Course overview
Foundations of Wine Science I comprises three broad topic areas: viticulture, oenology and sensory evaluation. The course aims to provide students with an understanding of basic viticultural, oenological and sensory principles. Topics covered include: grapevine structure and function; the annual growth cycle of the grapevine; the factors that influence crop yield; the source/sink balance of the grapevine; berry development and composition; wine classification; the unit operations involved in winemaking; the taste and olfactory system; and taste and aroma interactions. Practical sessions will focus in more depth on grapevine anatomy and the theory and practice of wine sensory evaluation.
Course learning outcomes
- Describe the morphology, growth and development of the grapevine.
- Describe the seasonal cycle of growth of the grapevine
- Describe the photosynthetic process and explain the influence of factors such as light and temperature on photosynthetic activityand grape composition, yield and quality;
- Explain the physical and compositional changes that occur in the grape berry during ripening;
- Outline the processes involved in winemaking that occur before, during and after fermentation
- Explain how the basic principles of winemaking, from crushing of the grapes to the final packaging of the wine, influence wine style and quality
- Differentiate the basic sensory processes and their application to technical wine evaluation
- Recognise and evaluate the basic sensory attributes characteristic of different wine styles and communicate these using appropriatetechnical terminology
- Communicate their interpretation of experimental data in written form
- Work effectively as part of a team to undertake a Small Group Discovery Experience and to communicate the SGDE outcomes via agroup presentation