Free WSET Level 2 Exam Flashcards

Cool climates give grapes more time to develop acidity relative to sugar, producing wines with higher acidity, lighter body, lower alcohol, and tart fruit character. Warm climates ripen grapes faster and fuller, producing riper fruit flavors, higher sugar/alcohol, lower acidity, and fuller body.

Maritime climates (near a large body of water, e.g. Bordeaux) have a narrower range between summer/winter and day/night temperatures, plus more rainfall risk. Continental climates (inland, e.g. Mendoza's high plains or Burgundy's interior) see wider temperature swings and are more prone to frost and heat extremes.

Temperature drops roughly 0.6C for every 100m of elevation gain, so high-altitude vineyards (e.g. Salta, Argentina; Ribera del Duero, Spain) stay cooler than their latitude alone would suggest. Altitude also widens the diurnal temperature range, helping grapes retain acidity while still ripening.

In the Northern Hemisphere, south-facing slopes catch more direct sunlight and are warmer, which helps ripen grapes in cool, marginal climates. Slopes also improve water drainage and let cold air drain away from vines, reducing frost risk compared to flat, low-lying sites.

Vines need sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis (sugar production), adequate warmth to drive ripening, a moderate and well-timed water supply (some water stress can concentrate flavor, but drought harms yield), and balanced vigor so the canopy is not overly shaded or overly exposed.

A bacterial process that converts sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid plus CO2, lowering perceived acidity and adding buttery/creamy (diacetyl) notes. Common in reds and richer, oaked whites like Californian Chardonnay; usually blocked in aromatic whites like Riesling to preserve freshness.

Oak contact adds flavors of vanilla, toast, spice, and clove, and allows slow micro-oxygenation that softens tannins and stabilizes color. New oak barrels impart much stronger flavor than old, neutral oak. American oak tends toward overt coconut/vanilla; French oak gives subtler spice notes.

Aging wine in contact with the dead yeast cells left after fermentation, which adds body, texture, and creamy or biscuity/bready notes while also protecting the wine from oxidation. Classic examples include Muscadet sur lie, unoaked Chardonnay, and traditional-method sparkling wines like Champagne.

Wines with higher levels of tannin, acidity, sugar, or alcohol have the structural components to age longer without falling apart. As a wine matures, fresh primary fruit aromas fade and are replaced by tertiary aromas such as dried fruit, leather, nuttiness, or honeyed notes.

Chardonnay is a neutral, highly adaptable grape. In cool climates (Chablis, Champagne) it makes lean, high-acid wines with green apple and citrus notes. In warm climates (California, Australia) it ripens into tropical fruit flavors (pineapple, mango) with fuller body, often softened by oak and MLF.

Chablis (northern Burgundy) makes lean, unoaked, high-acid, steely/mineral Chardonnay. Cote de Beaune (southern Burgundy) makes oaked, medium-to-full-bodied styles. California and Australia typically produce riper, fuller, often buttery, oak-influenced examples.

Unoaked, high acidity, light-to-medium body and alcohol. Aromas lean green and herbaceous: green apple, gooseberry, blackcurrant leaf, and grassy notes. Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume are the classic benchmark appellations.

Intensely aromatic, high-acid style that became the grape's signature New World expression: pronounced passionfruit and other tropical notes alongside gooseberry, capsicum/bell pepper, and tomato leaf, usually unoaked.

Pinot Grigio, mainly from northeast Italy, is light-bodied, high-acid, neutral, and unoaked with subtle citrus/green apple flavors. Pinot Gris, from Alsace, is fuller-bodied with lower acidity, riper stone-fruit and spice character, and sometimes noticeable residual sugar.

An early-ripening variety best suited to cool-to-moderate climates. In Alsace's warmer, drier growing conditions than northeast Italy, it develops noticeably riper fruit, fuller body, and lower acidity than the lean Italian Pinot Grigio style.

