Overview. Basic Ground Rules. Basic Ground Rules. Wine Appreciation from Grapes to Glass: an Introduction

Transcription

1 Overview Wine Appreciation from Grapes to Glass: an Introduction Instructors: Karin Limburg, Dennis Swaney Basic Ground rules Glasses Course requirements Suggested references and websites The course outline Alcohol, How to open a bottle of wine, etc Tasting Vineyard outside of St Emilion, France, Fall, 2006 Basic Ground Rules Basic Ground Rules Certification of legal drinking age required Required course fee: $65 -please bring along a check to the Cashier s Office (made out to SUNY-ESF) or cash, and ask that it be deposited in Account # Bring your receipt to class to show us!! The aim of the class is to be an informal introduction to wine we encourage questions, but may not know all the answers! Most classes will involve wine tasting: be judicious, and use the spit bucket, as needed The standard tasting volume the pour is 5 cl (about 1.69 ounces) Glasses will be provided: remember to bring them, or you will be tasting from a paper cup No texting or other use of electronic devices in class 1

2 Glasses Each student is provided with 3 wine glasses for tasting: please bring them all each week! The glasses for the course: Potash crystal, made in Germany by Stölzle Good characteristics of tasting glasses: - the clearer the better; no tinted glasses! - sufficient volume to swirl and develop aroma Course requirements The course is graded Attendance counts There will be a final exam: anything covered in class or assigned readings is fair game Grade breakdown: 60% attendance/participation, 20% quizzes, 20% final exam Special projects for extra credit can be conducted at the discretion of the instructors Class lecture notes will be posted online on the class website following each class Some Recommended References Kevin Zraly s Windows on the World Complete Wine Course a great introduction to wine, and pretty comprehensive - <$20.00 online Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book currently, : 34th Edition - $10-$15 online - issued every year, and an essential resource The World Atlas of Wine, Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson beautiful book by two extremely knowledgeable people - $30-$50 online Some Recommended Websites The course website: - navigate here for lecture notes, announcements, etc some good local wine shops with websites good, independent resources of information for those interested in learning about wine there are many others (google the topic of interest). We will draw on such internet resources for this course online merchants with newsletters and other interesting info. While they do ship, it may be more interesting to look at them to compare prices to local stores There are many more. 2

3 Top 5 questions you have about wine Write em down and pass em in by end of class today. Optional question 6: name your 2 favorite wines Date Part I: From Grapes Course Outline (tentative!) -19 Jan- -26 Jan- Topics Overview of the course Sensory aspects of wine and winetasting Instructor KL, DS -2 Feb- How wine is made Chris Gerling, Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station -9 Feb- Why do we grow 42 varieties of wine grapes in the Finger Lakes? Tim Martinson, Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station Course Outline (continued) Part II: To the Glass an International Tour Date -16 Feb- -23 Feb- -2 Mar- Topics France I: Bordeaux France II: Burgundy, Rhone and Loire Germany Instructor Guest lecture: Mark Whitmore Course Outline (continued) Date -13 Apr- -20 Apr- Topics Part III: To the Glass some domestic wines and wrapup California/West Coast Climate Change Effects on Viticulture Instructor Guest lecture: Paul Hai Guest lecture: Paul King, Six Mile Creek Vineyards -9 Mar- -16 Mar- Spain/Portugal No class Spring Break Go practice! -27 Apr- xx-may- Bubblies: Champagne and other sparkling wine Final exam -23 Mar- Italy Guest lecture: Dana Decker, Decker s Wine & Spirits -30 Mar- -6 Apr- The Southern Hemisphere I: Australia, NZ & South Africa The Southern Hemisphere II: Argentina & Chile Guest lecture: Tim Ahart, Decker s Wine & Spirits 3

4 Today Alcohol Wine temperature How to open a bottle of wine A little wine paraphernalia How to hold a wineglass Tasting wine! Alcohol Ethanol, also known as EtOH, C 2 H 6 O or CH 3 CH 2 OH Measurement of Alcohol Strength There are several methods of measuring the alcohol contents of various beverages: ABV - Alcohol by Volume - the volume of ethanol in the drink compared to the entire volume of the drink. It is expressed as a percentage. Proof used to characterize strong spirits. To compute a liquor's proof you simply multiply the ABV by 2. The theoretic highest possible strength of any drink is therefore 200-proof. In reality though the maximum for distilled spirits is 191-proof because not all of the water can be distilled from ethanol. ABW - Alcohol by Weight - Similar to ABV but instead of the volume occupied by ethanol, its mass is used instead. Beer brewers often used this measurement in states that require limits on strength of beer sold in food markets, i.e., 3.2 beer. The ABW is roughly 80% of the numerical value of ABV. Beer that is 4% ABV can be sold and still meet the 3.2 ABW limit. Source: Alcohol content of some wine categories Wine Coolers Rose White, dry Red, medium White, sweet Barley Wine Dessert Wine Zinfandels Vermouth Syrahs Port Wine Type Sparkling Grape Juice Table Wine general White, medium White, sparkling Grams/100 ml trace % 14-20% 17-22% 17-22% 17-23% 20% 100 grams (g) of wine is ~equivalent to 100 milliliters (ml) or 3.4 fluid ounces (fl oz.) of wine g of alcohol in 3.4 fl ounces is 13% alcohol by volume Source: % Alc by Vol < 0.1% 4 7% 8-14%

5 What is a standard drink in the United States? What does it mean to be above the legal limit for drinking? A standard drink is equal to 13.7 grams (0.6 ounces) of pure alcohol or approximately 12-ounces of beer. 8-ounces of malt liquor. 5-ounces of wine. (approximately what you can imbibe during class, assuming 3 tastes ) 1.5-ounces or a shot of -proof distilled spirits or liquor e.g., gin, rum, vodka, or whiskey. The legal limit for drinking is the alcohol level above which an individual is subject to legal penalties e.g., arrest or loss of a driver's license. Legal limits are measured using either a blood alcohol test or a breathalyzer. Legal limits are typically defined by state law, and may vary based on individual characteristics such as age and occupation. All states in the United States have adopted 0.08 % (80 mg/dl) as the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle for drivers aged 21 years or older. Drivers under 21 are permitted NO alcohol. Source: Temperature Source: 5

6 Why is white wine chilled and red wine not? White wine is lighter and more likely to be served as a refreshment on a warm day (much like a beer or cocktail). White wine often is a better flavor match to spicier foods which also benefit from a chilled drink. Because white wine is made without grapeskins, it is usually less complex than a red wine, which requires warmer temperatures to release their fragrances (the nose ) though some white wines can be quite complex. My speculation: as with many things in wine, tradition plays a major role. Note: the biggest mistake made with white wine is to overchill it (unless you are trying to mask bad characteristics of a cheap wine) Next time: Sensory aspects of wine 6