General Knowledge Flashcards
The Danube [GER] at nearly 3,000km is the 2nd longest river in Europe. It begins at the confluence of the Brigach and Breg Rivers in Germany’s Black Forest and moves SE through 10 countries
Name 7 wine making country’s of note?
Austria (notably Wachau but many)
Slovakia (Juznoslovenska - Ch. Bela)
Hungary
Croatia (Slavonia and Danube)
Serbia
Bulgaria
Romania
Empty’s into the Black Sea marking the boundary between Romania and the Ukraine.
Trajectory of Switzerland’s 2 most famous Rivers?
The Rhine begins at Tomasee lake in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps flowing North through France and then Germany and of course emptying into the Sea through the Netherlands.
The French Rhone starts here at the Rhone Glacier, Valais in the Swiss Alps, flowing West through the Lac Léman past Geneva and into France where it merges with the Saône at Lyon and continues south to discharges into the Mediterranean Sea.
4 types of coffee beans?
Arabica: Thought to be the first. 60% of coffee production.
Robusta: 2nd in prod. double the amount of Caffeine.
Excelsa: Only 7% of prod. Mainly SE Asia.
Liberica: Largest & irregular in size, shape and flavor.
Worlds 3 Highest vineyards?
‘Pure Land & Super High Altitude’ Vineyard @ 3,563m in the South of Tibet. Vidal, Muscat, Bei Bing Hong (ice wine variety)
Recognized by Guinness World Records in 2018.
Vino Uquia: Finca Moya vineyard is at 3,329m. Uraqui Minero Corte A: Syrah, Malbec, Merlot
Bodegas Colomé: Finca Altura Maxima vineyard in Cachi is 3,111m.
‘Feuillete’ barrel size and location?
132l, Chablis. eg. Raveneau
Barrique
Size & bottles?
Pièce
Size & bottles?
Quartaut?
225l = 300 x 750ml
(Burgundy)
228l = 304 x 750ml
Also Cote D’Or, at 57L a ‘quartaut’ is a quarter-size barrel.
‘Demi-Muid’ size and location?
600l Southern (& Northern) Rhone
Stuck
Halbstuck
Doppelstuck
size & location?
1,200l
600l
2,400l
Rheingau, German oval Cask.
Hogshead size & location?
300l, Australia.
Gonc size & location?
136l, Tokaji. Hungarian Oak Cask.
Champagne barrel size?
Traditionally 205l (eg. Krug) although some houses may bring in Burgundy barrels for barrel fermentation.
All of Bollinger’s vintage designated wines are fermented and aged exclusively in cask also. Only house to have all its barrel needs serviced by their own cooper.
Cognac barrel size?
350l is the standard now although in 1900 was 275L and only 200L before the French Revolution.
Puncheon size & location?
450-500l , Australia.
Jerez Butt?
Bota Chica (Shipping butt)?
600-650l
500l (American?)
Fuder size & location?
1,000l, Common in Mosel. [Without O is smaller and thus Mosel]
Foudre size & location?
Variable, Alsace.
Botti / Botte (singular)
10hl-300hl
Traditionally Slavonian (Q.Robur). hl = 100l
Port Pipe size for aging?
Port Pipe size shipping?
Madeira Pipe size?
Marsala Pipe size?
550-630l
534.24l
418l
423l
Armagnac Pièce size?
400-420 L
American Standard Barrel (ASB)/ Bourbon barrel size?
190-200L
For Bourbon & Whiskey/y production.
2 notable Amphora producers?
Tava
100% clay amphora from Piedmonte. Sizes in 320L, 750L and 1600L.
Chateau Durfort-Vivens has 150 TAVA amphoras.
Nomblot
Use to be Burgundy? Now based East of Paris, use to be a coffin craftsman. Concrete Tanks/Eggs.
Caratelli size?
Producer of note?
Vin Santo
50L, but can be up to 225L.
Renzi Francesco is the most famous; better known for the manufacture of similar barrels used for Modena balsamic vinegar
Red Oak are porous and cannot be relied on for watertight cooperage.
Name 3 commonly used White Oaks?
Pro’s and cons?
Quercus Alba (American). White oak- not white though refers to the leaves? Highest in lactones. 80-90 years of age for harvest.
Quercus Petraea/Sessiliflora (French & Central Eastern European)
aka. sessik oak, cornish oak & durmast – have more lactones than Robur?
Quercus Robur (AKA: Common Oak/ English Oak/ Quercus Pedunculata) in the forest of Limousin, France & Slavonian Oak (Northern Balkans) [Up the Rah - English]
150-200 years of age for the European counterparts. European Oaks have more tannin and contribute more to structure.
