the full range of sensory evaluation techniques and their relevance to different types of wines: assessing balance of wine features on the palate smell or nose appraisal taste appraisal visual appraisal structure, history, trends and philosophies of: the international wine industry the major international wine producing nations general understanding of the operation of wine shows and wine medal systems in an international context characteristics of major imported wines including those from: emerging wine growing countries Europe New Zealand North and South America South Africa for each wine region, the characteristics must include: different wine types and their styles different production methods label terminology and interpretation major regional variations principal grape varieties used in wine types a broad overview of wine production and naming laws broad overview of relevant geography and its impact on wine growing impact of the vineyard and viticultural techniques affecting the taste and style of wine annual cycle of a general vineyard and regional specific cycles wine production methods and variations for white, red, sparkling and fortified wines, including: basic wine production steps and variations for different wines (harvesting, crushing, pressing, fermentation, clarification, maturing, bottling) old world approaches to wine making and attitudes to new world wine making specific production techniques for white wine (additional clarification process – before and after fermentation, pressing, malolactic fermentation and oak usage) specific production techniques for red wine (fermentation on the skins, maceration techniques such as pumping over, plunging down, heading down and rotary fermenters specific production techniques for sparkling wines such as traditionelle, the transfer process, tank fermentation and carbonation specific production techniques for fortified wines factors that affect the style and quality of wine, including: climate soil grape variety viticultural techniques storage vinification techniques key structural components in wine and their impact on taste, including alcohol, tannin, sugar, fruit flavour indicators of quality in wines and analysis and diagnosis of wine faults or impairments, including: oxidation tartrates cloudiness cork faults presence of hydrogen sulphide wine service techniques, including serving aged wines and processes for the decanting of wine storage and cellaring requirements for a range of wines and reasons for these contributing factors of a successful wine list overview of the types of foods that match successfully with different wines. |