Displaying items by tag: Wine Geek Essentials

Summary:

Join winemaker Olivier Humbrecht MW, of famed estate Zind Humbrecht in Alsace, for a deep dive into these key components of winemaking: yeast and fermentation! 

Presenter: Olivier Humbrecht, MW

Olivier Humbrecht studied wine together with wine marketing and wine business for five years in Toulouse, and then got the chance to do his ‘military service’ working for Sopexa in London.  He learned about and enrolled on the MW course, becoming France’s first ever Master of Wine in 1989.  He began to work with his father, and converted the family domaine to biodynamics in the early 1990s.  His father had painstakingly built up a unique collection of hill-site vineyards over the decades, notably clearing and replanting a quarter of the great historic Grand Cru of Rangen de Thann with Olivier in his later school years.  Olivier has continued to build on this, notably with the recent acquisition of a parcel of Sommerberg to complement the family’s Grand Cru holdings in Brand, Hengst and Goldert, and to complement its other holdings of Rotenberg, Clos Hauserer, Clos Jebsal, Heimbourg, Herrenweg and Clos Windsbuhl.

Olivier’s respectful, non-interventionist winemaking, combined with his and his father’s fastidious viticulture, has given the world vintage after vintage of magnificently differentiated, nuanced bottlings: global white-wine references.  He has never stopped experimenting and improving on his work, using biodynamic practices, changed row orientations and re-thought canopies recently to produce a much greater percentage of dry wines than before.

Summary:

The use of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), often just referred to as “sulphites”, in winemaking has become a much-debated and even sometimes emotive topic in the 21^st century.

In the last few decades with the growth of the natural wine movement, excess use – or sometimes any use – of SO2 has become increasingly frowned on. Some wine drinkers even claim they are intolerant to SO2, and that they can no longer drink conventionally vinified wines without getting headaches.

This webinar looks at SO2’s properties, and why it is so helpful in winemaking. What quantities are typically used, and which rules and regulations govern sulphur use? We will also dig into the science behind intolerance claims. How many people are really allergic to SO2, and are the normal levels found in wines likely to cause issues or not? And why does just about every bottle of wine on the planet have those words “contains sulphites” on the back – even those made by natural winemakers who claim not to add any?

This session covers the whole spectrum of winemakers and winemaking, looks at the varying attitudes to sulphur usage, and what this ultimately means in terms of the quality and properties of what ends up in your glass.

Presenter: Simon J. Woolf

Simon J Woolf is an award-winning English author and wine writer, currently based in The Netherlands.

An acknowledged expert on the developing niche of natural wine, he's written for Decanter magazine, Meininger’s Wine Business International, World of Fine Wine and Noble Rot, and many other publications. Simon is the editor of The Morning Claret, an online wine magazine which specialises in natural, biodynamic, organic and orange wine.

Simon's first book "Amber Revolution - How the world learned to love orange wine" was published in 2018, and won the Roederer Wine book of the year award in 2019. Simon has also won numerous awards for his magazine features and online columns.

Simon travels regularly to countries such as Georgia, Slovenia, Italy and Portugal, where he continues to research the stories and traditions behind artisan winemaking. His second book, Foot Trodden, a collaboration with photographer and wine communicator Ryan Opaz, was published in October 2021. It is described as a journey deep into the soul of Portuguese wine.

Simon is also active as a presenter, editor, wine judge and translator.

Summary: 

Polyphenols, in particular anthocyanins and tannins, are the main contributors to wine color and mouthfeel, and are strongly related to the wine quality evaluation.

In this WSG Live, an introduction to tannin's origin in grapes, evolution during ripening and extraction in the winemaking process will be explained. Moreover, the implication of the technological approach to vinification will be discussed, such as maceration style or the use of oak containers. Tannins' implication on mouthfeel is crucial in terms of intensity and quality of astringency, and the varietal characteristics are fundamental knowledge for the winemaker’s choice.

In this regard, Vincenzo and Maria will propose an insight into their research on the sensory features of the variety Nebbiolo, the base of several Italian PDOs such as Barolo, Barbaresco, and Sforzato di Valtellina.