Harvest of oak intended for winemaking takes place in the winter months when there is less sap in the trunk.
What variety of Oak are Portuguese cork trees?
2 major planting regions?
Life cycle?
Quercus Suber
Alentejano and Algrave produce more than half the world’s supply of corks.
A Quercus Suber can be harvested from 25 years old and then every 9 years after allowing for a latency period to regenerate. A cork oak lives for approximately 150 years, this means that each tree can be harvested twelve or up to fifteen times.
Oxygen Transfer Rates among American and European Oak?
Since French oak must be split, only 20 to 25% of the tree can be utilized.
American oak may be sawn, which makes it at least twice as economical.
Traditionally American oak is left outside to dry, and not kiln dried like traditional French would be.
American Oak has a higher OTR mainly due to the fact that it is cut.
6 forests in France for oak barrel production? location?
Vosges [NE]
Character varies on altitude but generally tight grained.
Bertranges [North-East Central, Running West alongside Burgundy]
Nevers [North-Central, West of Dijon]
Allier [Central France]
Tronçais tron-say [Central France, North of Moulins and Saint-Pourçain (Auvergne)]
Is the most famous subsection of the greater Allier forest.
Has the finest grain and the most closely packed annual growth rings. Tends to fetch the highest prices/ be the most expensive. Popular for Wine and Brandy.
Limousin [Central Southwestern France – North & West of Limoges]
Wide grains and are more tannic than the tight grained woods and are more popular for Brandy.
Almost all were planted in Napoleonic times. In some forests Robur and Petraea grow together but are not systematically differentiated as far as timber quality is concerned; although the trees are fairly easy to tell apart.
World’s most southern commercial winery?
Otronia, Sarmiento IG, Chubut @ 45.33° latitude south.
Lago Musters glacial lake – ‘Otronia’ is an old local name for the lake. Alberto Antonini & Pedro Parra consult. 50ha on clay, gravels and fragmented mother rock and sand with some limestone?. Wind breaks and netting helps protect from the racing Patagonian winds and allows them to operate organically. Chardonnay.
Formerly was Sam Neill’s Two Paddocks Vineyard in Central Otago, New Zealand at 45.22° South
Emphasis on ‘commercial’. There are research stations in Chile at Chile Chico at 46° 33′.
Steepest vineyard in Europe? (World?)
1 producer?
Bremmer ‘Calmont’ in the village of Bremm (Burg Cochem/Lower Mosel) is the steepest vineyard in Europe – if not the world @ 65°-70° incline.
Worked by hand on rail chairs. Shale, silt, limestone, quartzite and sandstone. Walter J Oster is a producer.
Highest Vineyards in Europe?
Associated Variety’s?
Visperterminen in Visp, Central Valais @1,150m SW exposure. The flagship grape here is “Heida Visperterminen” a local synonym for Savagnin, which can also go by the name Païen.
Mount Teide “tay-dee”, Tenerife (3,718m # 1 in Spain)
5 DO’s; with Abona DO @ 1,600m.
The most important varieties are Listán Blanco for whites and red’s Listán Negro and Negramoll.
6 most planted GRAPE Varieties in the world?
*Kyoho: 365,000ha Black table grape. v.vinifera × v. labrusca. 90% of these plantings are in China.
*Cabernet Sauvignon 341,000ha
*Sultanina/ Sultana/ Thomson Seedless/ Izmir (Turkey): 273,000ha white table grape. 3 way grape (table, rasin & wine) but best known for raisin production.
*Merlot
*Tempranillo
*Airen (w) 252,000? Is planted at lower densities and almost exclusively in Spain and notably in La Mancha.
Top 5 country’s by vineyard surface?
Vineyard Surface Area in ha.
- Spain 955,000 (13.1% of World)
- France 812,000 (11.2%)
- China 785,000
- Italy 218,000
- Turkey 410,000
Top 5 country’s by wine production volume (excl juices & musts)
Wine Production by Volume (excl juices & musts)
- Italy 49.8 (19.3%)
- France 45.6 (17.7%)
- Spain 35.7
- USA 22.4
- Australia 12.7
Who identified Umami?
Japanese Scientist Dr. Kikunae Ikeda in 1907
Who is the Japanese pioneer associated with ‘Permaculture’?
aka. ‘Natural Farming’
Masanobu Fukuoka (Japan) is equal part natural farmer and philosopher; accredited with being one of the pioneers of ‘ with books such as ‘The One Straw Revolution’ (1975) based on approaches he undertook in farming during the 30’s.
Vintages not produced by Château d’Yquem?
