This document provides an overview of a wine education session that covers topics such as identifying wine components, winemaking essentials, wine styles, food and wine pairings, and developing wine tasting skills. The session discusses key elements of viticulture and viniculture, wine flavor profiles, developing one's sense of smell to identify aromas, and pairing wines with different foods to enhance flavors. Participants are guided through structured wine tastings and evaluating wines based on visual characteristics, aromas, flavors, and finishes.

1. Session I

2. Today‟s Discoveries
 Home study opportunity
 The journey into the world of wine is fun!
 Gain confidence when ordering, buying
and serving wines
 Discover the physiology of taste
 Identify your own wine preferences
 Understanding the subtleties in wine
evaluation
 Food & Wine affinities

3. Home Study Resource
http://gallowineacademy.com
New User Click Here (under Log-in button)
Default Password: Trade
Select a State or Province: Colorado
Fill in Create an Account Information:
Account Name: Escoffier Schools
Account Type: On Premise
Click: Create
From here, you can use the Gallo Wine
Academy or the Gallo Spirits Academy.

4. Prelude to Winemaking
 Viticulture:
Combining sound farming techniques
with an understanding of terroir to
create grapes with concentrated flavor.
 Viniculture:
Combining sound scientific techniques
with an experienced palate and intuitive
artistry to make a delicious wine!

5. Terroir – “Know the land!”
 Soil & Drainage
 Micro-climate
 Altitude, day/night
temp. variation
 Aspect/Sun exposure
 Proximity to a body
of water
 Viticultural Practices

6. Winemaking Essentials
 Latitude (30˚-50˚)
 Terroir elements
 Annual Weather
 Grape Variety
 Vinification technique
 Aging, barrel/bottle

7. The climate belts where
wine grapes are grown:

8. Prelude to Winemaking II
 Fermentation:
Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + CO2 (& some acid)
 Degree of Dryness
Residual sugar after fermentation
 Four major categories of wine:
Table 8-15% alcohol
Sparkling 8-12% alcohol + CO2
Fortified 17-22% alcohol
Aromatized varying alcohol+ flavors

9. Wine Identifying Components
 Color: Red, White or Rosé
 Varietal: Grape type (Vitis Vinifera)
 Region: Where the wine was made
 Producer: Which vineyard made it
 Degree of dryness (residual sugar)
 Style: Table, Sparkling, Fortified or
Aromatized

10. Other Wine Elements
 Aroma: Refers to the natural odors of
the grape in conjunction with the terroir
 Bouquet: Refers to aromatic qualities
in wine that are man-made:
Refrigerated fermentation (extended)
Oak aging (new/old; French/American)
Barrel toast: light, medium or heavy
Malolactic Conversion: Malic to lactic acid
Umami richness from bottle aging

11. Wine Styles
Old World:
More focused on terroir; generally
lower in alcohol and made for drinking
with food. Much more regulation

12. Wine Styles II
New World:
Fruit-focused & higher alcohol. Made
for drinking on its own; more recent
shift towards food-focused wines

13. To begin a Wine
Taster‟s journey, one
must first understand
Flavor Dynamics…

14. Auguste Escoffier
The father of modern cuisine…
 Perfected rich veal
stock, browning the
bones/veggies &
simmering for many
hours to create a
deep, savory flavor
 Deglazed roasted
meat pans to pick-up
caramelized flavors &
make rich gravies

15. Basic History of Flavor Dynamics:
 Greek philosopher Democritus identified four basic
tastes (bitter, sweet, salty & sour) 2,400 years ago,
and became central to western gastronomy
 In the late 1800’s, Auguste Escoffier suggested
that a fifth taste was responsible for the savory
flavor of his rich veal stock
 Escoffier’s theories were dismissed until 1908,
when Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda showed that
an amino acid called glutamate underlies the taste
of a hearty variety of seaweed broth…

16. Umami: Japanese for “delicious”
 Kikunae Ikeda identified the savory flavor
of Dashi (broth made from dried kelp)
 Dashi is used like we use brown stock
 Flavor caused by protein degradation
 Isolated glutamic acid & salt = Umami
 Developed MSG to produce a similar
savory flavor to rich brown stocks,
without the time and effort they require

17. The tongue can only sense
4 (now 5) flavors:
Bitter
Sour
Salty
Sweet
Umami

18. The Physiology of Taste
 Recent research has de-bunked the old
tongue flavor map with tasting “areas”
 All taste buds actually have individual
receptors to detect all five flavors
 The nose, however, perceives an
estimated 10,000 distinct odors!
 So, when is it impossible to tell the
difference between an apple and a
turnip blind-folded?

