Test your wine knowledge with quiz questions from our expert.
Methyl octalactones imparted to wine by the wood from aging in oak barrels can be an important source of aroma development in wines meant for aging. What aroma characteristic do they give to a wine?
Coconut
The coconut smell that often marks older wines that have been aged in oak is the result of methyl octalactones, isomers that originate from lipids. These are often seen in older Gran Reserva wines from Rioja, which undergo significant periods of aging in American oak.
Wine barrels are often blamed as the culprit behind the animal and rubbery aromas associated with contamination of wine by yeast of the genus Brettanomyces. What is generally considered the perception threshold of "Brett" above which most people will be able to pick out those aromas?
500 mg/l
Some scientists, according to information cited by La Rioja Alta, S.A., believe that 500 mg/l is the average detection threshold for Brett-imparted aromas. Whether or not Brett is considered a flaw by those detecting it is a matter of personal opinion (this quiz question author tends to side with those who consider Brett a spoilage yeast).
What volatile compound imparted by oak barrels is responsible for giving a wine aromas of coffee or toasted hazelnuts?
Dimethyl pirazines
Dimethyl pirazines, from phenolic aldehydes, impart the toasted hazelnut and coffee aromas. Furans tend to give toasted almond aromas, Eugenol imparts clove-like aromas, and acetic acid makes a wine smell like... vinegar.
Oak used in wine barrels generally belongs to the genus Quercus. What is the name of the "True White Oak" used for wine barrels made from American oak?
Quercus alba
Quercus Alba is the name given to "True White Oak," one of at least 24 species of oak grown in the U.S. and the only one used for wine barrel making. Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee and Kentucky are the main production areas.
The Greek island of Crete houses Europe's oldest known throne room. It also is the home of some of the world's most ancient wine presses, believed to be how many years old?
3500
According to winesofcrete.gr, Crete has known systemic cultivation of vines for winemaking for 4000 years, with its wine's praises having been sung by the likes of Homer. The currently oldest-known wine presses were discovered on Crete in the region of Vathipetro, dating back approximately 3500 years. Evidence found at Minoan Palaces on Crete, such as the remains at Knossos, also provide evidence of wine’s role in daily life there.
Either A or B could be correct - no one knows for sure, and according to Ana Fabiano's The Wine Regions Of Rioja there are no fewer than 22 competing theories about the origin of the region's name (A & B are thought to be the most credible of the 22).
Rioja experienced a boost as a winemaking region when growers from what country came to Navarra in the 1870s?
France
Mildew and phylloxera outbreaks in France forced growers to seek their fortunes outside of the withering vines in France. One of the areas that they visited was Rioja, bringing with them different fine winemaking techniques (and spurring Spanish entrepreneurs in the area to visit Bordeaux to learn more about their production methods).
Which city in Spain's Rioja winemaking region is famous for its annual ritual in which attendees douse each other with wine?
Haro
Haro's main tourist attraction is called the Wine Battle, taking place June 29 with a short pilgrimage to the Bilibio Crags, followed by a mass in honor of Saint Felices and then total chaos as everyone douses one another with wine. It's been called the Wine Battle since 1949, but the pilgrimage dates back to the 16th century.
What Australian wine region was discovered in the early 1970s, after research by Professor Harold Olmo and Dr. John Gladstones identified it as a potentially great grape growing region?
Margaret River
One of the most geographically isolated wine regions, and bounded on the west by the Indian Ocean, Margaret River saw European settlements as early as the 1800s; but it didn't see much in the way of premium viticulture until the work spearheaded by Olmo and Gladstones in identifying its potential for growing fine wine grapes. The region now boasts some of Australia's best-known Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillion and Chardonnay producers.
