Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
In what year was Beaujolais Nouveau officially established as we know it today?
1951
The French Beaujolais AOC was established in 1937. But Beaujolais Nouveau as we know it wasn't "born" until 1951, when the Union Interprofessionnelle des Vins du Beaujolais (UIVB) formally set November 15 as the official release date for the fruity and friendly Beaujolais Nouveau. In 1985, the release date for Beaujolais Nouveau was changed to the third Thursday in November (in a move to take better advantage of better marketing the wine in the following weekend).
True or False: the USA imports the most Beaujolais Nouveau from France?
False
The United States imports about 1.8 million bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau annually, making it number two on the list of Beaujolais Nouveau importing nations. Taking the top spot is Japan - that nation seems to love its Gamay, importing nearly 8 million bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau each year.
True or False: Austria's famous city of Wien (Vienna) is also an official wine producing region?
True
There are over 600 hectares of vineyards in Austria's Vienna (Wien) region, over 80 percent of which are white wine varieties. 145 wineries produce wine near the famous city, and 30 percent of the area under vine in the region are farmed organically.
Santa Margherita, Belice, Menfi, Sciacca, Sambuca di Sicilia, Grotte and Campobello di Licata are important areas in which Sicilian wine-making province?
Agrigento
The Province of Agrigento stretches along Sicily’s southwestern coastline, consisting of marl and marine fossil soils in close proximity to Mediterranean ocean breezes. This historic region contains several areas within it (including Santa Margherita, Belice, Menfi, Sciacca, Sambuca di Sicilia, Grotte and Campobello di Licata), and is probably best known for its full-bodied red wines, though lighter white wines are also made there.
Which of the following is NOT one of the historical wine regions of Moldova?
Kakheti
Moldova has four historical wine regions (three of which have protected geographic indication status): Valul lui Traian (southwest), Stefan Voda (southeast), Codru (central), and Balti (north). Kakheti is a wine region of Georgia.
True or False: the first record of vines planted in Moldova dates back to 7000 BC?
True
The history of wine in Moldova is long: wine-making in the region dates back to at least 3000 BC. The first record of vines in the area dates back to about 7000 BC. Archeological findings show that Thracians were able to make wine from grapes in Moldova five thousand years ago.
Which type of rock gives rise to the sandy soils on the slopes of Sicily's Mt. Etna wine region?
Sciare
Sicily's Mt. Etna volcano produces "sciare," accumulations of lava that, over time, break down into the cultivable sandy soils on the mountain's slopes, where wine grape vines are now planted.
Which of the "big three" Moscato grape varieties is grown primarily in the north of Italy?
Moscato Giallo
Of the "big three" Moscato grapes to which almost all other Moscato varieties are related, Moscato Giallo prefers cooler temperatures, and thus is grown primarily in Italy's northern wine regions. Moscato d'Allesandria (a.k.a. Zibibbo) does well in warmer climates, while Moscato Bianco is a bit of a chameleon, adapting to both cooler and warmer growing conditions.
As of Ocotober 2019, which of the following is the newest DAC wine region in Austria?
Carnuntum
Known for its archeological finds, Carnuntum (located between Vienna and the Slovak border) is the fourteenth and newest Austrian DAC wine region as of October, 2019. Carnuntum wine has three quality levels for red and white wines: “Gebietswein” (regional wine), “Ortswein” (“villages” wine), and “Riedenwein” (from single vineyards).
True or False: In Sicily, wine grapes are farmed within the boundaries of a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
True
Diodoros, named after a Roma-era writer who chronicled Greek history, is the moniker of a red wine field blend by Canicatti winery. grapes for Diodors are harvested from 1970s vine plantings that are located within the UNESCO Heritage Site borders of Sicily's Valley of the Kings, one of the most extensive examples of preserved Greek ruins in the world.
