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VEN124 Section I

VEN124 Section I. Wine Production Begins in the Vineyard. Lecture 1:. Factors Influencing Wine Composition and Quality. Good wine cannot be made from bad grapes . . . Wine quality is dependent upon viticultural practices and decisions. The Definition of Wine Quality. Quality Is Subjective.

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VEN124 Section I

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  1. VEN124 Section I Wine Production Begins in the Vineyard

  2. Lecture 1: Factors Influencing Wine Composition and Quality

  3. Good wine cannot be made from bad grapes . . . Wine quality is dependent upon viticultural practices and decisions.

  4. The Definition of Wine Quality

  5. Quality Is Subjective • Is it “quality” or “preference”? • Can a subjective standard be objectively assessed? • Is “quality” truly definable?

  6. Quality is dependent upon • Preference • Perception • Experience • Expectations

  7. The Many “Definitions” of Quality • Commercial Acceptability • Nearness to a Specific Target • Complexity • Inharmonious Notes

  8. Quality as Commercial Acceptability The Absence of Defects: For that style For any style

  9. Quality as Commercial Acceptability • Defects/Taint compounds well defined • Trained tasters • “Statistically tested” tasters • Reproducibility • Threshold of detection • Matrix effects

  10. Targeted Definitions of Wine Quality • An ideal wine exists • A consensus of the ideal characters exists • Quality is determined by closeness to the ideal • For regional typicity, the judgment of nearness to target may rest with a government body of tasters

  11. Targeted Definitions of Wine Quality • Regional typicity: “terroir” • Varietal typicity • True-to-style • Common commercial style • Winery-specific style

  12. Targeted Definitions of Wine Quality • Nearness to target is a subjective assessment • Challenging to use humans as an objective analytical tool • Dependent upon genetic factors • Dependent upon physiological and psychological factors

  13. Complexity as Quality • Linear complexity: Wines have multiple intense aromas and flavors that are “forward”: immediately apparent upon smelling/tasting the wine • Vertical complexity: As wines “breathe” in glass the aroma/flavor profile changes dramatically, positively and continually • Both aim for “harmony”: melding of flavors and aromas

  14. Complexity as Quality • Assessment of complexity is subjective • When is the wine complex enough? • What is “harmonious”? • When is a wine not harmonious? • Dependent upon style/varietal • Dependent upon • Preference • Perception • Experience • Expectations

  15. Off-Notes as Index of Quality • Some believe that a wine free of off-notes is “too clean” • Off-notes lend character to a wine • Alternately, off-notes accompany microbial activity and therefore track with greater microbially-derived complexity • Harmonious complexity “boring”

  16. Off-Notes as Index of Quality • Very subjective • When does “Off” become unacceptable? • Is this the absence of a standard of acceptability?

  17. Who Controls Definition of Quality? • Government • Producers • Consumers • Intermediaries (Wine Critics/ Wine Writers/Distributors/Marketers)

  18. Terroir versus AVA

  19. Terroir Terroir, a term coined by the French, refers to the influence of non-climatic environmental factors1 (soil, topography) on wine composition and quality 1Ribereau-Gayon, P., et al. Handbook of Enology, Vol 1: The microbiology of wine and vinifications. John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. (2000).

  20. Terroir Has many interpretations . . . Some include climate in discussions of terroir others also include the “human element”

  21. Terroir • Terroir characters are defined by the traits of the wines following elimination of other variables, not from direct demonstration of the influence of environment on those characters • Recipes for both vineyard and winery procedures are legislated, minimizing the impact of these decisions on wine composition across vintages • Used in marketing to assure consistency of product for the consumer

  22. American Viticultural Areas (AVA) AVA status requires demonstration of some uniqueness of a specific geographic wine producing region

  23. AVA • No restrictions on vineyard or winery practices; uniqueness of wine expected independently of “recipe” • Allows considerable variation in composition of wine while retaining a regional “signature”

  24. Wine and Grape Composition

  25. Wine Characters Derive from One of Four Sources: • Grape • Activity of microorganisms • Processing decisions • Aging

  26. GRAPES MICROBES AGING PROCESSING

  27. Certain styles emphasize contribution of one sector over others, but all will make a contribution to the wine

  28. Grape Microbe Processing Aging Microbe Grape Processing Aging

  29. Variety Clone Rootstock Soil Canopy management Terrain Pest Pressure Disease Pressure Climate Rainfall Humidity Sunshine Wind speed Cluster microclimate Seasonal Variation Vineyard Practices Grape Composition Influenced by:

  30. Microbial Contributors to Wine Characters: • Saccharomyces • Lactic Acid Bacteria • Grape Flora • Winery Flora • Inocula

  31. Harvesting conditions Maceration decisions Extraction conditions Additions to juice/must Fermentation conditions Lees contact Clarification Filtration Fining Blending Stabilization Treatments Processing Decisions Impacting Wine Characters:

  32. Time Temperature Cooperage pH Wine composition Evaporation Agitation Oxygen exposure Lees exposure Sanitation practices Aging Decisions Impacting Wine Characters:

  33. Bad wine can be made from good grapes . . . Wine quality is also dependent upon enological practices and decisions

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