WSET 1 Notes

18 Jun 2024

Grapes + Components of a Grape

There are white grapes and red grapes. Red wines and Rose wines are made from red grapes, whereas white grapes can only make white wines. But white wines could be made from white or red grapes.

Grapes flower and then ripen in the summer. They can only be planted in areas that are 30 - 50 degrees above and below the equator. In warmer areas, the grapes tend to be sweeter and more ripe. The riper a grape is, the more sugars are in the grape and the less acid. White grapes are more common in cooler areas and red grapes are more common in warmer areas.

The grape is made out of two parts: the pulp and the skin

Skin contains tannin, which gives the wine it’s color and that drying taste on the tounge. The longer the skin is in the wine, the deeper the color of the wine. Deep red wine has had skin contact for a long time. Roses only partially.

Pulp contains acid and sugars. The sugars are a key component when making wine.

New Zealand and Australia make new world wines.

Making wine

Basics

Wine is made by adding yeast to grape sugars. Yeast + Sugars = Alcohol + CO2. Sweet wines occur when alcohol is added so the yeast dies prematurely. Yeast could also be removed or unfermented grape juice could be added. For dry wines, when all the sugars are gone, the yeast dies and falls to the bottom of the wine.

Wines are generally 11 - 14.5% ABV.

Sparkling wines are made by either not letting the C02 escape during the fermenting process, or adding CO2 during bottling.

Red Wine

Crushing, fermentation, draining + pressing, maturation, bottling

White Wine

Crushing, pressing, fermentation (with no skins), maturation, bottling

Rose Wine

crushing, fermentation (short), draining, more fermentation (with no skins), maturation, bottling

Wines

Red Wines

Merlot

Merlot is dry, full bodied, medium acidity, medium tannins.

Flavors of red fruits, black fruits.

Frequently aged in oak.

Bordeaux is a type of Merlot.

Commonly blended with Cabernet Sauvingnon.

Chateauneuf du Pape

Chateauneuf du Pape is dry, full bodied with high alcohol.

Flavors of red fruit.

Frequently aged in oak, with flavors of clove.

Syrah

Syrah is dry, medium - full bodied, medium - high tannins, medium acidity.

Flavors of black fruits and spice.

Frequendly aged in oak.

French -> Fresh fruit + peppers

Australian (Shiraz) -> jammy + licorice, lower in tanins

Rioja

Rioja is dry, medium to full bodied.

Flavors of red fruit.

Oaked. Spanish.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cavernet Sauvignon is dry, medium - full bodied, high tanins, high acidity

Flavors of black fruits, herbacious

Frequently aged in oak.

Commonly blended with other grapes (like Merlot for more softness)

Bordeaux

Bordeux is dry, medium - full bodied, high acidity and high tanins.

Flavors of black fruits and cedar.

Blend of Cab Sauv and Merlot.

Burgundy

Burgundy is high acidity and medium bodied.

Aromas of citrus and stome fruits (white) or red fruits (red).

Vanilla notes from oak maturation.

Make from Chardonnay grapes (white) or Pinot Noir (red).

Cotes du Rhone

Cotes du Rhone is dry, medium body.

Flavors of red fruit and white pepper.

Can be aged in oak or no oak.

Chianti

Chianti is dry, high tannin, light - medium bodied, high acidity.

Flavors of red fruit.

Oaked. Italian.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is dry, light - medium body, low - medium tanins, high acidity.

Flavors of red fruit.

Frequently aged in oak.

Makes Champagne when blended with Chardonnay.

Beaujolais

Beaujolais is dry, ligh bodied, low tanins.

Flavors of red fruits.

Frequently unoaked.

White Wines

Sauternes

Sauternes is a sweet, full bodieid high acidity wine.

Flavors of stone fruits and honey.

Oaked. Sauternes is in Bordeaux.

Chardonnay

In warm climates: medium - full body, medium acidity with flavors of tropical fruit.

In cool climates: light - medium body, high acidity with falvors of green furit + citrus.

Usually aged in oak.

Makes Champagne when blended with Pinot Noir.

Sancerre

Sancerre is a dry, medium bodied.

Flavors of green fruit and herbacious.

Made from Sauv Blanc.

Chablis

Chablis has high acidity and light - medium body.

Flavors of green fruits and citrus.

Unoaked. Made in France.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is dry, light - medium bodied, high acidity.

Flavors of green fruit, citrus, tropical fruits, hebacious.

Frequently aged in stainless steel.

Riesling

Riesling is dry - sweet, light - medium bodied, high acidity.

Flavors of floral, green fruits, citrus and stone fruits.

Frequently aged in stainless steel.

German Riesling is sweet.

Alsace in France and Rieslings in Australia are dry.

Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio is dry, light bodied, medium to high acidity.

Flavors of pear and lemon.

Frequently aged in stainless steel.

Rose

White Zinfandel

White Zinfandel is a medium sweet, low alcohol.

Flavors of red fruit.

Unoaked.

Sparkling

Prosecco

Prosecco is dry - medium sweet, light bodied.

Flavors of green fruit and floral.

Cava

Cava has flavors of green fruit and citrus.

Spanish.

Champagne

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Foritifed

Sherry

Sherry is dry - sweet with many styles.

Spanish.

Port

Port is sweet, high alcohol, full bodied with high tannins.

Flavors of black fruit.

Portugal.

Tasting Process

What color is the wine? Is the wine clear?

Is the wine sweet or dry?

How acidic is the wine?

How is the body?

How are the tannins?

How much alcohol is in the wine?

What are it’s notable aromas and flavors?

Pairing

Food is… -> Wine is…

Sweet -> more drying, bitter, acidic, less sweet + fruity, body

Want SWEET wine

Umami -> more drying, bitter, acidic, less sweet + fruity

Want FRUITY wines with LOW tannin

Bitter -> more bitter

Want white wines or low tanin fruity reds.

Salty -> more fruity, body, less drying, better, acidic

Want high ACID, high TANIN, OAKED Chips? Sauv Blac/Champagne Red meat? High tanin + oaked red.

Acidic -> more sweet + fruity, less drying, bitter, acidic

Want high ACID. Sauv blanc/Chianti.

Highly flavored -> overwhelmed

Want a wine thats similar in intensity (maybe like a full bodied red?)

Fatty/oily -> less acidic

Want high acidity, Sauv blanc

Hot/Spicy -> increases heat, alcohol burning is more noticeable.

Want FRUITY whites, low tannic reds, or low alcohol sweet wines.

Storage and Serving

1. Cool constant temp
2. Away from light
3. Corked? Store on side. Screwcap. Store upright.

How to preserve wine once opened?

A. Vacuum system - remove air from bottle

B. Blanket system - push gas into bottle, which removes air

Serving temp:

Room temp -> Medium - full bodied reds

Lightly chilled -> full bodied white / light bodied reds

Chilled -> light - medium bodied white + rose

Well chilled -> Sparkling, sweet wines

Reds should be served in wide mouth glasses.

Whites in narrower mouth.

Sparkling in flutes.