WSET LEVEL 3 WITH 260 ACTUAL EXAM
QUESTIONS / 100% VERIFIED ANSWERS/
ALREADY GRADED A+ / LATEST 2024-2025
1. Continentality: temperature difference between the coldest and hottest
month
2. Diurnal range: difference between the day time and night time
temperatures
3. . Spring frost mitigation: heaters placed through vineyard wind
machines sprinklers
Vineyard design - plant on slopes or trained high
4. Water hazards: once a sufficient canopy has grown, important to limit
water to promote grape ripening rather than shoot growth. This would leave
less sugar for the grapes. Also increases canopy growth - more shade - less
ripening. Droughts risk photosynthesis stopping, killing the vine rainfall
during flowring and fruitset can disrupt.
5. Pinot noir characteristics: color intensity: light
Tannins: low
Acidity: high
Flavour characteristics: strawberry, raspberry, red cherry
Burgundy - entry level - light, high acid, hint of oak. Cote d'or have intensity
and complexity. Range from delicate and floral to tannic and spicy. Cool
vintage risk of vegetal notes like cabbage and wet leaves. If too hot, jammy
and unattractive. Baden, carneros, sonoma, martinborough, marlborough,
central otago (nz), yarra valley, mornington peninsula, tasmania (australia),
walker bay (south africa), casablanca valley (chile).
Pinot noir can be amove 30f ferment to extract more flavor, color and tannin.
6. Cabernet sauvignon characteristics: colour intensity: deep tannins:
high
Acidity: high
Flavour characteristics: blackcurrant, black cherry, green bell pepper thick
skinned, late ripening. Can be astringent and herbaceous if not ripened
fully haut medoc: grippy tannins in youth, cedar and black currant leaf.
(merlot gives it smoother texture.
Italy, spain, south of france - blended with indigineous grape varieties
Napa, margaret river, hawke's bay, stellenbosch, colchagua valley - warm,
long bright sunlight ripens fruit
,7. Merlot characteristics: colour intensity: medium -deep
Tannins: medium
Acidity: medium
Flavour characteristics: strawberry, red plum, red
cherry ripens earlier than cabernet
Two styles: new world: harvest as late as possible, intense purple color,
concentrated blackberry and plum, soft velvet texture , new oak maturation
Bordeaux: harvest earlier, med body and alcohol, higher acid, fresh red fruit,
vegetal, leafy
8. Syrah/shiraz characteristics: colour intensity :deep
Tannins: medium - high
Acidity: medium
Flavour characteristics: blackberry, black cherry. Black pepper
Syrah can range from medium body with pepper and fresh black fruit to
smooth, fully body, ripe black fruit and liquorice.
Northern rhone - coolest location. Cotie rotie and hermitage (south facing) -
fuller body, berry, pepper, notes of meat and leather after aging. Also known
in languedoc and roussilon where its blended.
Hot regions: hunter and barossa valley produce soft earthy, spicy styles with
concentrate black fruit. Cooler regions like geelong and heathcote produce
leaner, more peppery styles. Chile, south africa, hawke's bay and washington
also known.
9. Grenache characteristics: colour intensity: light-medium
Tannins: medium (soft)
Acidity: low
Flavour characteristics: red fruit late ripening,
needs hot climate. High tolerance for drought.
Priorat: blended with carignan for color and tannin, fresh black fruit.
In rioja: planted in rioja baja and blended with temperanillo. Contributes
perfrume, body and alcohol. Also grown in catalayud, carinena and navarra.
Also used for rose.
Southern rhone: most widely planted. Chateaneuf du pape - blended with
syrah and mourvedre. Rich texture and concentrated spicy fruit.
Barossa valley & mcclaren vale: old bush vines give high concentration,
intense red berry and pepper.
Reisling characteristics: variety has cool climate success: bud &
ripen late
,Maintains acid as sugar rises range of styles bottle aging
Flavors: citrus, stone fruit, petrol, honey, botrytis
Aromatic white
10. Gewurztraminer characteristics: unique variety pink skin gold color
wine high alcohol residual sugar?
Oily, full body
Flavors: spicy - ginger, lychees, roses, stone & tropical fruit
Aromatic white
11. Pinot gris characteristics: pinot gris vs. Pinot grigio is: full body
texture high alcohol
More acid than gewurztraminer; less than pinot grigio
Flavors: fresh & dried fruit, spiced pear, ginger, honeyed character
Aromatic white
12. Gruner veltliner characteristics: austria's white can be: simple &
fresh or full, concentrated high acid
Stainless & oak can be used
Flavors: citrus & stone fruit white pepperhoney, toast with age
Aromatic white
13. Temperature range a vine needs: 16c - 22c
14. Cool climate temp range: 16.5°c or below
15. Moderate climate temp range: 16.5-18.5°c
16. Warm climate temp range: 18.5-21°c
17. Hot climate temp range: above 21°c
18. Continental climate: high continentality. Usually have short, dry
summers with large rapid temp drop in autumn. Cool continental
climates (chablis) risk spring frosts. Suited to varieties that bud late and
ripen early.