Presenters:Vincenzo Gerbi & Maria Alessandra Paissoni

Vincenzo Gerbi is a Professor of Oenology at the University of Turin. Most of his research topics have mainly focused on oenology. He is the author of 444 publications, including 217 articles in journals (121 in ISI journals). He is in charge of the experimental cellar of the University of Turin. He carries out an intense activity of dissemination of scientific results to technicians in the wine sector, producer associations and tasters.

He is the holder of the Oenology course of the degree course in Viticulture and Oenology, Enography of the inter-university master's degree course in Viticultural and Oenological Sciences. From 2012 to 2015 he was president of SISTAl (Italian Society of Food Science and Technology). From November 2013 to February 2017 he was president of AISSA (Italian Association of Agricultural Scientific Societies). In 2019 he was awarded the Angelo Betti prize, Meritorious in agriculture - Grand CANGRANDE medal.

Maria Alessandra Paissoni achieved a co-jointed PhD between the University of Turin and the University of Bordeaux on the sensory characterization of grape phenolic compounds and their involvement in wine in-mouth properties. Author of 55 scientific and technical contributions in the Oenology field (20 of them in ISI journal), she continues her research activity at the Oenology unit at the University of Turin, where her main topic is the implication of winemaking techniques on the sensory properties of wine.

With Professor Gerbi, they co-hold the course of Enography at the inter-university Master degree of Viticultural and Oenological Science that focuses on varieties characterization and on their valorisation.

Summary: 

Wine tasting is an unique perceptual experience which endeavors to unify the numerous molecules present in the wine (and the elements around the wine) into a meaningful representation in our mind. Wine tasting often focuses on the object of the experience, that is to say, the wine and its enological components. But we rarely consider the experience of wine tasting with a phenomenological approach, which aims at examining the process of perception itself, and the intentionality of such experience.

Gathering leading specialists in aroma, neuroscience, oenology and wine judging, this second season of the Science of Wine Tasting (SOWT) will invite us to step back from our tasting routines to better disentangle the process of wine tasting and open new sensory and descriptive horizons.

Watch Gabriel Lepousez PhD, Neuroscientist presenting the general framework for the SOWT, notably discussing the main steps of perception —from molecular detection to verbalization—, as well as some perceptual principles to unveil the challenges when evaluating, pairing and communicating about wine.

About The Science Of Wine Tasting Series

The Science of Wine Tasting Series is designed to help students of wine sharpen their tasting skills and master the latest scientific advancements in wine chemistry and sensory evaluation.

Join Gabriel Lepousez, PhD, Francois Chartier, Nick Jackson MW and Dr Jamie Goode for a series of live webinars, each focusing on a specific aspect of wine evaluation.

About Gabriel Lepousez PhD

Gabriel Lepousez is a French neuroscientist and an international expert on sensory perception and brain plasticity. He received his doctorate in Neuroscience from the Paris Sorbonne University and holds a research position at Institut Pasteur in the Perception and Memory Lab.

For more than fifteen years, Gabriel Lepousez has been exploring the function of brain circuits involved in sensory perception, memory and emotions, uncovering the key role of neuronal plasticity in olfactory learning and perception.

As a wine passionate, Gabriel also offers his scientific expertise to the world of wine education, sharing his extensive knowledge of the brain, this essential “tool” for wine tasting. In addition to international lectures and contribution to wine education programs, he has co-founded in 2016 L’Ecole du Nez, a neuro-sensory training for wine professionals to understand how the brain works during wine tasting and how to improve our sensory performance.

Summary:

Join vigneron Olivier Humbrecht MW, of the famed estate Zind Humbrecht in Alsace, for a deep dive into one of the key building blocks of wine: acidity!

In this WSG Live, you will learn about:

• The different types of acids found in grapes and wine and their sensory perception
• How to not only quantify but qualify acidity in wine
• The viticultural factors influencing acidity in the grape
• The vinification practices and factors impacting acidity in the final product
• Evolution of wine acids with age

Olivier will also illustrate his talk with some real-life data and text-book examples of acids measured in various types of wine depending on various variables such as grape varieties, vintage, ripeness, with/without malolactic fermentation and terroirs.  Sharpen your tasting skills by understanding one of the key parameters that makes up the structure of a wine!

