Lecture 20: Wine Complexity and Quality

Many definitions of wine “Quality” center on “Complexity” How does one define “harmonious”?

Harmonious Complexity: The flavors and aromas present meld well, so well that they become difficult to distinguish.

Wine Flavor/Aroma Families Food: Plant Food: Non-Plant Non-Food

FOOD: PLANT Vegetable Herbal Floral Spice Processed Plant (olive,tea,coffee,) Fermented Plant (pickled,vinegar) Tropical Fruit Citrus Fruit Non-Berry Tree Fruit Red Fruit Purple Fruit Dried Fruit Nut

FOOD: NON-PLANT Meat –Beef –Salami –Bologna Dairy –Cheese –Cream –Butter –Butterscotch Sea Food Yeasty Fungal –Soy –Mushroom Other –Cotton Candy –Rotten Egg –Chocolate –Caramel

NON-FOOD Vegetation Wood Paper/Cardboard Solvent Soil/Musty Animal/Barnyard Metallic Pharmaceutical Complex Sulfur (burnt match,rubber) Complex Ester (perfume, soap, plastic)

Harmonious Complexity vs. Complexity Cherries, Strawberries, Butter, Citrus, Paper, Solvent and Wet Dog: complex, but is it harmonious?

Source of Flavor/Aroma Compounds Grape Microorganisms Aging (Time) Addition: Oak, Fining, Aeration Removal: Fining, Aeration

Factors Affecting Wine Characters Volatilization Chemical Reactivity Chemical Stability Metabolism Downstream Processing: fining; oxygen Sensitivity to Dilution

Most wine characters are derived from or are metabolites of compounds present originally in the grape. Grape composition is critical in the production of a quality wine.

Wine production processes have a strong impact on the metabolites produced and characters remaining in the wine at the time of bottling. Winemaking practices are critical for production of a quality wine.

French vs. American Breeding vs. Personality Harmony vs. Complexity

Personality: Inherent Genetic Factors Influenced by Environment

Breeding: Inherent Genetic Factors Influenced by Environment Is Only the Beginning...

This concludes the Wine Production course. Life is too short to make or drink bad wine!