CMS Introductory cheat sheet

Vitis vinifera is the principal European wine species; after phylloxera, most vines are grafted onto resistant American rootstock.

Annual vine cycle: budbreak, flowering, fruit set, veraison, harvest, dormancy.

Phylloxera is a root-feeding louse; sandy soils and grafted rootstocks are primary defenses.

Winkler heat summation uses Fahrenheit degree-days from April to October and ranks regions I (coolest) to V (hottest).

Diurnal temperature shift is the day-night difference; large shifts slow acid respiration and preserve freshness.

Vine vigor is influenced by soil depth, water availability, nitrogen, and rootstock; high vigor can shade fruit.

Canopy management includes trellising, shoot positioning, leaf removal, and green harvest to balance leaf area and crop load.

Yield is commonly expressed as tonnes per hectare or hectoliters per hectare; quality is not determined by low yield alone.

Alcoholic fermentation converts grape sugar to ethanol and carbon dioxide, usually with Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

White wine is typically fermented without skins; red wine ferments with skins to extract color and tannin.

Maceration is skin contact; cap management by punchdown or pumpover keeps skins wet and extracts flavor.

Malolactic fermentation converts malic acid to lactic acid, softening acidity and adding diacetyl in some whites.

Free-run wine drains before pressing; press wine is more tannic and may be blended in controlled amounts.

Chaptalization adds sugar to must to raise alcohol; acidification adds acid, and both are regulated by region.

Pinot Noir has thin skins and low tannin; Cabernet Sauvignon has thick skins and high tannin; Riesling is high in acid.

Aromatic compounds include terpenes in Muscat and Riesling, thiols in Sauvignon Blanc, and pyrazines in Cabernet family.

Bordeaux: Left Bank (Médoc, Graves) is Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant; Right Bank (Saint-Émilion, Pomerol) is Merlot-dominant.

Burgundy: reds are Pinot Noir, whites are Chardonnay; Chablis is cool-climate Chardonnay.

Champagne lies north of Burgundy and uses Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier in traditional-method sparkling wine.

Northern Rhône is Syrah; Southern Rhône uses Grenache-led blends such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Italy: Barolo and Barbaresco are Nebbiolo; Chianti is Sangiovese; Prosecco is Glera.

Spain: Rioja is Tempranillo-led; Sherry comes from Jerez; Cava is sparkling wine mainly from Penedès.

Germany: Mosel and Rheingau are known for Riesling; Prädikat levels indicate ripeness at harvest.

New World: Napa Cabernet, Oregon Pinot Noir, Barossa Shiraz, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Mendoza Malbec.

South Africa: Chenin Blanc and Pinotage are signature grapes; Stellenbosch is a major district.

Still wine has no significant bubbles; sparkling wine contains dissolved CO2 from fermentation or injection.

Traditional method: secondary fermentation in bottle, lees aging, riddling, disgorgement, dosage.

Tank method (Charmat) performs secondary fermentation in a pressurized tank; style is fruitier and less autolytic.

Sweetness in sparkling wine is set by dosage; Brut Nature is <3 g/L and Doux is 50+ g/L.

Port is fortified during fermentation and retains sweetness; Sherry is fortified after fermentation and is often dry.

Botrytis, late harvest, icewine, and dried-grape methods concentrate sugar for sweet wines.

Body is influenced by alcohol, extract, tannin, sugar, and acidity; higher alcohol generally adds weight.

Orange wine is white wine made with extended skin contact, adding color, tannin, and texture.

EU PDO/PGI protect origin; examples: AOC/AOP in France, DOCG/DOC/IGT in Italy, DO/DOCa in Spain.

US varietal labeling requires at least 75% of the named grape; EU varietal rules are generally 85%.

US vintage date requires at least 95% of the wine from that year; EU rules are generally 85%.

US AVA labeling requires at least 85% from the named AVA; state or county labels generally require 75%.

Reserve has legal aging meaning in some countries, such as Italy and Spain, but is largely unregulated in the US.

German Prädikat order: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein, Trockenbeerenauslese.

Champagne sweetness: Brut Nature <3 g/L, Extra Brut 0–6, Brut <12, Extra Dry 12–17, Sec 17–32, Demi-Sec 32–50, Doux 50+.

Estate bottled, château, and domaine indicate winery ownership or production control, but legal definitions vary by country.

Distillation separates alcohol from water and congeners; pot stills are batch and column stills are continuous.

US proof is twice the alcohol by volume; 40% ABV equals 80 proof.

Scotch whisky is aged at least three years in oak; single malt comes from one distillery and malted barley.

Bourbon must use at least 51% corn, new charred oak, and enter the barrel at no more than 62.5% ABV (125 proof).

Cognac is double pot-distilled from Ugni Blanc and aged at least two years in oak; VS, VSOP, and XO indicate age.

Rum comes from sugarcane juice or molasses; rhum agricole uses fresh cane juice, especially in Martinique.

Tequila is made from blue Weber agave in Jalisco and other permitted areas; mezcal can use other agave species.

Gin must be juniper-flavored; vodka is neutral spirit; liqueurs are sweetened and flavored spirits.

Beer's four core ingredients are water, malted barley, hops, and yeast.

Mashing converts malt starch to fermentable sugars; boiling hops adds bitterness and aroma.

Ale uses top-fermenting yeast at warmer temperatures; lager uses bottom-fermenting yeast followed by cold storage.

IBU measures hop bitterness; SRM measures beer color; ABV measures alcohol.

Pilsner is a pale lager; stout and porter are dark ales; IPA is hop-forward; wheat beer is often cloudy.

Trappist beers are brewed in Trappist monasteries; Abbey beers are similar styles from non-Trappist breweries.

Beer service temperatures range roughly 4–8°C for lagers and 8–12°C for ales, depending on style.

Hops contribute bitterness, aroma, and preservative alpha acids; malt contributes sugar, color, and body.

Sake is brewed from rice, water, koji mold, and yeast; it is not distilled.

Polishing ratio is the percentage of rice grain remaining; Ginjo is ≤60% and Daiginjo ≤50%.

Junmai has no added distilled alcohol; Honjozo has a small amount of distilled alcohol added.

Koji converts rice starch to sugar, which yeast then ferments; multiple parallel fermentation occurs.

Ginjo and Daiginjo are often served chilled; Junmai and Honjozo can be served warm.

Cider is fermented apple juice; perry is fermented pear juice; mead is fermented honey and water.

Nigori sake is cloudy because it is coarsely filtered; sparkling sake contains carbon dioxide.

Yamada Nishiki is a premium sake rice variety associated with fragrant Ginjo styles.

Service temperatures: sparkling 6–8°C, white 8–12°C, light red 13–16°C, full red 16–18°C.

Decant young tannic reds to aerate; decant old reds gently to separate sediment.

Opening sparkling wine: chill, remove foil and cage, hold cork, angle bottle, and twist the bottle rather than the cork.

TCA causes cork taint described as damp cardboard; oxidation gives sherry-like notes and browning.

Pairing rules: acid cuts fat, sweetness balances spice, tannin binds protein, salt suppresses bitterness.

Cellar conditions: 10–15°C, 60–70% humidity, darkness, stable temperature, and bottles stored horizontally.

Service sequence: present bottle, show label, open, pour a small taste for host, then serve guests.

FIFO means first in, first out; it limits spoilage and stale inventory in beverage operations.