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Summary WSET II Wine
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A comprehensive English summary of WSET Level 2
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By: saarvancasteren • 2 year ago
good summary, only a pity about the margins. When you print the document, words are cut off and if you want to make a booklet of it, too.
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By: joannageerlingsjg • 4 year ago
Nice layout, some grammar faults and is hè
By: mats54 • 4 year ago
Extended summary
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WSET IIWINES & SPIRITS TRUST
, TASTING AND EVALUATING
Important to use same type of glass for fair comparisons.
Appearance: Main reason for looking at the appearance is that it warns of faults. Outofcondition is dull in appearance, and has
at least a hint of brown. Haziness may indicate a fault, or that the wine has deliberately not been filtered before botteling.
Nose: Swirl it in the glas to release as many aromas as possible. Make a note of the condition; any offnotes? Most common fault
on the nose is cork taint. At low levels; strips the wine of its fresh, fruity aromas, at its worst; adds a pungent, unpleasant damp
cardboard or musty smell. Outofcondition wines smell dull and stale, and may have excessive oxidative aromas (toffee, caramel,
sherry). Sometimes necessary to taste in order to confirm faulty wine.
Palate: Tasting is subjective. Sensitivities of sweetness, acidity etc compounds differ. However, we usually agree which of any
pair of wines is sweeter, more acidic, more tannic. From this is a short step before we can say whether a wine has medium, high
or low levels of these components. All parts of the tongue are sensitive to all tastes, but some areas more sensitive than others.
The exact pattern varies from taster to taster, but generally, sweetness is most detected in the tip of the tongue, acidity on the
sides and bitterness at the back. To ensure clearest impression, take sip and then draw in air. This ensures that it coats all parts of
mouth, and the vapors are carried up the back of your nose, where your sense of smell detects the flavor character
Sweetness: indicator of sugar in wine, although wines made from very ripe grapes have slightly sweet flavor without sugar.
Almost all red wines and most whites are dry, so contain almost no sugar. White wines slightly sweet; offdry.
Acidity: causes the mouth to water, and presence makes wines taste vibrant and refreshing. Present in all wines, although levels
in white wines generally higher than in reds. Certain varieties (Riesling and SB) give wines with high acidity. Cool climates result in
higher levels of acidity than hot. Acidity important in sweet wines. If it is too low, the wines taste oversweet and cloying.
Tannin: what makes strong black tea taste bitter and astringent. Present in grape skins, and presence in a wine depends on the
amount of skin contact during winemaking. White and rosé wines receive very little, if any skin contact, so they rarely have any
detectable tannin. Thick skinned varieties (CS, Syrah) have much higher tannin levels than thin skinned ones (PN, Grenache).
High levels of soft ripe tannins may indicate a hot climate wine. Astringent tannins from unripe grapes can cause a strong, mouth
drying sensation, even when their levels are low. The bitter flavors on back of tongue; astringent sensations are most strongly felt
on the gums. Soft, ripe tannins contribute to the viscosity and body of the wine.
Body: mouthfeel. Sensation of richness, weight or viscosity, and is a combination of the effects of alcohol, tannins, sugar and
flavor compounds extracted from the skins. Possible for wine such as Beaujolais to be high in alcohol, but still lightbodied
because it has very little tannin, and is lightly flavored. In contrast to sweetness, acidity, tannins and body which are detected in
the mouth, flavor characteristics are detected when aroma components in the wine evaporate off the tongue and rise up to the
back of the nose. This is why not proper taste with cold. To help these volatile flavor components reach nose, slurp.
Finish: refers to how long the desirable flavors linger in the mouth after the wine has been swallowed or spat out. A long, complex
finish is an indicator of quality
Conclusions: key question; is it a good example of its type? Factors that differentiate between poor, acceptable, great wines:
Balance: Fruitiness and sweetness alone: cloying and sickly. Acidity and tannin alone: hard, unpleasant or austere. In a good
quality wine, sweetness and fruitiness will be in balance with tannin and acidity.
Finish: balanced, pleasant finish where flavors linger for several seconds is indicater of highquality. Inferior wines:no lingering
impression or flavors that linger unpleasant.
Intensity: Dilute flavors can indicate poor wine. Extreme, intense flavors not always sign of quality, because can upset the
balance of wine and make it difficult to drink.
Complexity: Lesser wines often have one ore two flavors and are boring. Greatest wines have many different flavors
Expressiveness: Great wines express characteristics of their grape variety and/or region (climate, soils, techniques). In a few rare
cases, individual vineyard can be identified from the flavors of the wine.