Presenter: Olivier Humbrecht MW

Olivier Humbrecht studied wine together with wine marketing and wine business for five years in Toulouse, and then got the chance to do his ‘military service’ working for Sopexa in London. 

He learned about and enrolled on the MW course, becoming France’s first-ever Master of Wine in 1989.  He began to work with his father and converted the family domaine to biodynamics in the early 1990s.  His father had painstakingly built up a unique collection of hill-site vineyards over the decades, notably clearing and replanting a quarter of the great historic Grand Cru of Rangen de Thann with Olivier in his later school years. 

Olivier has continued to build on this, notably with the recent acquisition of a parcel of Sommerberg to complement the family’s Grand Cru holdings in Brand, Hengst and Goldert, and to complement its other holdings of Rotenberg, Clos Hauserer, Clos Jebsal, Heimbourg, Herrenweg and Clos Windsbuhl.

Olivier’s respectful, non-interventionist winemaking, combined with his and his father’s fastidious viticulture, has given the world vintage after vintage of magnificently differentiated, nuanced bottlings: global white-wine references.  He has never stopped experimenting and improving on his work, using biodynamic practices, changed row orientations and re-thought canopies recently to produce a much greater percentage of dry wines than before.

Summary:

This webinar will dig into the basics of rocks and soil, and their respective roles in defining a site’s terroir. This discussion will give you the terms, tools, and scientific foundation to discuss terroir like a pro.

We will explore the different types of rocks, how they form, and in which wine regions across the globe you can expect to find them.

We will also discuss the difference between bedrock, soil, and subsoil in order to understand how soils form and how they support plant life.

Finally, we will review the concept of terroir, and how the geology of a region can influence the character of its wine.

Presenter: Brenna Quigley

Brenna Quigley is a geologist and terroir specialist committed to thoughtfully applying the science of geology to the world of wine. She works with wine professionals in all areas of the trade in order to precisely understand and define the most impactful elements of terroir.

Currently based in Napa, CA Brenna has experience around the world including France, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Oregon.

She is passionate about making the science of geology accessible to sommeliers and vigneron alike, in order to promote a better understanding of the world around us, and highlight how wine can help us appreciate our dynamic planet. Her websites are brennaquigley.com and roadsideterroir.com

Summary: 

Your brain —and all its sensory extensions in our eyes, nose and mouth— is your essential “tool” to perceive, remember and judge all the sensory components of wine. But do you really know how your wine-tasting “tool” works? Current advances in neuroscience are profoundly modifying our knowledge of the sensory and cognitive mechanisms of wine tasting and invite us to revisit the art of tasting.

Bridging the gap between oenology, psychology and neurophysiology, this “neuro-enological” lecture will present some recent insights into the diversity of our sensory receptors, highlight the strengths and weaknesses of our mental processes, and give some key elements to enhance our sense of taste. Join us for a wine journey into your brain!

Presenter: Gabriel Lepousez PhD

Gabriel Lepousez is a French neuroscientist and an international expert on sensory perception and brain plasticity. He received his doctorate in Neuroscience from the Paris Sorbonne University, and hold a research position at Institut Pasteur in the Perception and Memory Lab.

For more than fifteen years, Gabriel Lepousez has been exploring the function of brain circuits involved in sensory perception, memory and emotions, uncovering the key role of neuronal plasticity in olfactory learning and perception.

As a wine passionate, Gabriel also offers his scientific expertise to the world of wine education, sharing his extensive knowledge of the brain, this essential “tool” for wine tasting. In addition to international lectures and contribution to wine education programs, he has co-founded in 2016 L’Ecole du Nez, a neuro-sensory training for wine professionals to understand how the brain works during wine tasting and how to improve our sensory performance.

The Neuroscience of Wine Tasting with Gabriel Lepousez PhD is part of the Science of Wine Tasting Series, designed to help students of wine sharpen their tasting skills and master the latest scientific advancements in wine chemistry and sensory evaluation.