19. Maritime climate: low continentality -even rainfall. Cool to moderate
temperatures. Rain moderates temp, meaning ripening continues into
autumn. Bordeaux can ripen thick skinned cabernet which might
normally struggle.
20. Mediterranean climate: low continentality - dry, warm summers.
Extra warmth and sunlight leads to fuller body wines with ripe tannings,
higher alcohol and lower aidity.
21. What is pruning?: removal of unwanted leaves, shoots or wood
Winter - determine bud number
, Summer - managing leaf canopy
22. What is training?: molding the vines wood and shoots to the required
shape
23. What is a trellis?: stakes and wires used to support the trained vines
24. Requirements for botrytis cinerea: •grapes must be fully ripened
before rot develops
•humid misty mornings
•dry, sunny afternoons
•specialized pickers
•multiple passes over time
25. Alcoholic fermentation: sugars in grape juice + yeast = alcohol and
flavor
Releases heat and carbon dioxide
26. Photosynthesis: leaves combine carbon dioxide and water to create
glucose and oxygen.
27. White wine fermentation temperatures: range 12-22°c cool
temperature help retain fruit aromas
28. Red wine fermentation temperatures: range 20-32°c
Precise control allows influence on color, flavor, tannin extraction
29. Malolactic fermentation: malic acid in wine + bacteria = lactic acid
and flavor (butter, hazelnut, can suppress fruit purity)
Happens
30. Lees: need to add
31. What is carbonic maceration?: whole bunches into co2 filled vat
intracellular fermentation occurs
At 2% alcohol skins split; juice released, grapes pressed & juice completes
normal ferment
Results: extracts color with
little tannin soft fruity
wines: kirsch, bubblegum,
banana
32. What is semi-carbonic maceration?: no added co2, but vat filled with
whole bunches weight crushes bottom bunches, juice released ambient
yeast ferments juice, produces co2
Intracellular fermentation occurs, followed by pressing then normal
fermentation occurs
QUESTIONS / 100% VERIFIED ANSWERS/
ALREADY GRADED A+ / LATEST 2024-2025
1. Continentality: temperature difference between the coldest and hottest
month
2. Diurnal range: difference between the day time and night time
temperatures
3. . Spring frost mitigation: heaters placed through vineyard wind
machines sprinklers
Vineyard design - plant on slopes or trained high
4. Water hazards: once a sufficient canopy has grown, important to limit
water to promote grape ripening rather than shoot growth. This would leave
less sugar for the grapes. Also increases canopy growth - more shade - less
ripening. Droughts risk photosynthesis stopping, killing the vine rainfall
during flowring and fruitset can disrupt.
5. Pinot noir characteristics: color intensity: light
Tannins: low
Acidity: high
Flavour characteristics: strawberry, raspberry, red cherry
Burgundy - entry level - light, high acid, hint of oak. Cote d'or have intensity
and complexity. Range from delicate and floral to tannic and spicy. Cool
vintage risk of vegetal notes like cabbage and wet leaves. If too hot, jammy
and unattractive. Baden, carneros, sonoma, martinborough, marlborough,
central otago (nz), yarra valley, mornington peninsula, tasmania (australia),
walker bay (south africa), casablanca valley (chile).
Pinot noir can be amove 30f ferment to extract more flavor, color and tannin.
6. Cabernet sauvignon characteristics: colour intensity: deep tannins:
high
Acidity: high
Flavour characteristics: blackcurrant, black cherry, green bell pepper thick
skinned, late ripening. Can be astringent and herbaceous if not ripened
fully haut medoc: grippy tannins in youth, cedar and black currant leaf.
(merlot gives it smoother texture.
Italy, spain, south of france - blended with indigineous grape varieties
Napa, margaret river, hawke's bay, stellenbosch, colchagua valley - warm,
long bright sunlight ripens fruit
,7. Merlot characteristics: colour intensity: medium -deep
Tannins: medium
Acidity: medium
Flavour characteristics: strawberry, red plum, red
cherry ripens earlier than cabernet
Two styles: new world: harvest as late as possible, intense purple color,
concentrated blackberry and plum, soft velvet texture , new oak maturation
Bordeaux: harvest earlier, med body and alcohol, higher acid, fresh red fruit,
vegetal, leafy
8. Syrah/shiraz characteristics: colour intensity :deep
Tannins: medium - high
Acidity: medium
Flavour characteristics: blackberry, black cherry. Black pepper
Syrah can range from medium body with pepper and fresh black fruit to
smooth, fully body, ripe black fruit and liquorice.