Selecting and recommending: take in account the tastes and preferences of consumers. Large number of people; avoid extreme
styles such as Alsace Gewürztraminer or Barolo, and offer alternatives (dry/medium, red/white/rose. Normally when matching with
occasion, wine should not be center of attention. However, should be from appropriate quality; for special occasions can be good
to trade up to premiumquality wine. Very fine, special bottles may be best saved for modes occasion, where they get attention
they deserve, they will make occasion special. Food important consideration.
, WINE WITH FOOD
PRIMARY FOOD AND WINE TASTE INTERACTIONS
Some foods such as chocolate or thick creamy dishes can have a mouth coating effect that impairs the sense of taste.
There are two components in food (sweetness and umami) that tend to make wine taste harder (more astringent and bitter,
more acidic, less sweet and fruity), and two components (salt and acid) whose presence in food tends to make wines softer
(less astringent and bitter, less acidic, sweeter and more fruity). Generally food has more impact on the way a wine taste
that the other way round, and is more likely to have a negative effect.
SWEETNESS IN FOOD UMAMI IN FOOD
Increases perception of bitterness, Increases perception of bitterness, acidity and alcohol burn in wine
acidity and alcohol burn in wine Decreases perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness in wine.
Decreases perception of body, Umami is a savoury taste that is hard to isolate. Taste of mushroom is greatly increas
sweetness and fruitiness in wine. by cooking. Can also be experienced by tasting MSG either by eating a few grains, o
Sweetness in a dish can make a dry in a weak solution. Many foods that are difficult to pair contain high levels of umami
wine seem to lose fruit and be without salt to counteract the hardening effects on wine. Asparagus, eggs, mushroom
unpleasantly acidic. So with dishes and ripe soft cheeses. Some high in umami also high in salt, which counteracts the
with sugar, select a wine with higher impact. Cured or smoked seafood and meats, hard cheeses (Parmesan)
level of sweetness.
SALT IN FOOD BITTERNESS IN FOOD
ACIDITY IN FOOD Increases the perception of body Increases bitterness in wine
Increases perception of body, Decreases the perception of Sensitivity to bitter tastes varies
sweetness and fruitiness in wine bitterness and acidity in wine greatly from person to person. Wine
Decreases perception of acidity in Salt is winefriendly component of that is pleasant bitter and food that is
wine. food which can help soften some of pleasant bitter might be unpleasant
Some acidity in food is good for the harder elements together.
pairing, as it can bring a very high
acid wine into balance and enhance CHILI HEAT IN FOOD
the fruitiness. But if the acidity in Level of sensitivity varies great and huge variation in how pleasant it is to individual.
wine is low, high levels of acidity in Increases perception of bitterness, acidity and alcohol burn
food can make wines seem flat, Decreases perception of body, richness, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine
flabby and lacking focus. The intensity of the reaction increases with level of alcohol. Alcohol increases burning
sensation of chili; some people like it.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Flavor intensity: Desirable for flavor intensities of food & wine that one does not overpower the other. In some circumstances,
an intensity flavored food (curry) can be successfully partnered with a light flavored wine (a simple unbaked light white). And
some light flavored desserts can successfully be partnered with intensity flavored sweet.
Acid and fat: Acidic wines with fatty or oily foods satisfying. Wine cutting through the richness of food, and cleaning up palate.
Sweet and Salty: Combination many people enjoy, for example sweet wine and blue cheese.
APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES
HIGH RISK FOOD
WINE WITH FOOD
Sugar: Wine at least as much sugar as dish
Umami: high paired with wines more fruity than
LOW RISK FOOD
Dishes with salt
and/or acid. But
HIGH RISK WINE Wine with high levels of bitterness from oa
and tannins, with high alcohol and acidity, complex flavors. But
can also have interesting changes when partnered, can have
tannic. High levels balanced by add. acid or salt, high acid foods flavors hard to detect when drinking wine on own.
but amount should not alter basic character of dish generally should
LOW RISK WINE Simple, unbaked wines with little residual
Bitterness: dish high in bitterness, wine low be matched with
sugar. but change little. Chardonnay with oysters, because
tannin high acid wines,
unbaked (so no bitter component to be spoiled by umami of
Chili heat: dish high, white wine/low tannin red, otherwise the wine
oyster), relatively light in flavor (no overwhelm the oyster) and
low alcohol. Fruitiness and sweetness can be tastes too soft and
high acid (so still refreshing, when oysters with lemon juice),
reduce > wines with higher levels of these. flabby.
other wines with these criteria also successful
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