Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
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.
True or False: The average human body naturally produces more sulfites per day than are found in the average glass of red wine?
True
On average, the human body makes approximately 1000 mg of sulfites every day, an amount that is about one hundred times higher than the sulfites content that can be found in a standard pour of red wine.
True or False: Water is added during winemaking only in warmer grape growing climates, to help reduce the overall alcohol content of the finished wine?
False
According to California-based winemaker and consultant Clark Smith, cooler grape growing areas in which excessive grape acidity develops use "amelioration" water (up to thirty-five percent) during winemaking to help dilute the acids.
At a 2013 auction in Hong Kong, a twelve bottle case of wines from famed Burgundy producer Romanee-Conti set what record-breaking price?
$474,000
At a Hong Kong auction by Christie’s International, a winning bid of $474,000 for a case of 1978 Romanee-Conti by a Chinese buyer set a new auction record, far surpassing the previous case record of $345,000.
True or False: In Germany, Riesling is often cooked with cabbage.
True
Riesling is sometimes used in Sauerkraut preparations in Germany, to help mitigate the strong aroma of the cabbage, and to help balance out the strong flavors that can be a hallmark of many Sauerkraut recipes.
