CSW Wine Tasting & Evaluation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'retronasal' aroma perception in wine tasting?
- Smelling wine directly from the glass
- Aroma perceived via the back of the throat as wine is in the mouth (Correct answer)
- Detecting sulfur compounds on the nose
- The aroma released when wine is first poured
Correct answer: Aroma perceived via the back of the throat as wine is in the mouth
Retronasal aroma is sensed when volatile compounds travel from the mouth up through the nasal passage while the wine is on the palate.
Question 2: Which of the following is a tertiary aroma in wine?
- Green pepper from Cabernet Sauvignon
- Citrus from Sauvignon Blanc
- Vanilla from new oak barrels
- Leather and tobacco from bottle aging (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Leather and tobacco from bottle aging
Tertiary aromas (bouquet) develop through bottle aging via reductive chemical reactions, producing complex notes like leather, tobacco, and earth.
Question 3: What is 'palate weight' or 'body' in wine most closely associated with?
- The wine's color depth
- The overall viscosity and fullness in the mouth, influenced by alcohol and extract (Correct answer)
- The level of tannin alone
- The wine's aging potential
Correct answer: The overall viscosity and fullness in the mouth, influenced by alcohol and extract
Body is the impression of weight and fullness on the palate, primarily influenced by alcohol level, residual sugar, and dissolved solids.
Question 4: In professional tasting, what does 'clarity' in a wine's appearance refer to?
- The wine's color saturation
- The absence of haziness, sediment, or cloudiness in the wine (Correct answer)
- Whether the wine is red, white, or rosé
- The brightness of the wine's finish
Correct answer: The absence of haziness, sediment, or cloudiness in the wine
Clarity refers to how free the wine is from haze or suspended particles, which are evaluated by holding the glass up to a light source.
Question 5: A taster detects 'Brett' or 'Bretanomyces' character in a wine. Which aroma descriptor best describes this fault?
- Buttery and creamy
- Barnyard, sweaty saddle, or band-aid (Correct answer)
- Oxidized and nutty
- Corked and moldy
Correct answer: Barnyard, sweaty saddle, or band-aid
Brettanomyces yeast produces compounds like 4-ethylphenol, causing barnyard, sweaty, or medicinal aromas often considered a fault at high levels.
Question 6: What does the term 'angular' mean when describing a wine's texture?
- Smooth and seamlessly integrated
- Harsh, edgy mouthfeel with prominent, unintegrated structural elements (Correct answer)
- Silky and round
- High in residual sweetness
Correct answer: Harsh, edgy mouthfeel with prominent, unintegrated structural elements
An angular wine has a harsh, edgy quality where acidity or tannins feel sharp and not well-integrated into the overall structure.
Question 7: Which sensory evaluation technique involves tilting the glass against a white background to assess wine color?
- Orthonasal sniffing
- Rim observation (Correct answer)
- Swirling
- Retronasal evaluation
Correct answer: Rim observation
Tilting the glass against a white background allows tasters to examine color depth and hue differences between the center and the rim of the wine.
CSW Wine Tasting & Evaluation 3
What is 'retronasal' aroma perception in wine tasting?