Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
Which Founding Father of the USA reportedly remarked, “A few glasses of Madeira wine made anyone feel able to be president"?
John Adams
Madeira was a favorite drink for the Founding Fathers of the US constitution, but it was Adams who mentioned it relating to his presidential duties. He is also reported to have said “I drank Madeira at a great rate and found no inconvenience of it.”
As of 1960, how many acres of Chardonnay were planted in California?
230
As late as 1960, state records show that only 230 acres of Chardonnay were planted in the state of California, 70 of which belonged to Wente. It wasn't until the early 1980s, after California Chardonnay took top honors at the 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting, that Chardonnay plantings began to take off in the state, primarily using UC Davis Wente clones 4 and 5.
True or False: Today's Falerno del Massico DOC wines are made according to the ancient recipes of the historically famous Falernum wines?
False
Falerno del Massico wines are made with modern winemaking techniques, and likely bear little resemblance to the famous Falernum wines of antiquity from the same region in Campania. Ancient Falernum wines were described by Horatio as severus (thick), fortis (strong), and ardens (ardent). While those could be used to describe some red Falerno wines today, Falernum was often aged in amphorae and sweetened with Hymettus honey from Africa.
What wine grape was a favorite of the Bourbon King Ferdinand IV?
Pallagrello Nero
Ferdinand IV had his gardeners design a fan-shaped vineyard near the palace of Caserta, with ten sections each representing varieties from the Reign of Two Sicilies. Campania's only grapes in the garden were the since nearly-forgotten Pallagrello Nero and Bianco varieties. The King liked their wines so much that they were the only Italian wines presented at banquets with the French regime in the early 1800s.
True or False: The former name of Madiran was Maridan?
True
Gascony's Madiran wine region was once called Maridan, named after the patron saint of the village church and nearby monastery, Mario Dona. The name was presumably modified during Revolutionary times in the area.
Sardinia's Vernaccia di Oristano is related to what other grape variety grown in Italy?
None of the above
Vernaccia di Oristano is thought to be a distinct grape of ancient origin in Sardinia, with cultivation dating back to the time of the Phoenicians. The name likely comes from the Latin vernaculus, meaning "domestic," which could explain why other grapes have similar names in Italy. Vernaccia di Oristano was designated as its own DOC in 1971.
True or False: Winemaking in Sardinia can likely be traced back to the Bronze Age?
True
There is evidence that winemaking was taking place in Sardinia as early as the 2nd Century AD, however the island's indigenous Vitis Vinifera vines have been traced back to the Nuragic period (the Bronze Age).
True or False: Wines from the Lessini Mountains must be vinified dry?
False
The Lessini Mountains area in the Veneto is home to the Monti Lessini Durello Passito DOC, from which sweet wines are made utilizing the appassimento (grape drying) method.
The Veneto's Durello grape most likely got its name from a word meaning what?
Hard
Durello likely gets its name from duro, meaning "hard" or "tough." In De Agricoltura, Pliny the Elder cites a Lessini Mountains area grape that is "duracinus" (or, "with a tough skin"), and local documents in the region dating back to 1292 mention a grape variety called Durasena.
Which of the following wine grapes cannot be found in Italy's Campania region?
None of the above
While better known for Fiano, Greco, and Aglianico, Italy's Campania permits a wide variety of native grapes in some of its sub-regions, including all of the grapes listed in this quiz question. What Campania doesn't utilize much of, in comparison to its other sister regions in Italy, is international grape varieties.