1910, 1915, 1930, 1951, 1952, 1964, 1972, 1974, 1992 and 2012.
Who produces Crème De Tête?
Château Gilette, Preignac.
Famous for its super long aged Sauternes. Indigenous ferment then aged in concrete vat (20-40hl) with no racking, no topping up, no added sulphur, no lees stirring for up to 20 years. No Oak. This style begun with the 1937 vintage (inaugural Crème De Tête) when Rene went off to fight in WW2 and came back 9 years later to discover the wine hadn’t been moved into barrel or bottle.
More declassified vintages than d’Yquem.
Since 1967 their entire 4.5ha clos with its sand over limestone soils have been used entirely for the Crème De Tête. Only replace individual vines when they die; some vines date back to the 1930’s. 90% Semillon, 8% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle Holdings include some of Bordeaux’s oldest Muscadelle vines.
Vidal
Crossing and by who?
White hybrid cross between
Ugni Blanc/Trebbiano Toscano x Rayon D’Or
(winter hardiness without foxy taste)
Jean Louis Vidal, Charente region for Cognac in the 1930’s.
Name of the tool commonly used to extract spirit?
Pipette
Champagne AOC
4 Permitted Training Methods?
[Taille] Chablis (Chardonnay), Cordon de Royat, Vallée de la Marne (allowed for Meunier only), Guyot (simple or double).
Where is the worlds oldest known vine?
Maribor (village), Podravje, Slovenia.
In the city center on the ‘Old Vine House’ grows an 450+ year old Žametovka vine
Recognized by the Guinness Book of records as the oldest vine in the world, which still bears fruit annually.
Planted by the end of the Middle Ages, when Maribor was sieged by the Turks.
2 synonyms for Folle Blanche?
Piquepoul (Gascogne & Languedoc [Picpoul de Pinet AOC])
Gros Plant (Gros Plant du Pays Nantais AOP, Loire)
What are Teinturier variety’s?
While there are many name 4 commonly found in production?
French: ‘to dye or stain’
The grape pulp also contains anthocyanins and thus have a red pulp pigmentation as well as the skin.
Saperavi
Colorino
Alicante Bouschet/ Garnacha Tintorera [Castilla La Mancha],
Chambourcin
Name the 5 Champagne Villages elevated to Grand Cru in 1985?
Montage de Reims
*Verzy
Cotes de Blancs
*Chouilly (fmr. GC for White only)
*Oiry
*Oger
*Les Mesnil-Sur-Oger
Which Champagne Grand Cru was redefined in 2020?
Tours-sur-Marne (fmr. GC for Red Only)
formerly Vallee de la Marne now Montage de Reims.
Name 2 99% Champagne 1er Crus?
Tauxières-Mutry 1er (99%) just west of Bouzy, MdR. ‘taux-e-air moo-tre’
Mareuil-sur-Ay 1er (99%) that includes Clos Saint-Hilaire & Clos de Goisses, VdM.
Name 2 of the 1er Crus in Montage de Reims that are pred. planted to Chardonnay?
In the Southeast of Montage de Reims there is an area of four 1er cru Chardonnay dominated villages due to a chalk outcrop, sometimes called the ‘perle blanche’ / ‘white pearl’. However there is some Pinot Noir planted.
Villers-Marmery
Notably east facing. Deeper clay tosoils. Rounder & richer with a characteristic waxiness. Arnaud Margaine top producer.
Trépail “Trep-pay”
The most well-known, David Léclapart is here. Notably east facing. Thinner topsoils. Traditionally among the last crus to harvest. Mouthwatering grapefruit acidity.
Atlantique IGP
Covers what wine regions?
Bordeaux, Cognac & Dordogne Gironde,
Departments:
Charente-Maritime, Charente, Dordogne, Lot-et-Garonne (partial)
What is the IGP for Southwestern France?
Comté Tolosan IGP
Departments:
Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Lot, Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne, Ariège, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Aveyron, Cantal
Comtés Rhodaniens IGP
Covers what wine regions?
Northern Rhône & Savoie
Departments:
Loire, Rhône, Ain, Haute-Savoie, Savoie, Isère, Ardèche, Drôme
Méditerranée IGP
Covers what wine regions?
Rhône Valley, Provence, & Corsica
Departments:
Ardèche, Drôme, Haute-Alpes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Vaucluse, Bouches-du-Rhône, Corse-du-Sud, Haut-Corse
Pays d’Oc IGP
Covers what wine regions?
Languedoc & Roussillon
Department:
Pyrénées-Orientales, Aude, Hérault, Gard, Lozère
Terres du Midi IGP
Covers what wine regions?