Thrives in cool climates such as Germany's Mosel and Rheingau, Alsace, Australia's Clare and Eden Valleys, and New York's Finger Lakes. Naturally very high acidity, with aromas of green apple, lime, and white flowers, developing a distinctive petrol/kerosene note with bottle age.

Among the most versatile grapes for sweetness: made bone-dry in Alsace and Australia, off-dry to medium in many German styles, and lusciously sweet in late-harvest wines like Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese. High natural acidity keeps every sweetness level balanced rather than cloying.

An ascending scale based on grape ripeness (must weight) at harvest: Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, and Trockenbeerenauslese, with Eiswein made from frozen grapes at a comparably high ripeness. Higher levels generally mean riper grapes and more concentrated, often sweeter, wine.

Thick grape skins give naturally high tannin, and the variety also has high acidity. Core flavors are blackcurrant and black cherry, with a green, bell-pepper note in cooler sites. Frequently oak-aged, adding cedar and vanilla; its firm structure gives it strong aging potential.

The gravel-rich soils of Bordeaux's Left Bank (Medoc, Graves) favor Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blends with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Wines are full-bodied with firm tannin, blackcurrant fruit, and cedar notes, and are built to age for years to decades.

Napa Valley, California produces ripe, powerful, often heavily oaked Cabernet Sauvignon with high alcohol. Coonawarra, Australia, with its red terra rossa soil, produces Cabernet marked by distinctive mint and eucalyptus notes alongside blackcurrant fruit.

Merlot has softer, rounder tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon and ripens earlier. Its fruit character leans toward plum and black cherry rather than Cabernet's blackcurrant. Merlot is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to soften its tannic structure.

The clay-rich soils of Bordeaux's Right Bank (Pomerol, Saint-Emilion) favor Merlot-dominant blends, typically with Cabernet Franc. These wines are plusher and more plum-fruited, with softer tannin than the Cabernet Sauvignon-led wines of the Left Bank.

Thin-skinned and early-budding, Pinot Noir is prone to spring frost and disease, and needs a cool climate to retain delicate acidity and aromatics without overripening. Benchmark cool regions include Burgundy, Central Otago (New Zealand), Oregon, and the Sonoma Coast.

Light-to-medium body with high acidity and low-to-medium tannin. Primary fruit is red - strawberry, red cherry, raspberry - with savory, earthy notes (forest floor, mushroom) emerging as the wine ages. Rarely blended with other grapes.

Burgundy's Cote d'Or is considered Pinot Noir's spiritual home. Vineyards are classified by quality level - village, Premier Cru, Grand Cru - reflecting how much subtle terroir differences over very short distances can change the wine's character and price.

Full-bodied, high tannin, high acidity, medium-plus alcohol. Classic aromas include black pepper, blackberry, violet, and smoky or bacon-like notes. The cooler Northern Rhone climate (Hermitage, Cote-Rotie) produces a peppery, savory expression of the grape.

The same grape as Syrah, but Barossa Valley's warm climate produces riper, jammier blackberry and plum fruit, higher alcohol, softer tannin, and often prominent oak influence - a fuller, less peppery style than cool-climate Syrah.

Thin-skinned with high natural sugar (and therefore alcohol) potential, but relatively low tannin and acidity. Flavors are ripe red berry and strawberry with peppery spice. Key to Southern Rhone blends (Chateauneuf-du-Pape) and, as Garnacha, to Spain's Priorat and Rioja blends.

Medium tannin and acidity with medium alcohol. Flavors of red plum and strawberry develop leather and tobacco notes with oak aging. Spain's signature red grape, central to both Rioja and Ribera del Duero.

Rioja reds are classified by an ascending scale of oak and bottle aging before release: Joven (little to no oak aging), Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva, with each higher level requiring progressively more time maturing before it can be sold.

Naturally high tannin and high acidity despite a pale color. Aromas of rose, tar, red cherry, and dried herbs. Grown in Piedmont, Italy, where it makes the powerful, long-lived wines of Barolo and Barbaresco that need extended aging to soften.

