Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
Mendoza is well known for Malbec, but what grape varieties comprised the dominant plantings before the expansion of Malbec?
Cereza and Criolla Grande
Historically, Cereza and Criolla Grande were favored in Mendoza plantings for their high yield, before giving way to Malbec. They still comprise about one quarter of the plantings in the region. Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo are now gaining momentum in Argentina - and increased acreage in Mendoza.
Argentina's vineyards are planted up to about what elevation?
10,000 feet
Argentina has vineyards planted up to 9,800 feet above sea level, which is roughly a third the height of Mt. Everest (and probably higher than most of us would be willing to hike on a normal basis). At these altitudes, hail and frost are the primary vineyard concerns, however the vines also enjoy more tempered high and low temperatures and more sunlight, which are beneficial for grape development.
Where does Argentina rank in worldwide vineyard crop yield?
Fifth
Argentina is a large country, with over one million square miles, and is the 8th largest nation in the world. It's vineyards are largely planted near the Andes mountains, and produce a crop yield that is the fifth largest in the world.
True or False: People who taste wines often, such as sommeliers, may actually re-wire their brains to perceive wines differently from less frequent tasters?
True
In a study published bu ScienceDirect.com in 2005, brain imaging techniques employed on both sommleiers and wine consumers showed marked differences in brain activity between the groups when tasting wines. Specifically, the sommeliers employed more activity in brain areas that are associated with previous cognitive, mnemonic and emotional experiences than consumers. This suggests an integration of brain activity for experienced tasters when tasting wine that is different than what happens in the brains of casual wine drinkers.
Master of Wine Tim Hanni has identified how many "Vinotypes" - or general types of wine tasters - in his research on how people perceive wine tastes?
Four
Hanni has identified four basic types of tasters based on his research: Sweet (very sensitive tasters who need sweet flavors to offset their heightened experience of other tastes), Hypersensitive (a large segment of the population, who eschew strong flavors and seek out complex tastes), Sensitive (who can tolerate a wide range of flavor intensities), and Tolerant (who live by the motto "the bigger the better"). You can try out Hanni's research for yourself - and see if his assessment of your "vinotype" matches your drinking reality - at http://www.myvinotype.com .
True or False: The higher your emotional ties to wine and food matching, the less likely you are to perceive the match as a good one.
False
According to Master of Wine Tim Hanni's research into food and wine pairing, the more emotionally invested you are in selecting a particular wine to match with a particular food, the more likely you are to perceive that match as working well. Hanni cites this as a psychological phenomenon, and a "self-fulfilling prophecy of wine and food matching, not an experiential reality."
True or False: how - or if! - you wear underwear may be an insight into your personal wine drinking preferences.
True
According to Master of Wine Tim Hanni's book Why You Like The Wines You Like, people with heightened sensory sensitivities often wear their underwear inside out to avoid irritation from the seams (or forgo wearing any underwear at all). These same people tend to fall into certain wine preference categories based on his research, and prefer the taste of sweeter wines.
Re-consolidating German vineyards previously split under quasi-feudal inheritance laws
Flurbereinigung is the post Word War II re-consolidation of land that previously, due to old inheritance laws, divided (what were previously single) German wine estates among multiple owners. Prior to Flurbereinigung, after many centuries this equal division of farmlands among heirs meant that many German farmers owned small non-adjacent vineyard plots, creating a logistic nightmare for accessing and farming those vineyards.
True or False: The Verband Deutscher Qualitäts und Prädikatsweingüter (thankfully shortened to the much more manageable "VDP") in Germany is the world’s oldest association of wine estates.
True
Founded in 1910, the VDP claims to be the oldest association of wine estates in the world. It now comprises roughly 200 of Germany's best producers, and uses a stylized eagle with circles reminiscent of a grape bunch (mandatory use of that symbol only dates back to 1982, however).
In what year was the first Spätlese (late-harvested) Riesling vintage in Germany?
1775
According to Stephan Reinhardt's "The Finest Wines of Germany" the first generally recognized Spätlese vintage was in 1775, when Schloss Johannisberg picked late and made wine from the grapes that included rot. The results were so good that it didn't take long before Spätlese was recognized as a Riesling style in its own right.