Languedoc & Roussillon (2018 incl more grape varieties’ the Pays d’Oc IGP).
Department:
Pyrénées-Orientales, Aude, Hérault, Gard, Lozère
What is the regional IGP/PGI for Loire Valley?
Val de Loire IGP
Many (sub) department IGP of their greater regional IGP are named after rivers.
What is the department IGP covering Savoie?
Isère IGP
The Isère River traverses the region; an important left-bank tributary of the Rhône, the Isère merges with it a few kilometres north of Valence (starts in the Graian Alps, Italy). The Savoie is where the Rhone travelling South from the Lac Leman, takes a ‘V’ turn and heads North-West before turning West to Lyon.
Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francaises Blanc de Noir
meaning?
3 crus?
Inaugural vintage?
Old French Vines
Refers to the ancient training method EN FOULE/layering and not the age of the un-grafted pre phylloxera vines which produces a super-rich vinous wine.
100% Pinot Noir from 2 vineyards Clos St Jaques & Clos Chaudes Terres (Both in Ay).
A 3rd plot Croix Rouge succumbed to phylloxera and was uprooted in 2004
2005 was the only Brut Nature
2,500-3,000 bottles a year. 1969 (released in 1974).
Name 5 commonly found Vitis Labrusca varieties and their colours?
1 character of this species?
Vitis labrusca/ the fox grape’s are native to eastern North America .
“slip-skin” that allows the skin of the grape berries to easily slip off when squeezed, instead of crushing the pulp
Catawba (w with pink skin) sweet-spk white-pink
Concord (r)
Delaware (w with pink-red skin)
Isabella (r)
Niagara (w)
What is Loess?
Aeolian (windborne) sediment, defined as an accumulation of 20% or less of clay with a balance of roughly equal parts sand and silt.
3 main principles of Kosher wines?
Wines and/or grapes are only handled by Sabbath observing Jews.
All additivies: fining agents, yeasts and cleaning materials must be kosher certified.
Mevushal ‘flash pasteurization’.
Varys as many Jews are secular with different practices. Plus kosher to drink and kosher for Passover are different as Passover forbids leavened agents and products.
4 common yeast in sparkling wine production?
- EC-1118 (Lalvin EC-1118): Robust, high alcohol tolerance
and low foaming. Trad. Method. - Premier Cuvee /Prise de Mousse: fast-starting,
clean/neutral and tolerant up to 18% abv. Also, low
foaming which make it suitable for barrel
fermentations. Trad. Method. - DV10: reliable under conditions of low pH, high total
SO2 and low temperature. Low nitrogen req. Tank? - IOC 18-2007?: commonly used for Charmat
Define the Coriolis effect and its influence in climate conditions?
The Coriolis Effect is the apparent deflection of a moving object due to the rotation of a greater object. On Earth, the Coriolis Effect deflects ocean currents north of the equator to the right and currents south of the equator to the left
NZ is greatly influenced by the Coriolis effect as it is predominantly a maritime climate and majority of viticulture is on the East coast.
What does ENSO stand for?
How is it relative to climate?
El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a global climate phenomenon that emerges from variations in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific - the exact cause is unknown. El Niño and La Niña are two opposing phases of the Oscillation cycle:
- El Niño: Above average sea surface temperatures weakened trade winds (aka Easterlies) - are permanent east-to-west prevailing winds.
- La Niña: Below average sea Surface temperatures & strengthened trade winds.
North & South Americas, Australia and NZ?
What is the Gibbs-Marangoni Effect?
A phenomenon that is the result of fluid surface tension caused by the evaporation of alcohol.
Swirled wine creates a thin film on the surface of the glass. As the alcohol in this mixture evaporates (creating wine aromas), the leftover water-wine mix collects on the sides of the glass creating droplets that fall back into the glass.
Long legs/tears = more evaporation due to a higher alcohol %
Cellar Temperatures & Humidity?
Cigar Humidor Temperature & Humidity?
Wine should be stored around 11-15˚c (52-57°F) & 55-75% humidity. Wine storage temperatures should never go over 24˚c as otherwise, wines begin to oxidize.
Between 18°c and 22°c. Cuban cigars are best kept between 65-75 % relative humidity.
Vin de Goutte?
Free Run - actual translate is ‘drop wine’.
Quarter Bottle?
185-200ml
Chopine?
250ml or 1/3 bottle
Used more often in France.
Jennie?
500ml
This uncommon wine bottle size is used most often for sweet, dessert styled wines from Tokaji, Sauternes and its surrounding areas or Jerez.
Marie Jeanne?
