Central and Eastern Europe

Question 1

Which river flows past or through wine country in Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania?

Answer 1

The Danube River

Question 2

Austria lies at the same latitude as what anbaugiete in Germany? what is the climate like in both these regions?

Answer 2

Austria lies at the same latitude as Baden in southern Germany. Both climates are cool continental. Summers are mild and winters are very cold.

Question 3

What is Austria’s signature grape variety?

Answer 3

Gruner Veltliner; a spicy white grape that accounts for more than a third of Austria’s total acreage under vine.

Question 4

Is Welschriesling a true Riesling?

Answer 4

It is not, but it does make fragrant perfumed and high acid wines.

Question 5

What is Muller-Thurgau a cross of?

Answer 5

Riesling and Madeleine Royal

Question 6

What is Pinot Blanc called in Germany and in Austria?

Answer 6

In Germany it is called Weissburgunder and in Austria it is called Weisser Burgunder.

Question 7

What style is Riesling most often produced as in Austria?

Answer 7

Most commonly produced in a dry style, but also in the full range of sweetness levels to Trockenbeerenauslese.

Question 8

What is the most widely planted red grape in Austria? What is it a cross of?

Answer 8

Zweigelt which is a cross of Blaufrankisch and St. Laurent.

Question 9

What is Blaufrankisch also known as?

Answer 9

Lemberger or Kekfrankos

Question 10

St. Laurent is a member of the __________ family.

Answer 10

Pinot

Question 11

What is considered the highest level of quality in Austria?

Answer 11

The DAC (Districtus Austraie Controllatus)

Question 12

When can the DAC designation be used?

Answer 12

Can only be used for the one or two grape varieties considered the most outstanding and most typical for the delineated region.

Question 13

What are the 6 DACs in Austria and what grape varieties are associated with each?

Answer 13

Weinviertel (Gruner Veltliner), Mittelburgenland (Blaufrankisch), Traisental, Kremstal, and Kampstal (all three for either Gruner Veltliner or Riesling), Leithaberg (Blaufrankisch and four white varieties)

Question 14

What two pradikat levels does Austria have the Germany does not?

Answer 14

Strohwein (a dried grape wine that uses grapes of at least BA ripeness that have been air dried on straw mats or hung up on strings for at least three monts, like the recioto wines of the Veneto in Italy) and Ausbruch (made by adding the must of late-harvest, nonbotrytized grapes to must from the same vineyard that has been affected by botrytis)

Question 15

Which classification level do Kabinett wines fall under in Germany and in Austria?

Answer 15

In Germany they fall under the pradikatswein but in Austria they are simply a qualitatswein.

Question 16

What is the Austrian measure for must weight and how does it compare to US Brix and German Oechsle?

Answer 16

KMW
1 KMW = about 1.2 Brix
1 KMW = about 5 Oechsle

Question 17

Define bergwein.

Answer 17

“mountain wine” it is a tafelwein level wine made from grapes that are grown on extrodinarily steep slopes

Question 18

What is the key styalistic difference between German and Austrian wines?

Answer 18

Most German wines are sweet while Austrian wines are most often dry.

Question 19

What are the two largest classified wine regions in Austria?

Answer 19

Niederosterreich and Burgenland

Question 20

What is Weinland Osterreich?

Answer 20

Wine blended at landwein level from the states of Niederosterreich and Burgenland.

Question 21

Where can good-value sweet wines made in the botrytized style be found in Austria?

Answer 21

In the Neusiedersee and Neusiedlersee-Hugelland thanks to the effects of Lake Neusiedl which create conditions that promote the growth of bortytis cinerea.

Question 22

What is Bikaver and what country is it associated with?

Answer 22

“Bulls Blood” a full bodied red wine traditionally made from Kadarka grapes in Hungary.

Question 23

What is Controliran and which country is it associated with?

Answer 23

Quality wines in Bulgaria

Question 24

What is the crimean peninsula and which country is it located in?

Answer 24

The Crimean Peninsula is practically an island in the Black Sea that has the best viticultural conditions in the former Soviet Union. It is the main zone of production in Ukraine.

Question 25

What are the top three Central and Eastern Europe producers of wine?

Answer 25

1) Russia 2) Romania 3) Hungary

Question 26

Who produces DOC quality level wine in Central and Eastern Europe?

Answer 26

Romania

Question 27

What is chasselas and which country is it associated with?

Answer 27

The best known local grape (white) in Switzerland. It is also known as Fendant.

Question 28

What is the primary red grape of Switzerland?

Answer 28

Pinot Noir

Question 29

What is the home of Zinfandel’s ancestor? What was the name of this grape?

Answer 29

Croatia; the grapes name is Crljenak Kastelanski

Question 30

What is Tokaji and in which country is it of importance?

Answer 30

A famous dessert wine from Hungary. It is made from late-harvested and usually botrytis-affected grapes.

Question 31

What are aszu grapes?

Answer 31

Bortytis affected grapes that are masheed into a thick paste and mixed with normally fermented base wine to make Tokaji.

Question 32

What is one of the sweetest wines made and comes from Hungary?

Answer 32

Tokaji Aszu Essencia; lower in alcohol (about 10%) made from Furmint and Harslevelu (the two grapes used for Tokaji).

Question 33

What is puttonyo?

Answer 33

It is a grading system for Tokaji; there are up to seven puttonyo levels.