Banyuls, not a Grand Cru. and the second is a Vin de Pays d'Oc.
For each wine:
c)
Identify the elements in the method of production which most influence the style of the wine.
Description Wine #8
This deep dark red coloured wine has slightly garnet coloured reflection hinting at some maturation and is very nearly opaque. This nose is very warm and distinctly alcoholic, but fragrant of fresh ripe forest berries. The wine is sweet, fruity, and fortified.
c) This wine was fortified to stop fermentation and retain residual sweetness. Low yields, manual harvest from steep slopes.
Description Wine #9
This wine has a more youthful colour than the previous wine. In the mouth, it is dry, more tannic, and also more acidic .This wine is not fortified.
c) This wine is fermented dry, yields fairly high and mechanical harvest from moderate slopes.
Question 4
Wines 10-12 come from two different European countries. Two wines come from one country, but different regions, the other wine comes from the other country.
For each wine:
a)
Identify grape variety as closely as possible, giving reasons
b)
Identify origin as closely as possible giving reasons
c)
Comment on style and quality
Description Wine#10
This pale straw yellow sparkling wine has a gentle persistent mousseaux with tiny bubbles rising directly upwards without spiralling. The nose is fresh and reminiscent of crisp apples and with a faint nuance of brioche. The wine is light-bodied, dry, and has refreshing acidity and is fresh and fruity. The mouseaux is fine in the mouth
a)
Because the wine is light-bodied and has high acidity, fine and persistent mouseaux, I believe it to be from a cool region and the very classic style lead me to believe it is from Champagne. This logic leads me to derive that this wine is made predominantly from the variety Pinot Meunier with a small amount of Chardonnay.
b)
Because of the animated, but integrated acidity, brioche nuance, and quality of mouseaux, I believe this wine to be fermented in the bottle and the classic profile brings me to conclude that this wine is from Champagne.
c)
The style is classic bottle fermented sparkling wine with fresh, crisp fruit, lightness and dryness that make this a perfect aperitif. The wine is not big or creamy or worthy of long bottle aging. It is a good, robust, entry level Champagne that would command approximately 15 Euros on the current market.
Description Wine #11
This coppery coloured sparkling wine has medium large bubbles that rise rapidly and directly upwards. The nose is distinctly floral. The acidity is very high and the wine has some herbaceous character to it. The wine is bone dry, light to medium bodied, and the mouseaux somewhat rustic, but even and persistent. The finish is short.
a)
Because of the coppery colour, this wine is obviously made from predominantly black grapes. The distinctly floral fragrance, perky acidity, and slightly herbaceous character lead me to believe that this wine is made predominantly from the variety Cabernet Franc.
b)
The high acidity points towards a cool region and my belief that this wine is made from predominantly Cabernet Franc, makes a conclusion that this wine is from the Loire logical.
c)
The wine was bottle fermented in the style of Champagne. It is dry and light-bodied. The animated, refreshing acidity and appetizing coppery colour make this an ideal aperitif. The quality is excellent for its type and the wine would command approximately 18 Euros on the current market.
Description Wine #12
This pale green-yellow sparkling wine has a foam ring around the rim of the glass that persists. The bubbles are large and rise rapidly leaving some foam at the surface. The nose is quite subdued. The wine is light bodied, fruity, and not very intense in flavour. The mouseaux is rustic. The wine is dry, but has more residual sugar than the previous two wines. The acidity is milder than the previous two wines.
a)
and b) The green-yellow colour, mild acidity, quality of the wine lead me to believe this is a Prosecco from the Veneto Region of Italy, likely from Conegliano.
c) I believe this to be a Prosecco Spumante made in tank. The rustic quality of the mouseaux, low acidity, and low intensity of flavour all lead me to this conclusion. This wine is a simple entry level sparkling wine fermented cool in steel tanks and the CO2 likely pumped in short before bottling. It would sell for approximately 6 Euros on the current market.
Wine Key
- Salmon Creek 2000 Chardonnay, Sonoma California 12.5% alcohol, Euro 7.50
- Mantel 2003 Verdejo Blanco, Rueda Spain, 12.5% alcohol., Euro 5.33
- Muscadet de Sevre et Maine sur lie 2003, Loire France, 12% alcohol., Euro 4.66
- Alzinger 2003 Gruener Veltliner Smaragd Steinertal Wachau Austria, 13.5% alcohol., Euro 20.50
- Water Wheel Bendigo 1998 Shiraz, Victoria Australia, 15% alcohol. Euro 18.5
- Ktima Kir Yanni Yannis Boutaris 1999 Syrah, Naoussa Greece, 13.5% alcohol., Euro 19.00
- Chapoutier 2002 Crozes Hermitage petit ruches, Rhone France, 12% alcohol., Euro 5.33
- Fonseca Bin 27, Duoro Portugal, alcohol. 20%, Euro 10.50
- Lavradores de Feitoria 2001 Tres Bagos, Douro 13.5%, Euro 8,00
- Parigot 2000 Cremant de Bourgogne, Burgundy France, 12% alcohol., Euro 9.50
- Chartogne Taillet brut Rose, Champagne France, 12% alcohol., Euro 25,50
- Col Vetoraz Prosecco Spumante, Veneto Italy, 11.5% alcohol., Euro 8.20
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