19. Smell + Taste = Flavor
“Blind taste” your jelly
bean...

20. Flavor Dynamics Revealed:
 The tongue detects 5 flavors…
 All other volatile flavor components
are “smelled” from within the mouth
through the retro nasal cavity and
perceived by the olfactory epithelium
that sends the sensory information
to the brain
 Flavor = Taste + Smell!

21. The Physiology of Taste
Only 5 tastes > 10,000 odors
Bitter
Sweet
Sour
Salty
Umami

22. Ah, so how
does this work? Not the
best, but
better…
Between
the knees
and ..PULL!
Which wine key to use?
Not so good…

23. This is what you need!

24. Vertical: Comparative:
Wine Dinner:
Always taste driest whites to rose to red to sweet
There are different formats for tasting:

25. Tasting & Wine Evaluation
 Let‟s Taste Our Wines:
See: (color/clarity), Swirl & Sniff: (viscosity &
aromas; F.E.W.), Sip: (mouth-feel & flavor),
Swallow: or expectorate, Savor: the finish
 Take a minute to savor your wine:
15 seconds Mouth-feel
30 seconds Fruit flavors & body
45 seconds Are other flavors present?
1 minute Tannins, length of flavors

26. The Aroma
Wheel
● Starts in general at
the center and
radiates to specifics
● Isolates Aromas,
Bouquet elements,
and faults
● Helps a wine
evaluator express
what their olfactory
experience is

27. Wine # 1
 Vintage: „11
 Name: Sauvignon Blanc
 Producer: Monkey Bay
 Region: Marlborough, New Zealand
Wine # 2
 Vintage: „11
 Name: Chardonnay
 Producer: Toasted Head
 Region: California

29. Monkey Bay, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough,
New Zealand
VINIFICATION: After harvesting, the fruit was crushed and
destemmed, and the juice given up to 3 hours skin contact.
Fermented in steel tanks, at low temperatures. After
fermentation the wine remained on yeast lees for two weeks.
COLOR: Pale lemon in color, with green tints and brilliant
clarity.
AROMA: A vibrant bouquet of citrus and tropical fruits, with
hints of cut grass.
PALATE: A fresh, lively, approachable wine overflowing with
ripe grapefruit, lemon and passionfruit and infused with
delicate herbaceous characters.

30. 2010 Toasted Head Chardonnay,
Yolo Co, California
The fruit: Chardonnay grapes (96%) with a touch of Viognier (4%),
the majority of which is sourced from our Dunnigan Hills AVA
vineyard.
The labor: The grapes are picked during the night to preserve
freshness, then gently de-stemmed and pressed at the winery. We
ferment 100% of the juice sur lie (basically, with the sediment) in a
combination of new and used American, Eastern European and
French oak barrels for eight months.
The reward: This wine delivers white peach and Asian pear aromas
and is rich, yet crisp on the palate with great acidity. We prefer to just
think of it as a solid American Chardonnay with some oaky heft
behind it.
Pairs well with: Pairs well with brie & crackers, a walk in the
woods on a warm fall day, and Skype dates with old friends.

31. Secrets of the Naked
Grape
 Peel the skin and press into the napkin
 Eat the skin only
 Eat the meat of the grape
 Eat the entire grape
Natural Synergy:
The whole is greater than
the sum of its parts!

32. The Naked Grape Revealed
 Tannins add color and flavor
 Fruit flavors fade as others develop
 White wines darken with age
 Red wines lighten with age
 The astringency of
tannins softens with
time (bottle aging)
 How else do tannins soften?

