Wine from Down Under Quiz

posted by Rodolphe in Wine, Guest Bloggers

For New Year’s, I thought I’d put together a quiz about the wines of Australia and New Zealand. Answers to follow next Monday. And remember – no internet peeking!

1. What major “wine” city lies adjacent to the Fleurieu Peninsula?

2. Houghton’s White Burgundy (now called White Classic), an Australian staple and best-seller for 70 years, is a dry white wine based on what grape?

3. What “Down Under” region is regarded as the southernmost wine region in the world?

4. What are 3 salient differences between the Marlborough and Martinborough regions?

5. In what region were the first vines planted down under?

6. What is the best selling export brand from Down Under? Although it doesn’t list a region on the label, it comes from a winery in what region?

7. Where can the greatest concentration of 100-year-old vines be found down under?

8. What is Australia’s southernmost state, famous for its cool-climate sparkling and still wines, from Pinot Noir to Riesling and from Gewurztraminer to Pinot Gris?

9. What “Down Under” regions lie at the same latitude as Bordeaux?

10. Who am I?
I founded a winery that some say produces Australia’s greatest Rieslings. It is named after a town in southwestern Sonoma County that is known as the “Egg Capital of the World”, because of its involvement in the early chicken processing industry. I was the first Australian to suit grape varieties to regions and plant using this premise in the 1970s. I planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in Coonawarra, Riesling in Clare, and Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Adelaide Hills. I was Decanter’s 2004 Man of the Year.

Rodolphe Boulanger is President of The Wine Messenger, an online wine retailer focussed on small grower wines. Rodolphe is also currently a diploma student at the WSET in London.

The American Wines not from the United States Quiz

posted by Rodolphe in Wine, Guest Bloggers

And remember – no internet peeking!

1. What is the Zonda (and how does it impact wine)?

2. Which Canadian province produces the most wine?

3. Which three of the following wine regions are not in the Americas?

a.    Curico Valley
b.    Cerro Chapeu
c.    Similkameen Valley
d.    Swan Valley
e.    Tecate
f.    Casablanca Valley
g.    Mendoza
h.    Samson
i.    Campo de Borja
j.    Pelee Island

4. The oldest winery in the Americas (commercial production started in 1597) is in what country?

5. The largest wine company in Chile also.
•    Gets its name from a title granted by the King of Spain in 1718.
•    Is listed on the NYSE
•    Gave up distributing Coca-Cola in Chile because it wasn’t profitable enough!
•    Produces the Casillero del Diablo line of wines
What company is it?

6. Argentina is a nation of immigrants. After the First World War, it was the 8th richest nation in the world before things got off course. It has a rich wine culture that is heavily influenced by Italian traditions (where a majority of its immigrants originally came from). To the closest 10%, what percentage of Argentina’s population is of European Ancestry?

7. Like the US, Canada also suffered from Prohibition in the first third of the 20th century. However, Canada’s version of Prohibition wisely exempted wine from the general ban on alcohol, energizing the country’s nascent wine industry. After Repeal in 1927, the Canadian wine industry languished, producing sweet, alcoholic wines often labeled Sherry or Port. What Ontario producer started Canada’s boutique wine revolution in 1974 when it was granted the first commercial winery license since Prohibition?

8. The United States is the largest wine producer in the Americas. What nation is number 2?

9. Reportedly named for a southern belle and developed in South Carolina, Isabella, a hearty high-yielding grape praised for its disease-resistance, is the most widely planted grape in what South American country?

10. Who am I?
I am a red vinifera grape variety that plays an important role in two American countries (I am extremely important to one’s wine heritage, and more of a background grape to the other). I originally come from Europe and was brought by settlers who speak an unusual language isolate. In the Americas, I am usually plumper and smoother than I am in Europe.
Sometimes I am called Harriague, Moustrou, or Bordeleza. I like to play alone, but I can also share as I have been blended with Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet; I am even used in the production of fortified wines. Some people think I might do very well in Virginia, others like the UK researcher Roger Corder think that you would do well to drink my wines if you want to prolong your life.

Rodolphe Boulanger is President of The Wine Messenger, an online wine retailer focussed on small grower wines. Rodolphe is also currently a diploma student at the WSET in London.