Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
What red wine grape variety had an early foothold in plantings in the Walla Walla AVA?
Cinsaut
The "Black Prince" red wine grape Cinsaut makes up only a tiny amount of plantings in Walla Walla today, but it predates current favorites like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot in the region. Largely used to make homemade wine at the time, Cinsaut was planted in Walla Walla in the 1920s, and at least one company (Blue Mountain) sold it commercially.
True or False: 95 percent of Napa Valley wineries are family-owned?
True
Almost all of Napa Valley's wineries are family-owned. In addition to that high percentage, over 75 percent of the area's wineries produce fewer than 10,000 cases annually.
What percent of California's Napa County is planted to grape vines?
9 percent
Only 45,000 acres - or roughly 9 percent - of Napa County in planted under vine. While large in stature in the wine market, Napa Valley's wine production is correspondingly small, and accounts for a mere 4 percent of California's total annual grape harvest.
In what year was the Oakville district American Viticultural Area (AVA) officially established?
1993
Oakville, which houses stalwart winegrowers such as Opus One, Harlan, Far Niente, and Robert Mondavi, became one of the first distinct wine regions recognized within the Napa Valley when it was granted AVA status in 1993.
Which French AOC is permitted on the label even when the production facility and vineyard are outside of the appellation's boundaries?
Béarn
Béarn produces it own white wines from grapes such as Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng, and Rafiat de Moncade, and its own red wines and rosé wines from grapes such as Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. However, Béarn (of Béarnaise sauce fame) is an oddity among French wine appellations in that wine that is technically made in two neighboring areas - Madiran and Jurançon - are allowed to carry its name. Madiran rosé wines and Jurançon red wines are permitted to use the Béarn AOC on their labels, even though they are distinct geographically.
What percent of France's national wine production by volume do the Pyrenees Orientales comprise?
2 Percent
Teh Pyrenees Orientales are ranked 9th among all of France's winemaking departments in wine production volume, but that relatively high ranking only comprises about 2 percent of the country's total wine output. They do, however, produce 90 percent of France's AOC certified Vins Doux Naturels sweet wines.
France's Roussillon wine region can trace its vine growing history back to what century?
7th Century BC
In the 7th and 8th Centuries BC, Greek sailors from Corinth working in the iron trade often had to stop in the coast along Roussillon, during which they planted vines. The famous Vins Doux Naturels sweet wines of the area can trace their history back to the 13th Century AD.
True or False: Plantings by surface area in France's Roussillon wine region have mostly decreased since the 1960s?
True
Roussillon has seen a vine surface area decrease since the 1960s, driven primarily by replanting after the phylloxera epidemic in the 1880s, and then a focus on quality wine production after a peak of bulk wine production in the 1930s.
How are the white wines of southwest France's Madiran AOC labeled?
Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh
Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh has the unique distinction of covering the same area as an AOC with a different name: Madiran, which is used to label red wines made from Tannat in the same location. Both Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh and Madiran were established in 1948, and the two AOCs have the same geographic boundaries. The grape varieties permitted in Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh include Gros Manseng, Sauvignon Blanc and Petit Manseng, among others. Dry, sparkling and sweet wines are made in the AOC.
According to winemaker and consultant Clark Smith, the process of adding oxygen to red wine to help manage tannins (micro-oxygenation) is similar to what other common process?
Rendering chocolate from cocoa powder
Ameliorating and smoothing the impact of red wine tannins by adding oxygen, according to Clark Smith, is similar to the process used by Aztecs in converting harsh cocoa powder into chocolate.
