Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
In the 2009 Film Sherlock Holmes, the title character refers to which Bordeaux First growth wine as "a comet vintage?"
Château Margaux
In the film, the character Irene Adler temporarily delays Sherlock Holmes by getting him to drink a glass of wine from a drugged bottle of 1858 Château Margaux. In the scene, Holmes tangentially discusses his fascination that "an astronomical event" (in this case, the Donati Comet sighted that year) "could effect the quality" of a harvest.
In 2007, a Riesling from which Finger Lakes wine producer took home the only gold medal awarded to an American wine in the Riesling Du Monde (Riesling in the World) Wine Competition in Strasbourg, France?
Fox Run Vineyards
Fox Run Vineyards' 2005 Riesling took home the only U.S. Gold medal awarded in France's 2007 Riesling Du Monde, a competition that featured over 500 Rieslings submitted from 12 different countries.
When were the first vines known to be planted in the Finger Lakes?
1829
While the Fingers Lake AVA wasn't officially established until October 1, 1982, grapevines have called the area home for a much longer time frame. The Reverend William Bostwick is believed to have planted the first vineyard in the region when he decided that his rectory garden in Hammondsport, NY would make a good spot for vines.
True or False: The Fingers Lake American Viticultural Area covers over one million acres of farmland?
True
According to the recently-released book American Wine, The Finger Lakes AVA covers 2.5 million acres across nearly thirteen counties, only about 9,000 acres of which are planted as vineyards.
How many lakes make up New York's Finger Lakes wine-making region?
Eleven
Despite their namesake, there are actually eleven Finger Lakes, whose name comes from their finger-like shapes (the result of ancient glacial activity), varying in depth from 300 to over 600 feet. Four of the eleven (Cayuga, Keuka, Canandaigua, and Seneca lakes) have the most prominent grape growing roles within the region.
Uruguay shares winemaking geography with Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand between what southern latitudinal parallels?
30 and 35
According to winesofuruguay.com, Uruguay's winemaking regions lie between parallels 30 and 35 in the Southern Hemisphere, where its fellow fine wine producing countries of Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand also reside.
True or False: Tannat wines might be exceptionally heart-healthy?
True
Tannat - grown widely in Uruguay and South West France, can make wines that might be particularly friendly to your cardiovascular health. According to examiner.com, studies have shown that Tannat contains high concentrations of polyphenols, procyanidins, flavenoids and resveratrol, primarily due to the fact that the grape has more seeds than most other red wine grapes. These four anti-oxidants are believed to promote heart health.
Which Southwestern French red wine grape seems to have found a spiritual home in Uruguay?
Tannat
Tannat (also sometimes called Harriague) was introduced to Uruguay by 19th century Basque settlers. Now it is made in a wide variety of styles in that South American country, from light to tannic and even sweet. Because of its promising success, plantings of Tannat have been increasing year on year in Uruguay.
True or False: Uruguay's wine growing regions resemble those of Bordeaux's Right Bank?
True
According to Opus Vino, Uruguay is well-situated for potential fine wine production; its soils and geography resemble those of Bordeaux's Right Bank, with clay, calcareous soils and gently sloping hills.
While Malbec is clearly on the rise as Argentina's signature red wine grape, according to Andre Domine's book Wine, Bonarda is more widely-planted. It's also traditionally been much less regarded, making its way into blended wines for the domestic market there. However, more focused efforts have been bottled in recent years which show that Bonarda is capable of producing very high quality Argentine wines in its own right.