(MJ mag-jero)
2.25 Liters or 3 bottles
Port producers often refer to this unique bottle as a Tregnum or Tappit Hen bottle.
[3 E’s = 3 bottles]
Jeroboam size?
Variations?
3 litres or 4 bottles.
The Bordelaise call it double magnum
Bordeaux Jeroboam is historically 5 litres (6.66 bottles). Prior to 1978 it a Bordeaux Jeroboam was 4.5 / 4.45 litres often written as 444cl.
It appears however the 5L is less common today and many producers’ default to the 3L? Mouton has more recent 5L releases (2000).
Lokoya and Verite appear to consistently do 5L releases
Jeroboam I was the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel
Rehoboam?
4.5 litres or 6 bottles
Burgundy and Champagne but more often than not reserved for Champagne.
Rehoboam the King of Judah, Son of King Solomon who turned away from God.
Burgundian because a Bordelaise Jero was/is 5L
Methuselah?
6 litres or 8 bottles (8= infininty)
The Methuselah is usually reserved for Champagne or sparkling wine and comes in a sloped shoulder bottle, similar to a Burgundy bottle. In Bordeaux or for Bordeaux style wines this is referred to an “Imperial”.
The oldest man to have ever lived – 969 years. A descendent of Adam and Eve and Uncle to Noah. Pre the Biblical flood people lived very long lives, Adam lived to 930.
Salmanazar?
9 litres or 12 bottles
This was the surname of five Assyrian kings.
Balthazar?
12 litres or 16 bottles
Balthazar (representing Africa) was one of the three wise men who came to pay homage to the infant Jesus. A second biblical Balthazar also exists, he was the last king of Babylon (modern day Iraq).
Nebuchadnezzar?
15 litres or 20 bottles
He was the greatest king of Babylon and ruled between 605 and 562 BC. After defeating the Egyptians, he conquered Jerusalem several times and took the Israelites captive to Babylon, which he turned into a magnificent city (Modern day Iraq).
Melchior/ Solomon?
18 litres or 24 bottles
Often reserved for Champagne. Some texts cite a Melchior as 18l & Solomon as 20l.
Solomon was one of the wise men who supposedly came from Europe. In the Old Testament, Solomon was king of Israel between 970 and 931 BC. With the gift of wisdom and knowledge of languages. His wealth, harem, and relationship with the Queen of Sheba are also legendary; although it was his lust for women (700 wives and 300 concubines) that lead him astray from God – he let his lovers of different faiths worship their own gods under his own roof
Sovereign?
26.25 litres or 35 bottles
The sovereign bottle was designed for the baptism of the largest cruise ship in the world, ‘Sovereign of the sea’, on 16 January 1988
Primat?
27 litres or 36 bottles
The name originates from Latin and means « first class ». Historically, Primat was the name given to a few archbishops, who would then gain some sort of superiority over all bishops and archbishops of a region. This name was used for the first time in 1999 for what was then the largest bottle ever produced. AKA as a Goliath?
Melchizedec/ Midas?
30 litres or 40 bottles
This bottle has been used since 2002 and is named after an enigmatic character of sacred history. Melchizedec blessed Abraham and has gained a similar ‘messianic’ character to that of Christ.
Drappier is the only Champagne house to sell all bottle sizes: from the quarter bottle up to the Melchisedec (30l)
3 synonyms for bush vines?
Gobelet (FR)
Alberello (ITY) ‘little tree in glass’
En Vaso (SPN) ‘in glass’
SCOBY?
Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast
When were the European PGI & PDO legislations introduced?
What do they regulate?
1992
European agricultural products and foodstuffs. Inspired on existing national systems, such as the French AOC & Italian DOC.
PDO’s are stricter requiring raw ingredients and all stages of production occurring in a specific zone.
PGI’s require at least one of the stages of production, processing or preparation to take place in the region and thus are more flexible while still maintaining a sense of regional character.
Define the Marangoni effect/ Gibbs-Marangoni effect?
In wine the alcohol evaporates faster than the water (as it has a lower surface tension), creating a surface tension gradient. It is this gradient that causes the wine to flow up the glass and fall back down forming tears/legs (albeit with less alcohol).
What are the 2 Bordeaux exceptions to the large formatt acronym?
Either side of Rare/Really/Rehoboam (4.5/ 6 bottles)
Jeroboam: Traditionally a BDX Jeroboam is 5 litres.
Methuselah (6l/ 8 bottles) in Bordeaux is referred to as an Imperial.
When and Who is accredited with the notion of ‘Liqueur de tirage’?
1662
Englishmen Christopher Merret documents the addition of sugar and molasses to wine casks to make the wine more lively.
