Chapter 2 - Quality

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CHAPTER 2 – UNDERSTANDING WINE QUALITY

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Contents

• Introduction

• Texture

• Length of flavour

• Intensity of flavour

• Tannins and bitterness

• Balancing acid and sweetness

• Overall balance

• Focused Tastings

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Introduction

• Texture

• Length of fruit flavours on the palate

• Intensity of fruit flavours

• Quality of tannins and lack of bitterness

• Balance between acid and sweetness

• Overall balance of the wine

Several factors combine to influence the quality of wine as it is consumed:

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Texture

• Historically very important:– “full bodied red”– “light bodied white”

• Technology has eroded this quality benchmark:“thin but fruity”X “textured but no

flavour”

• Malo-Lactic Fermentation (MLF) adds texture – “the Chardonnay effect”

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TextureMeasuring texture on a scale 1 –

5(1 as thin as water)(5 as thick as tomato juice)

1. Chablis, Dry Riesling, Vinho Verde2. Red Beaujolais, Villages Burgundy,

NZ Sauvignon Blanc3. Most Chardonnay, commercial

reds, Chianti4. Sauternes or Botrytis Semillon,

“Parkerised” Reds5. Australian Shiraz, US Zinfandel,

Vintage Port

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Length of fruit flavours

• The single most important quality factor

• A wine with longer lasting flavours in the mouth is better quality than one that disappears as soon as you swallow it.

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Intensity of flavour

• Traditionally, the more intense the better the quality.

• Now – technology can create super charged artificially concentrated wines (excessive).

• Should be an appropriate level in respect to overall taste.

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Tannins and bitterness• Bitter wines are simply

inferior wines.

• Two common sources of tannins and bitterness:

1. Grapes (stalks, skins, seeds)

2. Wood (oak barrels used for maturation)

• Tannins are important for red wine, but mismanaged lead to bitterness.

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Balancing acid and sweetness

• Acidity is a very important component of wine – it protects against bacteria and preserves the colour of red wine.

• For a drink to appear “refreshing”, the human palate needs to encounter some acid.

• If the climate is too hot – grapes over-ripen, gain fruit sweetness but loose acid (may have to add some extra acid otherwise will taste dull or “flabby”).

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Balancing acid and sweetness• If the climate is too cold –

grapes don’t ripen, so too much acid (may have add sugar to stop wine tasting sharp).

• A wine should never taste sharper than a green apple.

• Natural fruit sweetness always better than sugar sweetness (sticky aftertaste).

• Sometimes sugar is used to disguise a lack of fruit flavour.

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Overall balance (red wines)

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Overall balance (white wines)

Chapter 2 - Quality

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