Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
Which of these grapes is native to Portugal?
Antao Vaz
While Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez (Tempranillo), and Syrah are all grown in Portugal, they are not native to the country. Antao Vaz is indigenous to Portugal's Alentejo, and is grown primarily in the Evora and Vidigueira sub-regions.
Which of the following are among the sub-regions of Portugal's Alentejo wine area?
All of the Above
Portugal's Alentejo, famous for cork production, has eight sub-regions that make up its winemaking area. In addition to the four mentioned in today's Quiz question, there are Granja-Amareleja, Moura, Reguengos, and Vidigueira.
Portugal's Alentejo wine region is also home to about how much of the world's cork tree forests?
1/3
The Alentejo wine region is also famous for containing roughly one-third of the world's cork tree forests. It has bee said that cork trees, sheep, and pigs traditionally have outnumbered the amount of people living in the Alentejo.
True or False: Portugal's Alentejo region still practices the ancient Roman method of making and storing wines in amphorae?
True
Portugal's Alentejo (meaning "Beyond the Tejo" river) is, according to Wines of Alentejo, the only area of Portugal where the Roman technique of making and storing wine in clay amphorae (called "talhas de barro") is still practiced (Alentejo was once a part of the Roman province Lusitania). The clay pots used in this process can be as high as seven feet, hold up to 520 gallons, and literally weigh a ton when full.
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.
