EONOLOGY PRELIM

• A sommelier, French for wine steward, receives professional training in wine service, food, wine pairings, and wine storage
• Levels of wine sommelier:

  • Level 1 studies basic wine and beverage theory and is introduced to deductive tasting methodology
  • Certified Sommelier is at level 2
  • At level 3, a sommelier is considered Advanced, while level 4 is certified as a Master
• Duties and responsibilities of a sommelier include ordering wines, maintaining the wine stock, creating a wine list and writing wine descriptions, suggesting food and wine pairings, recommending wines based on customer preferences, training waitstaff on wines, conducting wine tastings for staff and customers, hosting winery tours, and teaching wine courses
• Sommelier skills and qualifications include strong interpersonal and sales skills, good verbal and written communication skills, willingness to work outside regular business hours, excellent personal hygiene, adherence to alcohol handling laws and regulations, interest in continuing education, attention to detail, and ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Sommelier careers and opportunities include wine events/tasting organization, wine importer/distributor, wine shop, wine blogger/writer, and wine consultant
• Key terminologies in wine:

  • Aging: The process by which wine matures
  • Aroma: The natural fragrance from the fermented grape
  • Body: Can be real or perceived, with real body referring to the thickness of the wine in the bottle and perceived body being the feel of the wine in the mouth
  • Bouquet: The scent released from the bottle once uncorked, distinct from aroma
• History of wine:

  • Wine has been around for thousands of years
  • Neolithic period 8500-4000 B.C. has the first recorded evidence of wine not being a "seasonal happenstance"
  • Pottery first appeared around 6000 B.C., creating a means to store beverages
  • Evidence of wine found in the Middle East, progressively spreading to greater Mesopotamia area
• Wine producing regions of France:

  • Alsace: Known for Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Tokay Pinot Gris, Sylvaner, and Cremant d'Alsace
  • Bordeaux: Produces 21 types of wine, with popular wines from Saint-Emilion, Medoc, and Margaux regions
  • Burgundy: Known for Chablis, produced from Chardonnay grape
  • Champagne: Famous for festive celebrations, made from Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir grapes
• Wine is an alcoholic beverage made with the fermented juice of grapes
• Vines grow in two bands North and South of the equator between the 30-50 degrees latitude bands which usually contain a moderate temperature climate
• Two-thirds of all wines are grown in Europe, one-third in the New World (Chile, Argentina, Australia, South Africa, United States, and New Zealand)
• All vines require an average annual temperature ranging from 10 to 14 degrees Celsius, sufficient moisture, and an average of seven hours of sunshine daily during the ripening period
• The deeper the roots go into the soil, the more constant their environment, therefore they are less subject to the ravages of floods or drought
• Vitis Vinifera (V.V) vine produces 3,000 noble grape varieties, and it's the only vine variety allowed to produce wines sold in the E.U
• The grape contains everything required for making alcohol either inside or on the skin
• Fermentation breaks down the natural sugars to form alcohol and carbon dioxide gas
• The alcohol composition for wine ranges from alcohol-free to reduced alcohol
• Wines are traditionally classified as red, white, or rose; dry, medium-dry, or sweet; light, medium, or full-bodied; fortified, aromatised, or natural table wines; and still or sparkling
• Wines generally come in three colors: white, rose (pink, blush), and red
• Table wines are lower than 15% abv, while fortified wines have their alcohol increased, usually by adding grape brandy or neutral spirit
• Still wines go through the formal fermentation process and are not sparkling or effervescent, while sparkling wines go through two separate fermentations
• The chemical composition of wine includes water, ethanol, sugar, organic acids, glycerol, aroma components, nitrogen compounds, phenolics, minerals, trace elements, vitamins, additives, and carbon dioxide
• Organic chemicals in wines such as phenolics and anthocyanin give wines their color and textural properties, while esters, ketones, and aldehydes create the aroma
• The main stage of wine production involves destemming and extraction of juice, treatment of the must, racking and removal of gross lees, and adding yeast for alcoholic fermentation
• A chart provides basic information about wine, including the types of grapes used and the different styles of wine

  
• The winemaking process involves steps like crushing, pressing, fermentation, racking, adding yeast, malo-lactic fermentation, fining, cold stabilization, blending, final filtration, and bottling

  
• Steps in the traditional method of making sparkling wine include riddling, disgorging, dosage, and corking

  
• Steps in the tank/charmat method for making sparkling wine involve fermentation in a pressurized tank, filtration, dosage, and bottling

  
• Labelling requirements for wine include the name of the wine, country of origin, region, alcohol level, bottle contents, classification, and the name of the producer or CO-OP
• Vintage refers to the year grapes were grown and harvested, but it doesn't guarantee quality
• Varietal wines are made from a specific grape, while generic wines are made from mixed grapes
• Appellations denote the evolution of quality in winemaking, with different quality levels like AOC, VDQS, Vin de Pays, and Vin de Table
• Tasting wine involves using sight, smell, and taste to evaluate aspects like colour, texture, strength, structure, body, length, smell, and complexity of flavours
• Preparation for wine tasting includes considerations like the room or area, the glass used, and the systematic approach to tasting and recording judgements
• The chart provides basic information about wine, including the different types of grapes used and the different styles of wine

  
• The winemaking process involves steps for making both red and white wine

  
• The image shows the tongue and the different taste buds on it

  
• Steps involved in the traditional method of making sparkling wine:

  • First fermentation to produce wine with crisp & high acidity plus moderate alcohol
  • Blending for consistency, using wines from different grape varieties, vineyards, and years
  • Secondary fermentation: liqueur de triage added to create the sparkle
  • Dosage (sweetness level) checked and sediment removal losses compensated

  
• Steps of the tank/charmat method for making sparkling wine:

  • Secondary fermentation in sealed tank with dry base wine, sugar, yeast nutrients, and a clarifying agent
  • Sediment removal by filtration under pressure
  • No tank method sparkling can be of AC status (French law)

  
• To match food and wine, assess the power of the food by its similarity in terms of impact on the palate to the wines