Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
True or False: The Chablis Grand Cru sites Les Clos and Blanchot are separated by an ancient path called The Blessed Path?
False
The path that separates Les Clos and Blanchot in Chablis is called La Voie Meurtriere, or "The Deadly Path." The path has been mentioned as far back as the 16th Century.
Which of the following Chablis Grand Cru sites is named for its pale-colored limestone soils?
Blanchot
The Blanchot Grand Cru takes its name from the 1500s moniker Couste de Blanchot, itself stemming from the Germanic word for "blank." This was, no doubt, a reference to the site's rocky, white limestone soils.
What Spanish DO forms a geographic semi-circle around the Priorat winemaking region?
Montsant
The Montsant DO houses the Montsant mountain range for which it is named, as well as the Prades and La Llena mountain ranges. Montsant consists of about 1800 hectares, and the geography encases the area of Priorat.
The Samso grape variety is more commonly known by what name?
Carignan
Carignan is also known as Carinyena in Spain, and as Samso in Catalan. The Catalan area houses the Montsant DO, which has over five hundred hectares of Carignan planted.
True or False: Much of the central and southern portions of the Crozes-Hermitage area were once planted with fruit trees?
True
Peach orchards and other fruit trees were once widely planted in the central and southern portions of Crozes-Hermitage, because of the soil's relatively high content of potassium residue. It is widely believed that this residue imparts a round, fleshy characteristic to the region's wines.
How many bottles of wine are produced annually in France's Crozes-Hermitage appellation?
7 million
As of 2017, the 11 districts of the Crozes-Hermitage area of France's Rhone produces about seven million bottles of wine per year. Located at the 45th Parallel, Crozes-Hermitage has approximately 4200 acres under vine.
What percent of the wine produced in France's Graves is red?
75%
Red wine makes up about 75% of the wine production in Graves. This wasn't always the case, however; Graves was known for its white wines until the early 1970s, when red wines from the region grew in popularity.
Which of the following Montefalco DOCs does not allow for the use of the Sagrantino grape?
None of the above
Montefalco Sagrantino Passito, a sweet wine obtained from dried grape bunches, must be made 100% from Sagrantino grapes. Both Montefalco Rosso and Montefalco Rosso Riserva permit 10-25% Sagrantino in the final blend.
True or False: documents attest that vineyards existed in Italy's Montefalco dating as far back as 1088?
True
Not only does Montefalco have documented evidence of vineyard activity going back to 1088, but numerous thirteenth century documents for the region note that "the wine producers take of their fields planted with grapes." Montefalco is also one of the few Italian cities that saw wine production take place within the city walls, dating back to the fifteenth century.
