Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
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.
True or False: Sweden’s Blaxta vineyard is possibly the most northern vineyard location in the world?
True
According to TheDrinksBusiness.com, the three hectare Blaxta vineyard may indeed by the world's most northern. The vineyard, planted with Vidal, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, claims to be Sweden's oldest, and is located west of Stockholm at about 59 degrees north.
According to TheDrinksBusiness.com, the world's smallest vineyard is located in Les Amis de Farinet in Switzerland’s Valais region, and consists of just three vines. The vineyard is owned by the Dalai Lama.
What does the terms "Estate Bottled" mean when used on a U.S. wine label?
All of the above
The terms "estate bottled" is regulated in the U.S., and requires that the wine's grapes be from a single AVA and from vineyards owned or leased by a winery in the same AVA. While this is meant to evoke a sense of control - and therefore, potentially, superior quality - over the grapes, some AVA boundaries with in the U.S. are so large that use of the term, while legally justified, can sometimes be stretched to its logical limits.
According to Washington State University, there are four main classes of flavonoids in grapes. Which one is *not* found in the skins of grapes?
Catechins
Catechins, also called flavan-3-ols, can be found not in the skins of grapes, but in their seeds. They are known for being bitter and can impart bitter sensations in finished wines.
True or False: Sonoma's Rockpile AVA is one of the U.S. wine-growing regions that carries an elevation requirement?
True
Rockpile's vineyards range in elevation from 800 feet to 2100 feet, above the fog line for the area. Vineyards must be at 800feet elevation and above to qualify for inclusion in the Rockpile AVA. The Yamhill-Carlton District AVA in Oregon is another example of an AVA that carries elevation requirements (200 and 1000 feet in elevation).