Northern rhone - coolest location. Cotie rotie and hermitage (south facing) -
fuller body, berry, pepper, notes of meat and leather after aging. Also known
in languedoc and roussilon where its blended.
Hot regions: hunter and barossa valley produce soft earthy, spicy styles with
concentrate black fruit. Cooler regions like geelong and heathcote produce
leaner, more peppery styles. Chile, south africa, hawke's bay and washington
also known.
9. Grenache characteristics: colour intensity: light-medium
Tannins: medium (soft)
Acidity: low
Flavour characteristics: red fruit late ripening,
needs hot climate. High tolerance for drought.
Priorat: blended with carignan for color and tannin, fresh black fruit.
In rioja: planted in rioja baja and blended with temperanillo. Contributes
perfrume, body and alcohol. Also grown in catalayud, carinena and navarra.
Also used for rose.
Southern rhone: most widely planted. Chateaneuf du pape - blended with
syrah and mourvedre. Rich texture and concentrated spicy fruit.
Barossa valley & mcclaren vale: old bush vines give high concentration,
intense red berry and pepper.
Reisling characteristics: variety has cool climate success: bud &
ripen late
,Maintains acid as sugar rises range of styles bottle aging
Flavors: citrus, stone fruit, petrol, honey, botrytis
Aromatic white
10. Gewurztraminer characteristics: unique variety pink skin gold color
wine high alcohol residual sugar?
Oily, full body
Flavors: spicy - ginger, lychees, roses, stone & tropical fruit
Aromatic white
11. Pinot gris characteristics: pinot gris vs. Pinot grigio is: full body
texture high alcohol
More acid than gewurztraminer; less than pinot grigio
Flavors: fresh & dried fruit, spiced pear, ginger, honeyed character
Aromatic white
12. Gruner veltliner characteristics: austria's white can be: simple &
fresh or full, concentrated high acid
Stainless & oak can be used
Flavors: citrus & stone fruit white pepperhoney, toast with age
Aromatic white
13. Temperature range a vine needs: 16c - 22c
14. Cool climate temp range: 16.5°c or below
15. Moderate climate temp range: 16.5-18.5°c
16. Warm climate temp range: 18.5-21°c
17. Hot climate temp range: above 21°c
18. Continental climate: high continentality. Usually have short, dry
summers with large rapid temp drop in autumn. Cool continental
climates (chablis) risk spring frosts. Suited to varieties that bud late and
ripen early.
19. Maritime climate: low continentality -even rainfall. Cool to moderate
temperatures. Rain moderates temp, meaning ripening continues into
autumn. Bordeaux can ripen thick skinned cabernet which might
normally struggle.
20. Mediterranean climate: low continentality - dry, warm summers.
Extra warmth and sunlight leads to fuller body wines with ripe tannings,
higher alcohol and lower aidity.
21. What is pruning?: removal of unwanted leaves, shoots or wood
Winter - determine bud number
, Summer - managing leaf canopy
22. What is training?: molding the vines wood and shoots to the required
shape
23. What is a trellis?: stakes and wires used to support the trained vines
24. Requirements for botrytis cinerea: •grapes must be fully ripened
before rot develops
•humid misty mornings
•dry, sunny afternoons
•specialized pickers
•multiple passes over time
25. Alcoholic fermentation: sugars in grape juice + yeast = alcohol and
flavor
Releases heat and carbon dioxide
26. Photosynthesis: leaves combine carbon dioxide and water to create
glucose and oxygen.
27. White wine fermentation temperatures: range 12-22°c cool
temperature help retain fruit aromas
28. Red wine fermentation temperatures: range 20-32°c
Precise control allows influence on color, flavor, tannin extraction
29. Malolactic fermentation: malic acid in wine + bacteria = lactic acid
and flavor (butter, hazelnut, can suppress fruit purity)
Happens
30. Lees: need to add
31. What is carbonic maceration?: whole bunches into co2 filled vat
intracellular fermentation occurs
At 2% alcohol skins split; juice released, grapes pressed & juice completes
normal ferment
Results: extracts color with
little tannin soft fruity
wines: kirsch, bubblegum,
banana
32. What is semi-carbonic maceration?: no added co2, but vat filled with
whole bunches weight crushes bottom bunches, juice released ambient
yeast ferments juice, produces co2
Intracellular fermentation occurs, followed by pressing then normal
fermentation occurs
