Grape Growing, Viticulture & Terminology for WSET® Level 2 Wine

Fill in the blank:

The growing season for a vine begins in which season?

spring

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Fill in the blank:

The growing season ends for a vine in ______.

autumn

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Why do vines grow grapes?

So animals that eat the fruit will spread the grapes’ seeds.

Animals that eat grapes include deer and birds.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

During which season are vines dormant?

Winter

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Are most wines in the world made with European or North American vine species?

European vine species

For your own edification: the vine species is called vitis Vinifera

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Name some commonly found Vitis Vinifera varieties.

Sauvignon Blanc
Pinot Grigio
Riesling
Chardonnay
Syrah
Grenache
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Name the 4 major parts of a grape.

Pulp
Skin
Seeds
Stems

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Which 3 parts of the grape produce tannins?

Skins
Seeds
Stems

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What flavor can tannins produce?

bitterness

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the pulp of a grape mostly made up of?

water

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Where does the sugar in grape juice come from?

pulp

The pulp is also composed of acids and flavor compounds.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What part of the grape do most red wines get their color from?

The skins of grapes

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How many years can a vine live?

If it’s in a healthy environment, a vine can live more than 60 years and upwards of 100 years.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What are the 5 things a vine needs to remain alive and flourish?

Sunlight
Warmth
Carbon dioxide
Water
Nutrients

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the name of the process when a vine’s leaves take in CO2 gas from the air and its roots take up water and nutrients from the ground to produce sugar, or energy, for the vine to grow and ripen its grape?

photosynthesis

Photosynthesis cannot happen without sunlight.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

List a vine’s annual cycle.

Flowering: spring
Fruit set: early summer
Véraison: summer
Ripening time: summer/late summer
Harvest: late summer/early autumn
Dormancy: winter

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

During which season does flowering happen?

Spring

Not in the book but good to know: flowering happens in each hemisphere’s spring: May/June in the Northern Hemisphere and November/December in the Southern Hemisphere

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How are the flowers of grape vines pollinated?

They are self-pollinated

Vines rely on the wind to help them self-pollinate their flowers!

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

For flowers to turn into grapes, does each flower need to be pollinated or can just one flower in the cluster be pollinated?

Each flower must be pollinated in order to change into a grape.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

When does fruit set happen and what happens during this process?

Fruit set happens after pollination
Once pollinated, a flower develops seeds and starts to grow; it looks like a tiny green berry
These berries will develop and turn into grapes

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is véraison and when does it occur?

Véraison is the onset of ripening which occurs mid-summer.

Red varieties turn from green to purple or black, and sugars increase while acidity levels decrease.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Fill in the blank:

Before ripening, grapes are high in _____ and low in _____.

Study These Flashcards

high in acid, low in sugar

Fill in the blank:

As grapes ripen, acidity levels _____ and sugar levels _____.

Study These Flashcards

acidity levels decrease, sugar levels increase

It is during this ripening period that a grape’s aromatics will develop as well.

What chemical compound develops in black grapes during ripening?

Study These Flashcards

tannins

Tannins are chemical compounds that augment the mouthfeel of a wine, adding texture and astringency (tannins dry out your mouth).

Tannins primarily come from the skins of grapes, but they also can come from the seeds and stems.

If grapes remain on the vine **after the time they're usually harvested**, what happens to them?

The grapes will develop **"extra-ripeness"** ## Footnote This means that the levels of both aromas and sugars will magnify and concentrate.

What happens to grapes if they are **left to raisinate** on the vine?

* **Water in the grapes evaporates** thereby concentrating acids and sugars; * **Aromas in the grape change** from ripe/fresh to dried/dimpled. ## Footnote Raisinated grapes are most often used to make sweet wines, not dry wines.

List **3 ways** to concentrate grape sugars to make sweet wine.

1. Extra-ripeness 2. Botrytis 3. Frozen grapes

What is **Botrytis/noble rot**?

Botrytis is a **fungus** that grows on the outside of grapes that can cause noble rot.

What does **Botrytis/noble rot** do to the grapes after it punctures the grape skins?

It causes the water inside the grape to **evaporate**, thereby concentrating sugars, flavors, and acids.

What are the **optimal conditions** for Botrytis/noble rot to form?

