Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
Which famous Enlightenment era philosopher once wrote of Champagne, "the sparkling froth of these fresh wines is the sparkling image of us, the French"
Voltaire
Voltaire once declared Champagne to be a wine that embodied French wit, when he wrote "De ce vin frais l'ecume petillante, De nos Francais est l'image brillante."
True or False: Now Chile's signature red wine grape, Carmenere was introduced to South America after the phylloxera epidemic had impacted its native Europe?
False
Carmenere's appearance in South America predates the European phylloxera epidemic in the grape's native country of France. In the 19th Century, prior to the spread of phylloxera in France, Chilean vintners visited Bordeaux, taking back cuttings of what they believed at the time to be Merlot. The cuttings were actually of Carmenere, which doesn't take as well to rootstock grafting (the best known defense against phylloxera). Luckily for the Chileans, their country's natural borders helped to minimize the entrance of the phylloxera vine louse, and so Carmenere has flourished there as a result.
True or False: Although Italy's Franciacorta is a relatively recent DOC, its winemaking history dates back to the high Middle Ages?
True
The sparkling wine production area of Italy's renowned Franciacorta was granted DOC in 1967. But the region's winemaking history extends back in time much farther; the area was referred to as "Franzacurta" in Brescia documents dating back to 1277, and its still wines were mentioned by Virgil.
Of the volatile compounds imparted to wine from oak aging, which are responsible for notes of vanilla?
Phenyl ketones
Phenyl ketones from oak, such as acetophenone and butyrovanillone, can impart vanilla aromas to wine. Furans generally give toasted almond notes; phenolic aldehydes provide coffee, toast, and caramel aromas; and B-Methyl y-octalactone can give aromas reminiscent of coconut and walnuts.
Which country ranks ninth on the list of the world's largest producers of wine?
South Africa
According to Wines of South Africa, South Africa (as of 2015) is the 9th largest producer of wine in the world. That country exports around 450 million litres of wine, and has over 100,000 hectares of vineyards.
What grape accounts for over eighty percent of all Madeira wine grape plantings?
Tinta Negra
Madeira's workhorse grape is Tinta Negra, which accounts for 83 percent of the island's wine grape plantings, and by regulation can be vinified in any style (dry to very sweet). Generally, any Madeira without a grape name on the label is probably made primarily from Tinta Negra; as of 2015, Madeira wines can legally state the Tinta Negra grape on the label.
As of 2015, Madeira producers can use what new aging category on labels of Madeira wine?
50 years
Technically not an average blend age but a stylistic certification, in 2015 an "over 50 years" category has been added to Madeira, joining the previously existing 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 year old categories. The new category is meant to represent the pinnacle of Madeira aging before release.
True or False: The smallest grape supplier on the Portuguese island of Madeira farms only three plants?
True
Most of vineyard sources on Madeira island are small (the average vineyards size is only one acre), but according to Portuguese wine authority Rui Falcao, the smallest of those suppliers is quite small, indeed - it consists of grapes farmed from only three plants.
During the end of the seventeenth century and the start of the eighteenth century, what type of wine accounted for two-thirds of the wine consumed in the United States?
Madeira
According to the Madeira wine institute, the fortified wines from the Portuguese island of Madeira accounted for fully two-thirds of the wine consumed in the United States in the time just after that country's inception. New York was the primary Stateside destination for the wine around that time, drinking up half of Madeira's exports between 1785 and 1787.
What is the the term for the settling of freshly pressed grape juice during Champagne production?
Débourbage
The settling of freshly pressed grape juice prior to fermentation is called débourbage, and is common for white wine production (not just for Champagne).
