🗓️ Day 40 - Weekend drop 🎁 10 ways to write more effectively

+ Jura and rainfalls

💪 Warm up time

Let’s quickly revise our rainfall figures. If we had to put our D3 regions in different bands of precipitation, I’d suggest…

• Very low: <300mm/year ← often requires irrigation

• Low: 300-500mm/year ←can be managed with low-density bush vines

• Moderate: 500-800mm/year ← Burgundy sits right here

• High: 800-1,200mm/year ← may require spraying, like in Bordeaux

• Very high: >1,200mm/year ← significant and presistent rainfall

The answer to this warm up question is at the end of today’s entry.

⏳ Past exam question

Question two from the October 2022 exam

Describe the growing environment (30%) and grape varieties (30%) in the Jura region. Explain how winemaking (40%) influences the range of wine styles produced.

Chateau Chalon by KEVMRC TRAVEL

🎁 10 ways of expressing cause & effect

Using today’s questions, let’s look at 10 sentence structures that we can use to be analytical, factual and numeric in the way we write in our D3 exams.

Though this drop is aimed to help non-native speakers of English, native speakers might find the following refershing and useful as well 🤓

1. Direct cause-effect

The continental climate of Jura with high rainfall (above 1,100mm per year) causes significant challenges during flowering and fruit set, resulting in yield reduction.

2. Multiple factors leading to one outcome

The region’s west-facing slopes, elevations between 250-400m, and clay-marl soils collectively make Jura suitable for Savagnin production.

3. Because/since structure

Because Savagnin is thick-skinned, it has good resistance to fungal diseases in Jura’s high rainfall climate (1,100mm/year).

4. Therefore structure

Poulsard ripens early in the Jura's growing season. Therefore, growers can harvest it befor autumn rains.

5. This leads to/creates/produces

The thin-skinned nature of Poulsard requires constant attention to fungal disease prevention. This creates additional cost for producers but gives the variety's distinctive translucent appearance and light body.

6. By + gerund

By implementing vertical shoot positioning in Jura vineyards, growers encourage better airflow between vines, effectively reducing the threat of fungal disease in this high-rainfall region.

7. Which in turn

Producers of Vin Jaune age Savagnin under a thin layer of flor-type yeast (called 'le voile') for a minimum of five years, which in turn develops the wine's pronounced aromas of bread dough, almond, ginger, and green apple.

8. While/whereas contrast structure

While most Jura white wines are typically fermented in stainless steel or old barrels at mid-range temperatures, Vin Jaune must undergo extra aging in barrels with a headspace to allow a flor-type yeaer develop.

9. Through + process

Through careful placement of barrels in well-ventilated cellars with seasonal temperature changes, Vin Jaune producers facilitate the crucial development of the veil.

10. As a result of

As a result of aging under flor without racking or topping up for at least 60 months, Vin Jaune develops complex biological and oxidative characteristics with alcohol levels rising to 13.5-15% ABV due to water transpiration through the barrels.

Lemme know if this drop is helpful! Your feedback is always welcomed 👂

💡 Examiner’s report

© Wine & Spirit Education Trust

This is a lesser-known region, but one that is attracting greater interest in recent years, particularly from sommeliers. Jura has unique grape varieties and wine styles, and the substantial number of merits demonstrated that those candidates who studied it did well. However, those who did not specifically learn about it would have been better served by answering a different question because the answers could not be guessed. A disappointingly large number of candidates did not know where Jura is - for example, several placed it in the Rhône Valley - and some wrote about Jurançon. It was difficult to award these papers any marks at all. Also, there were many very brief answers, and others containing little more than generic information when specific facts were needed.

The growing environment was generally poorly answered. Brevity was the main issue, but also many candidates offered an exaggerated view, thinking that the vineyards were far higher and far cooler than is actually the case. High rainfall is a key factor that was also often missed. There are a number of unusual grape varieties in Jura and most candidates correctly identified Savagnin and its characteristics, but the red varieties were frequently overlooked, as was Chardonnay which is the most planted variety in the region. The third part of the question was about the range of wine styles but many candidate struggled beyond Vin Jaune. This was covered quite well, although Château-Chalon was rarely mentioned, despite this being arguably the most important example (and many thought this was an estate and not an AOC). Red wines, conventionally-made whites and particularly Vin de Paille were common omissions.

In conclusion, it is important to cover the entire range of the Specification when studying and to consider the lesser-known regions. Exam papers are carefully compiled to cover as much of the syllabus as is practical, and candidates disregarding minor regions can prove disastrous if there are other problematic questions on the paper as they will run out of options.

🥁 Answer to today’s warm up question

• ✔️Alicante - Very low - 250mm/year

• ✔️ Friuli - Very high - 1,400mm/year

• ✔️ Jura - High - above 1,100mm/year

• ❌ Paarl - Low Moderate to high - 800-900mm/year

Textbook references

• Alicante - WSET Diploma in Wine D3 textbook p325

• Friuli - textbook p238

• Jura - textbook p148-149

• Paarl - textbook p510

That’s it for this Sunday! Have a relaxing one 🛀🏖️📖