Botrytis fungus requires **misty mornings or humid conditions** followed by **warm, dry afternoons.** ## Footnote The dry afternoons slow the growth of Botrytis and prevent it from completely rotting the grapes.

What **style of wine** is usually made with grapes affected by Botrytis?

Dessert wine

# Fill in the blank: Botrytis-affected grapes are almost always used to make \_\_\_\_ wines.

sweet

Give a classic **example of a wine** whose grapes are affected by Botrytis.

* Sauternes (Bordeaux, France) * Aszú (Tokaj, Hungary)

What happens to healthy grapes when they are **left on the vine to freeze** and they're picked when frozen?

1. The water inside the grapes **freezes** 2. The grapes are then **pressed and separated** from the sugary liquid 2. This sugary **liquid is fermented** to make the sweet wine Icewine/Eiswein ## Footnote The sugary liquid is intensely high in acids, flavor, and sugar.

What is the difference between **training and pruning**?

* **Training:** How the vine is supported and arranged to optimize sunlight and productivity. * **Pruning:** Removal of plant parts to control size and form of the vine, optimize production potential, and achieve balance between vegetative growth (the leaves) and fruit.

How are **most** vines trained?

On trellises

During **which season** are vines usually pruned?

Vines are usually **pruned in the winter** when they're dormant.

Why do farmers **prune** their vines?

* Help maintain their **shape** * Balance **fruit production** and shoot growth

Name **2 ways** farmers can irrigate their vines.

1. **Drip** irrigation 2. **Flood** irrigation

What are some of the things that can **sabotage** a healthy vineyard?

* Insects * Fungi * Weeds * Birds * Deer

From which **2 things** does netting protect vines?

1. **Birds** **and other pests** that eat the berries 2. **Hail** that can damage the berries and vine

# Fill in the blank: Pesticides kill \_\_\_\_\_, fungicides kill \_\_\_\_\_, and herbicides kill \_\_\_\_\_.

insects, fungi, weeds

What exactly is **yield**?

Yield is the **amount of grapes produced** per planted vineyard area (acre or hectare). Typically yield is given in hL/ha (hectoliters per hectare). ## Footnote An average yield is 40-60 hectoliters per hectare

What happens to grape flavors if a vineyard's yields are **too high**?

Grapes could have **low sugar and/or loss of flavor due to overproduction**.

If too few grapes are grown (read: if a crop is too small), what might that mean for that given vintage?

That year's crop might be **too small to be commercially viable**.

Name **2 ways** how grapes are harvested.

1. By hand 2. Machine

What **kind of terrain** is machine harvesting best used on?

Flat land ## Footnote It's nearly impossible to use machine harvesters on slopes.

What attributes will grapes have if they're **harvested early**?

* Higher acidity * Lower sugar * Under-developed/under-ripe fruit flavors * More grassy and herbaceous flavors

What attributes will grapes have if they're **harvested later than normal**?

* Lower acidity * Higher sugar * Riper fruit flavors

Besides the producer, appellation, and vintage, what are some **common labeling terms** found on wine bottles?

* Old Vine/Vieilles Vignes * Late Harvest/Vendanges Tardives * Icewine/Eiswein * Botrytis

What does the term **Old Vine** or **Vieilles Vignes** indicate on a bottle of wine?

That the vines are **older** and, assumingly, grow grapes that express **higher flavor concentration**. ## Footnote To achieve the distinction of Old Vine/Vieilles Vignes, a vine usually has to be at least 35 years old but there is no legally defined age minimum.

If you have two bottles with the same vintage but they're from different hemispheres, **which wine will be older:** the one from the northern hemisphere or the one from the southern hemisphere?

southern hemisphere ## Footnote The southern hemisphere harvests their grapes about 6 months before the northern hemisphere does, so the wine technically is older than the one from the northern hemisphere.

# True or False: Wines labeled **Late Harvest** are always sweet.

False ## Footnote Late Harvest wines can be dry, off-dry, medium-sweet or sweet. They are fuller in body and more concentrated in sugars and flavors than wines made from grapes harvested at the regular time.

Grape Growing, Viticulture & Terminology Flashcards

Anatomy of the vine, vine species, grape species, vineyard management, and diseases. (53 cards)