High acidity with medium-to-high tannin. Flavors of sour cherry and dried herb, with a savory tomato-leaf note. Tuscany's principal red grape, forming the backbone of Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino.

Light-bodied with low tannin and high acidity. Fresh red berry flavors (strawberry, red cherry), sometimes with banana or bubblegum notes from carbonic maceration. The grape of Beaujolais, France, often served lightly chilled.

High natural acidity lets Chenin Blanc be made in almost any style - bone dry, off-dry, sweet (including botrytized dessert wines), and sparkling. Apple, quince, and honey notes are typical. Classic home is the Loire Valley (e.g. Vouvray); also widely planted in South Africa.

Low-to-medium acidity, full body, and high alcohol combine with intensely perfumed aromas of peach, apricot, and blossom. Its benchmark expression is Condrieu, in the Northern Rhone.

Low acidity, full body, and high alcohol, often finishing slightly off-dry. Extremely aromatic, with signature notes of lychee, rose petal, and ginger spice. A defining grape of Alsace, France.

Medium-to-high tannin and medium acidity in a full-bodied wine, with ripe black fruit (blackberry, plum) and a soft, velvety texture. Argentina's high-altitude Mendoza vineyards are its benchmark region.

Prone to high sugar levels, giving high-alcohol wines with medium-to-high tannin. Flavors are jammy, brambly black and red fruit, sometimes with a peppery edge. The same grape as Italy's Primitivo; California's signature red.

Medium tannin and acidity, with dark berry fruit alongside a distinctive green, bell-pepper/herbal note when not fully ripe. Long confused with Merlot in Chilean vineyards; now recognized as Chile's signature red grape.

The second (bubble-creating) fermentation takes place inside the same bottle the wine is sold in. This produces fine, persistent bubbles and, with lees aging, biscuity or toasty autolytic character. Used for Champagne and Cava.

Made in the Champagne region of France, mainly from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, using the Traditional Method. The region's cool climate preserves the high acidity essential for balance, freshness, and long aging potential.

The second fermentation happens in a large, sealed pressurized tank rather than in the bottle. This preserves fresh, fruity primary aromas instead of developing biscuity autolytic notes, and is generally faster and cheaper than the Traditional Method. Used for Prosecco and Asti.

Cava (Spain) is made by the Traditional Method, giving it bottle-fermented, biscuity autolytic character similar to Champagne. Prosecco (Italy, from the Glera grape) is made by the Tank Method, preserving fresh, fruity primary aromas instead.

A fortified wine from Portugal's Douro Valley. Fermentation is stopped early by adding grape spirit, which leaves residual sugar and raises alcohol to about 20%. Ruby Port is fruity and aged briefly in bulk; Tawny Port is aged longer in barrel, developing oxidative nutty and caramel notes.

A fortified wine from Jerez, Spain. Fino ages biologically under a protective layer of flor yeast, staying pale and developing tangy, yeasty, almond-like notes. Oloroso is fortified to a higher strength that kills the flor, so it ages oxidatively into a darker, richer, nuttier style.

Store bottles at a constant, cool temperature (roughly 10-15C / 50-59F), away from light and vibration, with moderate humidity around 70%. Bottles sealed with a natural cork should be stored on their side to keep the cork moist and prevent it from drying out and letting in air.

Full-bodied reds are best around 16-18C (room temperature); light reds and rose around 12-14C (lightly chilled); full-bodied whites around 10-13C; light whites and sparkling wines around 6-10C (well chilled). Serving too warm exaggerates alcohol; too cold mutes aroma and flavor.

Cork taint/TCA smells musty, like wet cardboard. Oxidation makes a still wine taste flat and dull with a browning color and sherry-like aroma. Volatile acidity smells like vinegar or nail-polish remover. Reduction smells of rotten egg or struck match, usually from excess sulfur compounds.

High-acid wines pair well with fatty or acidic foods because the acidity cuts through richness and refreshes the palate. A wine should generally be at least as sweet as the dish, or it will taste thin and sour by comparison. Tannic reds pair better with protein and fat than with delicate or spicy dishes.