Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
The first written evidence that Bourgogne vineyards existed dates back to what century?
4th century
While its vineyards almost certainly existed in the first and second centuries (under Gallo-Roman influence), the fist written evidence of Bourgogne vineyards dates to 312 AD, according to the Bourgogne Wine Board.
Which Burgundy AOC is permitted to use Sauvignon grapes?
Saint-Bris
Saint-Bris consists of about 250 acres situated near Burgundy's Chablis region. Saint-Bris is an oddity among Burgundy AOCs because it permits wine made from Sauvignon grapes (both Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris are allowed), rather than Chardonnay or the Aligoté. As of 2014, Saint-Bris is the only Burgundy AOC to allow Sauvignon grapes.
Hungary's Tokaji wines are seeing a quality renaissance in the early 21st Century. What led to a decline in wine quality in the region during the 20th century?
All of the above
Under Socialist rule, Hungary's Tokaji region saw a decline in wine quality as its famed hillside vineyards were deemed too difficult to farm, and focus was given to flatter areas on more fertile soils in an effort to increase wine production quantity. Today, forward-thinking producers in Tokaji are reclaiming and replanting the best vineyard sites, and yield reductions have helped increase the quality of the region's best wines.
The Sherry term Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum (VORS) applies to Sherry with an average age above how many years?
30
In 2000, the Jerez Consejo Regulador in Spain created two new categories for Sherry: VOS and VORS. VOS, or Vinum Optimum Signatum (“Very Old Sherry”) can be applied to solera system wines with an average age over 20 years; VORS, or Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum (“Very Old Rare Sherry”) may be used for solera sherry with an average greater than 30 years.
Chablis Grand Cru makes up what percent of regional wine production in Chablis?
2 percent
The most prestigious AOC within Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru, accounts for 2 percent of the area's wine production of approximately 40 million bottles per year (as of 2014). Ch ablis Premier Cru makes up 15 percent, Petit Chablis 17 percent, and Chablis the remaining 66 percent.
The Cremant d'Alsace AOC, which as of 2014 dominated the Cremant wine category in France, was established in 1976 (the sparkling wines can be made from Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, or Pinot Noir). Alsace received its AOC status in 1962, and Alsace Grand Cru in 1975.
Mount Pleasant Winery was established in 1859, by two brothers from Germany, George and Frederick Muench, in what is today the Augusta Appellation (the first American Viticultural Area). In 1920, Prohibition forced the winery's closure; it would re-open over forty years later when Lucian Dressel and his wife Eva purchased the property in 1966.