Learn About Wine Blog

For my MW (Master of Wine) exam, I need to be well versed in the following fields of wine production:

Characteristics of the vine.

            Vine species. Wine varieties. Clones. Development of new vine varieties. Vine propagation. Rootstocks and grafting. Growth Cycle of the vine. Life cycle of the vine.

Establishment, re-planting and Acquisition of vineyards.

            Practical and economic issues of planting or re-planting, vineyards. Issues concerning the acquisition of vineyards through purchase or inheritance.

Factors Affecting grape growing.

            Climate. Weather. Soil. Aspect. Effect of those factors on wine style, quality, yield, and cost. The concept of “terroir.”

Cultivation of the vine.

            Types and methods of pruning and training. Underlying principles and practical applications of canopy management. Irrigation. Application of fertillisers. Use of herbicides. Green harvesting. Implications for yield of all of the above. Biodynamic, organic, and other alternative cultivation methods.

Maladies of the vine and their control.

            Vine pests. Vine diseases. Physiological disorders. Prevention and control of the above.

Structure and composition of grapes.

            Grape structure. Chemical composition of grapes. E.g sugars, acids, anthocyanins, tannins etc.. Analytical techniques. Fruit ripeness. Noble rot.

Harvesting of grapes.

            Time of the harvest. Picking options. Grape transportation. Quality and cost implications.

Processing of grapes.

            Grape reception. Grape handling strategies eg de-stalking, crushing, pressing and skin contact. Must treatments. Temperature control.

Fermentation

            Alchoholic fermentation. Role of yeast, enzymes, temperature and fermentation vessels. Strategies for the extraction of colour, aroma, flavor, and tannin. Carbonic maceration, whole bunch fermentation and thermovinification. Theory and practice of malolactic fermentation.

Maturations and blending.

            Maturations options for the wine makes. Types of maturation vessel. Inert storage. Blending options. Timing of bottling.

Stabilization, clarification, packing and labeling.

            Movement of wine in bulk. Methods of stabilization and clarifications eg. Fining firation, centrifugation, cold stabilization etc. Use of chemicals in wine making and wine handling – their function, action and application. International regulations governing the use of chemicals. Packing into bottles and other containers. Ingredient labeling. Closures.

Production of sparkling wine.

            Productions techniques for sparkling wines. Grape selections and pressing. Temperature control. Selection and blending of base wines. The second fermentation. Maturation. Finishing.

Production of fortified wines.

            Production techniques for fortified wines. Selection of base wines. Timing of fortifications. Practice and significance of blending and maturation.

Quality assurance and quality control

            Composition of wine and its faults. Analysis of wine, its purpose, use and limitations. QA and QC ystems and structures for wine and dry goods. Practical issues of QA and QC. Compliance with statutory regulations. Effects of storage and transport on wine after packing.