WSET WINE Level 1 Award in Wines - Summary
ELEMENT 1
What is Wine?
Wine is a drink made from the fermented juice of grapes. Fermentation is a natural process caused by
yeast. Yeast are microscopic organisms that live alongside grapes in the vineyard and winery. To live,
yeast feed on sugar, as found in grape juice, converting it into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas.
Wine Types
Light Wine: Still wines with 8-15% alcohol, with the majority containing 11.5-14% alcohol. Many light
wines are named after the region they are produced in Examples include Bordeaux and Burgundy
from France, Rioja from Spain and Chianti from Italy. Wines from New World countries such as
Australia are often labelled with the name of the grape used, such as Chardonnay or Shiraz.
Sparkling Wine: Bubbles of carbon dioxide gas have been trapped in the wine; examples are
Champagne from France and Cava from Spain the wine for celebration.
Fortified Wine: Extra alcohol is added to these wines: 15-22%. Examples are Sherry from Spain and
Port from Portugal.
Styles of Wine – Colour, Sweetness and Body
Colour
Red: The colour comes from the skins from black grapes. The juice is fermented in contact with the
grape skin, colouring the juice.
White: This wine is usually made from the juice of white grapes, but because the colour in black
grapes is in the skin, it is possible to make white wine from black grapes if you remove the skins
before fermentation. White wines are often seen as the lighter and refreshing alternative to red
wines.
Rosé: These wines are made from black grapes where the wine has had less contact with the skins.
They are not as full as red wines, but offer more body than white.
Sweetness
Grape juice is sweet, but becomes less sweet because yeast eats the sugar. The yeast will die once
the alcohol reaches 15% or when all the sugars have been used.
Dry: The yeast has turned all the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. Most red wines and the
majority of whites are dry. Dry white wines: Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, Fino Sherry from
Spain and Brut Champagne. Dry red wines: Chateauneuf-du-Pape from France, Chianti from Italy and
Cabernet Sauvignon from California.
Medium: The winemaker removes the yeast from the juice before all the sugar has been consumed
OR adds unfermented, sweet grape juice to dry wine. A medium wine should have sweetness but not
be cloying or sickly. A lot of wines from Germany are in this style, as are many rosé wines such as
White Zinfandel from California.
Sweet: Sweet wines can be made from grapes so rich in sugar that the yeast dies before all the sugar
is consumed. The amount of sugar in sweet wines makes them feel thicker and richer. The sweetness
should be balanced with a refreshing acidity to prevent these wines from being cloying. Alternatively,
the yeast can die through the addition of extra alcohol. Examples: Sauternes from France and Port
from Portugal.
Body
This is the general feel of the wine in the mouth when you taste.
Light bodied: These wines are refreshing and easy to drink. White: Pinot Grigio from Italy. Red:
Beaujolais from France.
, Medium Bodied: This wine feels richer and more substantial, this may be because of the grapes used
OR because the wine may have been in oak barrels, thereby giving an extra texture to the wine.
White: Burgundy from France. Red: Merlot from Chile.
Full Bodied: This wine is powerful and will seem more concentrated and heavy. This is usually due to
the ripeness of the grape AND for some wines the use of oak. White: oaked Chardonnay from
California. Red: Shiraz from Australia.
Other Factors
Oak: The wine has been fermented in oak and will have gained flavours, tannin and texture from
contact with the wood. White wines can become buttery and gain vanilla flavours. Red wines can
become smoother, with added spice character.
Tannin: This is a substance found in black grape skins. You can feel it on the teeth, gums and tongue
and it makes the mouth feel dry. It can make a young red wine seem harsh. Positive qualities: It can
give structure and complexity to a wine, as well as helping it to mature.
Acidity: It comes from grape juice and gives the wine it’s refreshing qualities ‘Mouth-watering
sensation’. Too much acidity can make the wine tart (=scherp). With too little, the wine will be flabby
and seem flat. Acidity can help a wine mature, can stop sweet wines from being cloying and sickly by
cleansing the palate and gives balance. Example: white wines made from Riesling.
What Makes Wines Different
Climate
It is important that grapes have enough sunlight and heat to ripen. If there is enough sunlight and
heat the grapes ripen properly, the level of acid drops and the level of sugar increases. In the case of
black grapes the skins change colour too from green to red to deep purple.
If there is not enough sunlight and heat, the grapes remain too acidic and they do not become sweet
enough the wine will taste thin and sour.
If there is too much sunlight and heat, the grapes do not keep enough acid and become too sweet
the wine will taste overly alcoholic, flabby and lack balance.
Cool climate: These climate regions, such as Northern France and Germany, will give wine that are:
- Mainly white
- High in acidity
- Lower in alcohol
- Refreshing
Hot climate: These climate regions, such as Southern France, Central Spain and Australia, will give
wines that are:
- Mainly red because black grapes need more heat to ripen
- High in alcohol
- Rich in flavour
Principle Grape Varieties
There are hundreds of grape varieties suitable for winemaking, but only a small number of varieties
have established a reputation for making outstanding wines. The seven grape varieties you will study
as part of this unit are known as ‘noble’ varieties.
White Grapes
Chardonnay: It’s planted in many wine regions and produces dry wines of great variety. In cool
regions, it can develop flavours of green fruits (apple), citrus notes and high acidity; characteristics of
classic wines such as Chablis and Champagne from France. In warmer regions, chardonnay can
develop flavours of stone fruit (peach) and tropical fruits (pineapple, banana) like those from the
New World.
