Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
What sports star called Oregon Pinot Noir "the greatest wine you can find in America, and maybe not even America, but the world?"
LeBron James
In an interview with Yahoo! Sports in 2017, basketball star LeBron James not only professed his love for fine wine, but singled out Oregon's wine scene for special praise, saying “Oregon Pinot is some of the greatest wines you can find in America, and maybe not even America, but the world.”
True or False: U.S. consumption of Champagne fell from 2020 to 2021?
False
According to the Champagne Bureau, for the first time in decades the United States led all countries globally in shipment volume for Champagne, receiving over 34 million bottles of France's most famous bubbly. That translated to over $872.5 million worth of Champagne, a more than 63 percent increase year-over-year.
What is the most widely planted white wine grape in Portugal?
Fernão Pires
Also known as Maria Gomes, Fernão Pires is Portugal's most widely planted white wine grape. Popular in Bairrada, Lisboa, and Alentejo, Fernão Pires makes very aromatic, silky wines with naturally low acidity.
True or False: China is one of the Top 10 producers of wine worldwide?
True
As reported by Statista, China produced 9.3 million hectoliters of wine in 2018. This puts it in the number 10 spot worldwide for wine production, slightly behind South Africa (9.5 million hectoliters) and Germany (9.8 million hectoliters).
When must sparkling Sekt grown and made in Austria carry the term "Sekt Austria" on its label?
Always
As of 2022, Sekt that is made from Austrian grapes and vinified into sparkling wine in Austria must carry the term "Sekt Austria" on the label (this is true for Sekt Austria (PDO), Sekt Austria Reserve (PDO), and Sekt Austria Große Reserve (PDO) wines). Austrian Sekt continues to be identified by the red-white-red banderole found on the top of the bottle.
True or False: Austria's Wagram region is now an offcial DAC?
True
For wines made from the 2021 vintage onward, Wagram is now officially Austria's 17th DAC winegrowing region. This means that Wagram will now subdivide its DAC wines into three sub-categories: Gebietswein (regional wine), Ortswein (villages wine) and Riedenwein (single-vineyard wine).
What grape is a speciality of Piedmont's Novello area?
Nascetta
Nascetta - a grape with a history in the Langhe dating back to at least 1877 - was nearly forgotten in Italy's Piedmont once the mighty Barolo took off in popularity in the 1990s. Thanks to effort to revitalize its production, it has become the flagship white wine grape of the Novello area, where it is used in the production of Langhe DOC Nas-cëtta del Comune di Novello.
What percent of California’s premium Zinfandel is supplied by Lodi annually?
40%
Lodi produces about 760,000 tons of winegrapes each year, making up 18 percent of California’s total yield. Zinfandel is one of the region's leading grapes, supplying 40 percent of California’s premium Zinfandel annually.
True or False: the often overlooked Piedmont grape variety Ruchè surpassed 1 million bottles produced?
True
As of the close of 2021, the once little-known Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG in Italy's Piedmont hit a milestone of of 1 million bottles produced (according to data reported by the Consorzio Barbera d’Asti e Vini del Monferrato). Made only by about 30 producers in the region, and once thought of as suitable only for early consumable table wine, modern Ruchè has proven to be a new darling of wine industry tastemakers around the globe.
True or False: Wine has been made in the US state of Maryland since the 17th Century?
True
While the modern winemaking scene was set in Maryland when Boordy Vineyard (located in Hydes) was bonded in 1945, winemaking in Maryland dates back to at least the 17th Century. Maryland’s wine industry is now made up of 115 wineries and (according to WineAmerica), has a statewide impact of nearly $2.6 and supports up to 14,000 Maryland jobs.
