Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
In what year Cremant d'Alsace granted AOC status?
1976
The Cremant d'Alsace AOC, which as of 2014 dominated the Cremant wine category in France, was established in 1976 (the sparkling wines can be made from Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, or Pinot Noir). Alsace received its AOC status in 1962, and Alsace Grand Cru in 1975.
Mount Pleasant Winery was established in 1859, by two brothers from Germany, George and Frederick Muench, in what is today the Augusta Appellation (the first American Viticultural Area). In 1920, Prohibition forced the winery's closure; it would re-open over forty years later when Lucian Dressel and his wife Eva purchased the property in 1966.
True or False: The German Wine Queen title is older than the Federal Republic of Germany?
False
Germany crowned Pfalz resident Elisabeth Gies as the first German Wine Queen in 1949, which makes the title just as old (but not older) than the Federal Republic of Germany. The Palatinate Wine Queen title, awarded to that region's wine queen, is older, dating back to 1931.
How were late harvest (Spatlese) wines discovered in Germany in 1775?
Permission to harvest arrived later than normal
According to Wines of Germany, in 1775, the messenger carrying permission to harvest to the Johannisberg monks in the Rheingau was delayed by two weeks, resulting in grapes that were much riper than normal when they were finally harvested. We know the result now as Spatlese Riesling.
True or False: The vineyard area in Germany has never been greater than it was before the Thirty Years' War?
True
Central Europe saw most of the fighting in Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), and the majority of that was centered in what today is Germany. During that war, several of Germany's vineyard plantings were destroyed, and as of 2014 they have yet to exceed the estimated vineyard areas planted before 1618.
What percentage of Oregon's vineyards claim to be farmed sustainably?
47 percent
As of 2014, almost half - 47 percent - of Oregon's vineyards claim to be farmed sustainably (as certified by one or more of several independent organizations), possibly the largest such commitment of any U.S. wine-producing state.
True or False: the Willakenzie soil series is named after the Willamette and McKenzie rivers?
True
As is traditional for soil type names, they are often related to the locations in which they were first officially found. Willakenzie soil, a coarse-grained, ancient marine sediment first discovered in Oregon's Yamhill-Carlton region, is named after the confluence of the Willamette and McKenzie rivers in Lane County.
In what region were the first wine grapes planted in Oregon?
Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is home to Crater Lake National Park, and is one of Oregon's most diverse (and warmest) wine regions with five Sub-AVAs. It's also where Oregon winemaking originated when grapes were first planted there in the 1800s.
True or False: The word tannin comes from the practice of using plant extracts to cure leather?
True
According to wine and science writer Jamie Goode, what we call "tannin" in wine is an older term, derived from the practice of using plant extracts to cure leather (what we know as "tanning"), which is possible due to the fact that tannins have a strong tendency to link up chemically with proteins. When applied to animal hides, tannins cross-link with the proteins, turning the soft material into a substance tough enough to use for shoes, saddles and belts.
