Viticulture & Vinification Guide for Introductory Sommelier Level 1
Here’s a beginner-friendly breakdown of Viticulture and Vinification for your Introductory Sommelier Course. These are the foundational concepts of grape growing and winemaking, essential for understanding how wine is made and how it expresses its terroir.
Key Topics to Study for Viticulture and Vinification
1. Viticulture (Grape Growing)
Climatic Influences
Cool Climate:
Produces wines with higher acidity, lower alcohol, and lighter body.
Examples: Champagne, Mosel, Burgundy.
Warm Climate:
Produces wines with riper fruit, higher alcohol, and lower acidity.
Examples: Napa Valley, Barossa Valley.
Mediterranean Climate:
Warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters.
Examples: Southern Rhône, Tuscany.
Terroir
Definition: The combination of climate, soil, topography, and human influence that gives wine its unique character.
Key Factors:
Climate: Temperature, rainfall, and sunlight.
Soil: Composition (e.g., limestone, clay, sand) affects drainage and vine health.
Aspect: The direction a vineyard faces (e.g., south-facing slopes receive more sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere).
Vine Types
Vitis Vinifera: The primary species used for wine production (e.g., Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon).
Crossings: A hybrid of two Vitis Vinifera varieties (e.g., Müller-Thurgau).
Hybrids: A cross between Vitis Vinifera and another species (e.g., Vidal Blanc).
Training and Pruning
Purpose: Controls vine growth, maximizes sunlight exposure, and improves grape quality.
Common Training Systems:
Guyot: A cane-pruned system used in Burgundy and Bordeaux.
Pergola: Overhead trellising, common in Italy.
Bush Vines: Low-growing, untrellised vines, common in hot climates like Southern Rhône.
Vineyard Management
Canopy Management: Adjusting leaves and shoots to optimize sunlight and airflow.
Irrigation: Used in dry regions to ensure vine health (e.g., Mendoza, California).
Pest and Disease Control:
Pests: Phylloxera (a root-eating louse), birds, insects.
Diseases: Powdery mildew, downy mildew, botrytis (noble rot for sweet wines).
Harvesting:
Hand Harvesting: Gentle, selective, and labor-intensive.
Machine Harvesting: Faster and cost-effective but less selective.
2. Vinification (Winemaking)
Key Steps in Winemaking
Harvesting:
Grapes are picked at optimal ripeness.
Sugar levels, acidity, and phenolic ripeness are key factors.
Crushing and Pressing:
Crushing: Breaks the grape skins to release juice.
Pressing: Separates juice from skins and seeds.
Free-Run Juice: Juice that flows naturally without pressing.
Press Juice: Juice extracted by pressing, often more tannic.
Fermentation:
Alcoholic Fermentation: Yeast converts sugar into alcohol and CO2.
Temperature control is crucial for flavor development.
Malolactic Fermentation (MLF):
Converts malic acid into softer lactic acid.
Common in red wines and some whites (e.g., Chardonnay).
Maceration (for Red Wines):
Grape skins are left in contact with the juice to extract color, tannins, and flavor.
Cold Soak: Pre-fermentation maceration to enhance color and aroma.
Aging:
Stainless Steel: Preserves freshness and fruitiness.
Oak Barrels:
Adds flavors like vanilla, spice, and toast.
New Oak: Imparts stronger flavors.
Old Oak: Neutral, used for gentle aging.
Sur Lie Aging: Wine is aged on its lees (dead yeast cells) for added texture and complexity (e.g., Muscadet, Champagne).
Blending:
Combining different grape varieties, vineyard lots, or vintages to create a balanced wine.
Clarification:
Removes solids and particles.
Methods: Fining (using agents like egg whites), filtration, and racking.
Bottling:
Wine is stabilized and bottled, often with sulfur dioxide (SO2) to prevent oxidation and spoilage.
Key Winemaking Styles
White Wine:
Grapes are pressed immediately after harvest to avoid skin contact.
Fermented at cooler temperatures to preserve freshness and aromatics.
Red Wine:
Fermented with skins to extract color and tannins.
Often undergoes malolactic fermentation and oak aging.
Rosé Wine:
Made by limiting skin contact during fermentation or blending red and white wines.
Sparkling Wine:
Traditional Method: Secondary fermentation in the bottle (e.g., Champagne).
Charmat Method: Secondary fermentation in a tank (e.g., Prosecco).
Sweet Wine:
Late Harvest: Grapes are left on the vine to concentrate sugars.
Botrytis (Noble Rot): A fungus that concentrates sugars and flavors (e.g., Sauternes).
Ice Wine: Grapes are frozen on the vine, concentrating sugars.
Key Terms to Know
Chaptalization: Adding sugar to the must to increase alcohol (common in cool climates, but forbidden in some regions).
Acidification: Adding acid to balance the wine (common in warm climates).
Carbonic Maceration: Whole grape clusters are fermented in a CO2-rich environment, producing fruity, low-tannin wines (e.g., Beaujolais Nouveau).
Lees: Dead yeast cells and grape solids left after fermentation.
Racking: Transferring wine from one vessel to another to separate it from sediment.
Tips for Studying Viticulture and Vinification
Understand the Basics: Focus on how climate, soil, and vineyard management affect grape quality.
Learn Winemaking Steps: Be familiar with the key stages of vinification and how they influence wine style.
Taste Wines: Compare wines from different climates and winemaking styles to understand their impact.
