This shortcut is probably only interesting to a few people out there.  And those people may never even see it.  It was a project for  a Reddit user that taught me all about nested dictionaries.

                        APPEARANCE

clear – hazy (faulty?)

      white lemon-green – lemon – gold – amber – brown rosé pink – salmon – orange – onion skin

red purple – ruby – garnet – tawny – brown

       NOSE

clean – unclean (faulty?)

          PALATE

Sweetness dry – off-dry – medium-dry – medium-sweet – sweet – luscious

  Acidity

Alcohol

Body

Flavour intensity

Flavour characteristics

Other observations

Finish

pale – medium – deep

e.g. legs/tears, deposit, pétillance, bubbles

light – medium(-) – medium – medium(+) – pronounced

e.g. primary, secondary, tertiary

low – medium(-) – medium – medium(+) – high

low – medium(-) – medium – medium(+) – high low – medium – high

light – medium(-) – medium – medium(+) – full

light – medium(-) – medium – medium(+) – pronounced

e.g. primary, secondary, tertiary

texture (e.g. steely, oily, creamy, mouthcoating), pétillance (still wines only) short – medium(-) – medium – medium(+) – long

  Tannin level low – medium(-) – medium – medium(+) – high

nature e.g. ripe/soft vs unripe/green/stalky, coarse vs fine-grained

             CONCLUSIONS (see Candidate Assessment Guide for further information)

 Assessment of quality faulty – poor – acceptable – good – very good – outstanding

then give reasons, assessing e.g. balance/integration, intensity, finish, complexity, mousse, varietal definition, potential for ageing, etc.

     Assessment of readiness for drinking and potential for ageing

too young –

can drink now,

but has potential – for ageing

drink now: not

suitable for ageing – too old or further ageing

 then give reasons, assessing e.g. concentration, acidity, tannin, development of aroma and flavour characteristics, etc.

      Country and/or region state the country and/or region of origin, giving reasons when required of origin

   Grape variety/(ies)

Method of production Notes to students:

state the grape variety/(ies), giving reasons when required

state the method of production (for sparkling and fortified wines), giving reasons when required

  Style within the state the style within the category (for sparkling and fortified wines), category giving reasons when required

  For lines where the entries are separated by hyphens, you must select one and only one of the entries given.

For lines where the entries are separated by commas, the entries are points to consider. You may not need to comment on

each entry for every wine and any descriptors are indicative only.

Copyright Wine & Spirit Education Trust 2016. The WSET Level 4 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine® may only be reproduced with the written permission of the WSET subject to their terms and conditions. For more information contact [email protected]

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                    supporting the WSET Level 4 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine®

 DESCRIBING AROMA AND FLAVOUR

Think in terms of primary, secondary and tertiary

 Primary Aromas and Flavours

The aromas and flavours of the grape and alcoholic fermentation

 Clusters Descriptors

          Are the aromas

and flavours delicate or intense? simple or complex? generic or well-defined? fresh or cooked?

under-ripe or ripe or overripe?

Are the aromas and flavours from yeast, MLF,

and/or oak?

Do the aromas and flavours show

deliberate oxidation, fruit development and/or bottle age?

Other

acacia, honeysuckle, chamomile, elderflower, geranium, blossom, rose, violet

apple, gooseberry, pear, pear drop, quince, grape

grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange peel, lemon peel

peach, apricot, nectarine

banana, lychee, mango, melon, passion fruit, pineapple

blackcurrant, blackberry, bramble, blueberry, black cherry, black plum

green bell pepper (capsicum), grass, tomato leaf, asparagus, blackcurrant leaf

eucalyptus, mint, medicinal, lavender, fennel, dill

black/white pepper, liquorice, juniper, ginger

flint, wet stones, wet wool, rubber

biscuit, bread, toast, pastry, brioche, bread dough, cheese, yoghurt

butter, cheese, cream, yoghurt

vanilla, cloves, nutmeg, coconut, butterscotch, toast, cedar, charred wood, smoke, chocolate, coffee, resinous

almond, marzipan, coconut, hazelnut, walnut, chocolate, coffee, toffee, caramel

dried apricot, marmalade, dried apple, dried banana, etc. fig, prune, tar, dried blackberry, dried cranberry, etc.

cooked blackberry, cooked red plum, etc.

leather, forest floor, earth, mushroom, game, cedar, tobacco, vegetal,

wet leaves, savoury, meaty, farmyard

             redcurrant, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, red cherry, red plum

       fig, prune, raisin, sultana, kirsch, jamminess, baked/stewed fruits, preserved fruits

                Secondary Aromas and Flavours

The aromas and flavours of post-fermentation winemaking

 Clusters Descriptors

                     Tertiary Aromas and Flavours

The aromas and flavours of maturation

 Clusters Descriptors

                        petrol, kerosene, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, toast, nutty, cereal, mushroom, hay, honey

          Note to students: The WSET Level 4 Wine-Lexicon contains suggested descriptors for the aromas and flavours you may identify in a wine. It is not exhaustive but gives examples of appropriate vocabulary to use in the Level 4 tasting examinations.

Copyright Wine & Spirit Education Trust 2016. The WSET Level 4 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine® may only be reproduced with the written permission of the WSET subject to their terms and conditions.

For more information contact [email protected]

     DW-Version 3.0