Wine Fundamentals and Regional Variations

Posted on Mar 6, 2025 in Humanities

Prelude to Wine:

1. Sugars in the wine that are not converted to alcohol are known as…
   1. Residual Sugar
2. The process of adding sugar to wine is known as…
   1. Chaptalization
3. As white wines age, they become darker in color.
   1. True
4. As red wines age, they become lighter in color.
   1. False
5. White wine can be made from red grapes.
   1. True
6. The soil, geography, sunlight, weather, climate, surrounding plant life, and other elements of a vineyard are collectively known by this single word.
   1. Terroir
7. Comparing wines from different vintages is known as a
   1. Vertical Tasting
8. Phylloxera can kill the entire vine. What is It?
   1. A louse
9. How much wine does a standard size wine bottle contain?
   1. 750mL
10. When serving wine to a guest seated at a table, if you’re right-handed, which side of the guest should you serve from?
    1. Serve from the right side
11. When serving wine to a guest, the front label should face the guest at all times.
    1. True
12. Noble rot is never a desirable quality in wine grapes.
    1. False
13. Wines always improve with age – the longer you keep a wine, the better it becomes.
    1. False
14. Most wine is made from this species of grape.
    1. Vitis Vinifera
15. Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + CO2
16. Where does tannin come from?
    1. Skins, Seeds, Stems, Oak
17. Corked wine is
    1. Wine spoiled by a cork contaminated with TCA
18. Name the classic white grapes
    1. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chenin Blanc, Riesling
19. Name the classic red grapes
    1. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Pinot Noir
20. The vintage on a bottle of wine indicates the year in which
    1. The grapes were harvested

French Wine / White Wines of France

1. What is the most planted grape in Alsace?
   1. Riesling
2. What is the grape variety in the wines of Sancerre?
   1. Sauvignon Blanc
3. Pouilly-Fumé and Pouilly-Fuissé are the same wine.
   1. False
4. Which region of Burgundy produces only white wines?
   1. Chablis
5. When comparing German Riesling with Alsace Riesling…
   1. Alsace Riesling is drier and has a higher alcohol percentage
6. What is the reason for French wines ranking among the best in the world?
   1. Strict quality control laws
7. Americans tend to not like French wine.
   1. False
8. What are the laws that regulate French winemaking and set a minimum requirement for each wine-producing area in France called…
   1. AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée)
9. The Côte d’Or region of Burgundy produces more white wine than red wine.
   1. False
10. All the great white Burgundies are made from 100% Chardonnay grapes.
11. According to the video, the soils of Burgundy can vary greatly from one vineyard to the next and will have a large effect on the price of the wines.
    1. True
12. According to the video, Chardonnay from Burgundy does not age very well and should be consumed young.
    1. False
13. The majority of the wines of Bordeaux are a blend of which two grapes?
    1. Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon

American Wine and the White Wines of California

1. How many U.S. states have wineries?
   1. All 50
2. Fumé Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc are the same wine.
   1. True
3. What is the most popular varietal wine sold in the U.S.A.?
   1. Chardonnay
4. What do the letters A.V.A. stand for?
   1. American Viticultural Area
5. What grape does Oregon grow most?
   1. Pinot Noir
6. In which state is the world’s largest producer of Riesling located?
   1. Washington (Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery)
7. Prohibition began and ended in which years?
   1. Began in 1920 and ended in 1933
8. The word “reserve” on an American wine label…
   1. has no legal meaning
9. A minimum of what percentage of grapes must come from the AVA named on the wine label?
   1. 85%
10. What is the best-known AVA in the United States?
    1. Napa Valley
11. Americans have always consumed more white wine than red.
    1. False
12. At the event that has become known as “The Judgment of Paris”, the white wine that came first was from which country?
    1. The U.S.A.
13. The event that became known as “The Judgment of Paris” was attended by dozens of journalists.
    1. False
14. Chateau Montelena is a famous French winery.
    1. False
15. What are the top 4 wine-producing states in order of highest production?
    1. California, Washington, New York, Oregon

German and Austrian Wines

1. What is the most widely planted grape variety in Germany?
   1. Riesling
2. What is the average range of alcohol in German wines?
   1. 8-10%
3. What does the German word “Trocken” mean?
   1. Dry
4. Eiswein may be made by harvesting the grapes when fully ripe and then freezing them in commercial freezers.
   1. False
5. How many official winemaking regions are there in Germany?
   1. 13
6. Who brought vines and winemaking to Germany?
   1. The Romans
7. Mechanical harvesting is widely used in Germany.
   1. False
8. It is permissible to chaptalize some German wines.
   1. True
9. Germany produces more red wine than white wine.
   1. False
10. What percentage of a German wine must be made from the grape variety stated on the label?
    1. 85%
11. Which grape variety accounts for more than one-third of Austrian grape plantings?
    1. Grüner Veltliner
12. Austria produces more white wine than red.
    1. True
13. Name three of the four most important wine regions of Germany.
    1. Mosel, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Pfalz
14. Place the levels of ripeness of Prädikatswein in order from the least ripe to the ripest.
    1. Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Eiswein