GENERAL INFO

Question 1

What is annual production of wine in US and where does it rank globally?

Answer 1

350 million cases / 4th (behind Italy, Spain and France)

Question 2

How much of American production comes from CA?

Answer 2

81%

Question 3

Which states rank 2nd, 3rd and 4th in annual production?

Answer 3

Washington, New York, and Oregon

Question 4

How many commercial wineries in the US?

Answer 4

> 10,000 (including at least one in every state)

Question 5

When was first wine reported to have been made in America and where?

Answer 5

1560s / Florida

Question 6

Who established the first vineyards in the US?

Answer 6

Catholic missionaries

Question 7

Which US winemakers won the red/white wine categories at the Paris Tasting of 1976?

Answer 7

Stag’s Leap (red) and Montelena (white)

Question 8

How long did Prohibition last?

Answer 8

1920 - 1933

Question 9

Who founded the first Napa Valley winery?

Answer 9

Charles Krug in 1861

Question 10

Who founded the first commercial winery in the US?

Answer 10

Nicholas Longworth in the 1830s, making sparkling wine from grapes grown in the Ohio River Valley

Question 11

What are the three tiers of the US wine industry?

Answer 11

Producers/Suppliers, Distributors/Wholesalers and Retailers

Question 12

Who may US distributors sell wine to?

Answer 12

Distributors, Int.’l importers, to consumers at winery or online (if allowed) and in bulk to other wineries.

Question 13

What is the main difference between the US AVA system and the European appellation systems?

Answer 13

US appellations do not dictate specific styles of winemaking (i.e. approved varieties, crop yields, etc.)

Question 14

How many AVAs are there in the US?

Answer 14

252 in over 30 states; 141 in CA

Question 15

What must be included on a wine lable (domestic or imported) under US wine law?

Answer 15

brand name, type or class of wine, alcohol content, name and address (bottler or importer), place of origin (country for imports, domestic if vintage date is included), net contents, sulfite statement, health warning.

Question 16

what is the allowable variance for alcohol levels under US wine law?

Answer 16

1.5%; 1% for wines over 14%

Question 17

If a wine is identified by country of origin only, what percent of grapes must be from the stated country under US wine law?

Answer 17

75%

Question 18

If a wine label has a vintage date, what percentage of wine must be from that vintage?

Answer 18

95%; 85% if it comes from a US state or county

Question 19

If a wine label contains a varietal name, what percentage of wine must be from that variety?

Answer 19

75%; 51% if it is a Vitis Labrusca variety. If one variety does not constitute 75%, all varieties must be named, along with their respective percentages. In OR minimum percentage can be as high as 90% for some varietals (Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay).

Question 20

What are the requirement for using the word “meritage” under US wine law?

Answer 20

Winery must be a member of the Meritage Alliance, must be the most expensive bottling of its style, and production cannot exceed 25K cases

Question 21

What grapes can be used for a wine labeled “meritage” under US wine law?

Answer 21

Red: CS, Merlot, CF, PV, Malbec, St. Macaire, Gros Verdot and Carmenere.
White: SB, Semillon, Muscadelle.
At least two grapes must be used, with a 90% max for any one grape variety.

Question 22

What is the hierarchy for place of origin names based on under US wine law?

Answer 22

It is based on size (country, state, county, AVA, vineyard). For political units, a minimum 75% must come from the stated location (100% for Ca and OR wines and 95% for WA wines).
For AVAs the minimum is 85% and for a vineyard location, a minimum of 95%.

Question 23

What are the rules for using “estate bottled” term under US wine law?

Answer 23

grapes must come from vineyards owned/leased by winery, vineyard must be within a single AVA, and winery must be located in the same AVA.