33. Oxygen...
It helps the flavor
peak, then it
CRASHES!

34. Wine # 3
 Vintage: „11
 Name: Pinot Noir
 Producer: Parducci
 Region: California
Wine # 4
 Vintage: „11
 Name: Cabernet Sauvignon
 Producer: Dynamite
 Region: Rex hills, Lake County, CA

35. Taste the Red Wines...
 Tasting Wine
Color, swirl, smell, taste, savor…
 Take a minute to savor your wine
15 seconds Mouth-feel
30 seconds Fruit flavors and body
45 seconds Are other flavors present?
1 minute Tannins, length of flavors

37. Winemaker: Bob Swain
Three Word Taste Summary: raspberry,
strawberry, cedar
Food Pairings: Enjoy this medium-bodied red
wine with grilled salmon, pork tenderloin, creamy
mushroom soup, and fine cuts of red meat.
Tasting Notes: Our Pinot Noir offers aromas of
juicy, ripe raspberries and strawberries. Its berry
flavors are full and rich on the palate, picking up a
hint of cedar on the finish.
Parducci Pinot Noir, Mendocino, CA

38. “Dynamite Cabernet Sauvignon is a fairly
dry, medium-to-full bodied red wine that is
high in tannins. The acidity is decent enough
but the dryness and strong tannins cause it
to really need to be tempered by food - it's
not really a wine for sipping on its own.
If it weren't for the harshness of the tannins,
this Dynamite Cabernet Sauvignon would
probably be a much better wine that would
pair well with a wider variety of foods.”
Dynamite, Cabernet, Lake County,
California

39. The New Face of Decanters…

40. But what is their function?

41. …And what is this?

42. AND When does size matter?
• Split: 187ml (1/4 bottle)
• Half Bottle: 375ml
• Standard: 750ml
• Magnum: 1.5L (2 bottles)
• Jeroboam/Double Magnum:
3L (4 bottles)
• Rehoboam: 4.5L (6 bottles)
• Methuselah/Imperial:
6L (8 bottles)
• Salmanzar: 9L (12 bottles)
• Balthazar: 12L (16 bottles)
• Nebuchanezzar: 15L (20 bttls.)
• Melchoir: 18L (24 bottles)
• Solomon: 20L (26 bottles)
• Melchizedek: 30L (40 bttls.)

43. Ideal temperatures to serve wine:
Sparkling Wines:
Crisp, Dry Whites:
Full-Bodied Whites:
Light Reds:
Medium-Bodied Reds:
Complex Reds:
Full-Bodied, Mature Reds:
Tawny Ports:
Vintage Ports:
Late Harvest & Sweet Whites:
42-45˚F
43-46˚F
50-54˚F
48-52˚F
56-58˚F
61-63˚F
61-64˚F
59-62˚F
61-64˚F
42-44˚F

44. Why Wine with Food?
 Complex flavor combinations
 Harmonic taste groups (or diversity)
 Cleanses (“scrubs”) the palate
 Added benefits:
Health & the French paradox
Improves disposition!
 Remember - all things in moderation
Allergic reactions: sulfites, histamines, and
tyramine (an amino acid found in aged foods)

45. Food & Wine Affinities
 Symbiotic Relationship
Foods affect wine perception; wine
affects perception of food
 Wine elements
Intensity, fruit, acidity, body, oak...
Wine elements can either match or
contrast food flavors and textures
The Finish; how long does it linger?

46. Food & Wine Affinities II
The more complex the food, the
simpler the wine
Matching or contrasting flavors
Champagne & wedding cake?
True or False: White with fish,
Red with meat, Rose with anything

47. Intense food Intense wine
Subtle food Subtle wine
IT‟S THAT SIMPLE!

48. Buy on Apples, Sell on Cheese
Apples: High in malic acid; they
bring out imperfections in the wine
Cheeses: High in fat; they hide
imperfections in the wine
 Taste again with apples; then cheese
 How did the tastes change?

49. Food & wine can
create a harmonious
marriage while each
still keeping their
individual identity!

50. Experiment with
other wine and
food pairings

51. Food for Thought
 Serving temperatures
 Two types of “decanting”
 The cork controversy
 Wine storage and left-overs?
 Oxidized (“turned”) and “Corked”
 The “French Paradox”
 Possible allergic reactions

52. YOU CAN TRUST YOUR
OWN ABILITY TO TASTE!
So go forth with confidence
And enjoy the pleasures of
discovering new wines –
because it‟s the journey that
provides the most enjoyment!

53. Nose Training…Did it work?
 Do you know the basic elements of wine?
 Can you evaluate wine in one minute?
 Can you better discern wine aromas?
 Can you better communicate your taste
preferences when ordering wine?
 Do you have more confidence in ordering,
buying and serving wines?
 Did you have fun experimenting with
food and wine pairings?