Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
True or False: Along with Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Sylvaner, France's Alsace region also produces Chardonnay?
True
Although it can only be labeled "Vin de table," Chardonnay is made into still white wine in Alsace, and it is permitted in the region's sparkling Crémant d'Alsace wines. Chardonnay takes up a scant 1.3% of surface area plantings in the region (which is dominated by Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Gewurztraminer).
What percentage of all Riesling consumed worldwide is produced in France's Alsace region?
10%
Alsace, near the Vosges mountains, produces ten percent of all of the Riesling consumed around the world, according to CIVA wine educator Thierry Fritsch.
True or False: The Green Valley and Russian River Valley were approved as American Viticultural Areas is the same year?
True
Sonoma's Russian River Valley and Green Valley AVAs in California were approved in the same year, 1983. Originally, the Green Valley AVA was legally known as Green Valley-Sonoma County, but was changed to "Green Valley of Russian River Valley" via petition.
True or False: By law, Barbera d'Asti wines must be made with a minimum of 80% Barbera grapes, and aged for 3 months?
False
Babera d'Asti wines, by law, must be at least 90% Barbera grapes, and aged for four or more months. Superiore versions of the wine are aged for 14 months (6 in oak).
What Italian DOCG was previously a sub-zone of Barbera d'Asti?
Nizza
Nizza is one of the most historic areas for Barbera production, and was elevated to its own DOCG status in 2014. Nizza wines must be made with 100% Barbera grapes, with minimum aging requirements of 18 months (six in oak). Nizza Riserva wines must be aged for 30 months (12 in oak).
How many sub-zones exist within the Italian DOCG of Barbera d'Asti Superiore?
2
There are two Barbera d'Asti Superiore sub-zones: Tinella, and Colli Astiani (also known as Astiano). Both have production requirements that are more stringent than those in the larger Barbera d'Asti DOCG, including lower production yields, longer aging periods, and a higher minimum potential alcohol.
True or False: Italy's Asti and Moscato d'Asti are the largest DOCG by volume in Piemonte?
True
Asti and Moscato d'Asti share the same DOCG. Together, they produce nearly 100 million bottles of wine annually, making them Piemonte's largest DOCG by volume.
In 1973 the Bacigalupi grape-growing family sold Chardonnay to a winery that took part in the fabled Judgment of Paris tasting (in which some of California's best wines upstaged their more famous counterparts). Which winery bought the Bacigalupi grapes?
Chateau Montelena
The famed Paris tasting was arranged by Steven Spurrier, an Englishman who ran both a wine-shop and the Académie du
Vin school in Paris. Chateau Montelena used some of the purchased Bacigalupi fruit in their 1973 Chardonnay, which took top place in the tasting (much to the chagrin of the French judges). Miljenko Mike Grgich was the winemaker, producingabout 1,800 cases of that Chardonnay.
True or False: The Spanish DO Rías Baixas in Galicia was once officially known as Albariño?
True
The white Albariño grape, which makes up about 90 percent of the plantings in Rías Baixas, gave its name to the region, which was officially changed in 1986 when Spain entered the EU. About 99 percent of all wine produced in Rías Baixas is white (and much of that is made from Albariño).
What nickname has been bestowed on the The Lewis-Clark Valley American Viticultural Area?
Banana belt
The Lewis-Clark Valley AVA has been called the “banana belt” because because of its temperate climate, which supports the growth of high quality fruit, including peaches, apples, and grapes.
