WSET L4 Sparkling wines Bundled Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers

Why is a cool climate is preferable for the growing of grapes for traditional method sparkling wines? - Just ripe fruit characteristics (apple, lemon) - more delicate so that autolytic flavors are not overwhelmed Acidity is retained -Required for balance in final wine - Required for aging of w...

1. relatively low sugar (10-11%abv) 2. High acidity 3. Ripe Flavors - 3 requirements needed for sparkling wine. Cool climates slow the increase in sugars and decrease in acidity, giving plenty of time for flavors to become ripe. - Why do premium sparkling wines often need to come from a cool ...

Traditional Method (white) - Harvest - Manual Hand Harvest of Whole Bunches. Ensures healthy berries and minimizes phenolic extraction and oxidation Traditional Method (white) - Press - Gentle Extraction to minimise phenolics and colour. Whole bunch pressing to improve drainage and requires les...

Traditional Method - Sparkling wine created via a second fermentation in the bottle in which the wine is also sold AKA champagne method, classic method, Harvest (for Sparkling wines) - Typically by hand to minimize phenolic extraction and oxidation Lower must weights than still wine Whole ...

Important considerations for sparkling wine grapes - Intensity of aromas (aromatic or neutral grape, latter better for autolytic) Ability to retain acidity while ripening How the base wine responds to autolysis (Chardonnay becomes creamy, Xarello becomes toasty and smoky) Chardonnay - Early b...