Modules 3 & 4: Viticulture - Winegrapes and Grape Growing

Question 1

The top five grape varieties planted worldwide in 2018 are included in the list below.

Rank them in order of importance acreage-wise (with the most widely planted variety as 1).

Chardonnay
Cab Sauv
Merlot
Airen
Tempranillo
Zinfandel

Answer 1

Cab Sauv
Merlot
Tempranillo
Airen
Chardonnay
Zin

Question 2

Describe Cabernet Sauvignon (color, origin, grape, wine)

Answer 2

Berries are thick-skinned, small, and dark
blue in color; they are high in tannins and
acidity; they are currently the most widely
planted red variety in the world; originated
from Bordeaux in France

Question 3

Concord grape - a strongly flavored grape that is widely used for juice, jams and jellies.

Answer 3

Vitis Labrusca

Question 4

A native grape that has no useable berries

Answer 4

Vitis Californica

Question 5

The European grape species that includes most mainstream varietal wines of the world

Answer 5

Vitis Vinifera

Question 6

Muscadine or Noble grape - bronze colored grape that is resistant to Pierce’s disease.

Answer 6

Muscadinia rotundifolia

Question 7

Hybrid Direct Producer

Answer 7

Vitis vinifera x Phylloxera - resistant species

Question 8

What type of disease is Red Blotch

Answer 8

Viral

Question 9

What type of disease is Powdery Mildew

Answer 9

Fungal

Question 10

What type of disease is Botrytis cinerea

Answer 10

Fungal

Question 11

What type of disease is Phylloxera

Answer 11

Insect Pest

Question 12

What type of disease is elemental sulfur treatment

Answer 12

Fungal

Question 13

What type of disease is Leaf Roll

Answer 13

Viral

Question 14

What type of disease is Pierce’s Disease

Answer 14

Bacterial

Question 15

How many grape varieties exist?

Answer 15

over 5000

Question 16

what compound causes the pigmentation is the skin

Answer 16

anthocyanin

Question 17

Describe Merlot

Answer 17

This variety is often blended with Cabernet
Sauvignon; makes a fruity wine that matures
quickly; originally from Bordeaux, France,
and is the most widely planted variety in
Bordeaux

Question 18

Describe Tempranillo

Answer 18

Berries and wine have a fairly neutral flavor
profile with some plum and strawberry
aromas; it makes full-bodied wines due to
tannins and acids and is often blended with
other varieties; it is prone to disease; it
originated in northern Spain

Question 19

Describe Syrah (Shiraz)

Answer 19

Berries are thick-skinned and almost black in
color; it has floral and spicy aromas; it thrives
on hillsides and was originally from the
northern Rhone region of France

Question 20

Describe Grenache (Grenacha)

Answer 20

A high sugar variety with fruity aromas; often
lacks acidity, tannins, and color; ripens late
and requires hot, dry growing conditions;
used in blends (a common blend is Grenache,
Syrah, Mourvèdre or GSM); extensively
grown in the Rhone Valley of France;
probably originated in Spain and still widely
grown there

Question 21

Describe Pinot Noir

Answer 21

Clusters are compact and berries have low
levels of tannins and color in the skins; makes
medium to light-bodied wines; traditionally it
is not blended with other varieties; white
juice is used for sparkling wine production;
an ancient variety from Burgundy in France

Question 22

Describe Zinfandel

Answer 22

Makes jammy-flavored red wines; often
ripened to high sugar levels which results in
high alcohol wines; often used to make a
blush or rosé wine termed ‘White Zinfandel’;
a popular variety in California; originated in
Croatia where it is known as Crljenak, Kaštelansky; in Italy it is known as Primitivo; it came to California about 150 years ago;

Question 23

Describe Airen

Answer 23

A drought and disease resistant variety with
high yields; not considered to make high
quality wines; is mostly used in blends; from
Spain and highly planted there

Question 24

Describe Chardonnay

Answer 24

Disease resistant and easy to grow adapting
to diverse climate and soil conditions; used
to make sparkling wine; most popular white
grape variety; originally from Burgundy,
France

Question 25

Describe Sauvignon Blanc

Answer 25

tropical fruit and gooseberry aromas; has
high acidity; good for blending and
traditionally blended in Bordeaux with
Semillon to make dry and sweet wines;
second most popular white variety; originally
from Bordeaux, France

Question 26

Describe Trebbiano Toscano (Ugni Blanc)

Answer 26

Neutral flavor (undistinguished) with some
fruity aromas and high acidity; widely planted
in France and used for distillation (i.e.,
Cognac and Armagnac in France); ancient
grape from Italy and still widely planted there

Question 27

Describe Riesling

Answer 27

Makes dry to very sweet wines; light bodies,
acidic, with fruity, spicy aromas; originally
from Germany and still widely planted there;
often infect with Botrytis cinerea (noble rot)
to make very sweet wines

Question 28

Describe Thompson Seedless

Answer 28

Neutral flavor; versatile and used for
blending; has high yields and does well in
hot, dry climates; used for raisins (known as
Sultana in some areas of the world)

Question 29

Name four other notable white grape varietals and where they are from

Answer 29

Chenin blanc (from Loire Valley, France,
grown in South Africa)
Gewürztraminer (from Alsace region of
France)
Sémillon (from Bordeaux, grown in Australia)
Colombard (from France)

Question 30

Name 8 other notable red varieties and where they are from

Answer 30

Gamay noir (from Beaujolais, France)
Cabernet franc (from France)
Malbec (from France, popular in Argentina)
Nebbiolo (from Italy)
Barbera (from Italy)
Sangiovese (from Italy)
Mourvèdre (from Spain)
Poulsard (grown only in the Jura Mountains
of France)

Question 31

5 Rootstocks resistant to Phylloxera and other
pests and diseases; used for breeding for
other traits such as drought resistance, etc.

Answer 31

Vitis rupestris, Vitis riparia, Vitis berlandieri,
V. arizonica, V. girdiana

Question 32

Describe grafting

Answer 32

joining the rootstock to the trunk/stem or branches
site where they are joined is called the graft union

Question 33

Name 3 things you can use to treat fungal diseases

Answer 33

sulfur powders, copper sprays and fungicides

Question 34

What can you do to control Pierce’s disease

Answer 34

controling the insect vector

Question 35

What can you do to control viral diseases

Answer 35

use clean plant materials for planting and grafting

Question 36

List the 6 stages of grapevine growth

Answer 36

Budbreak
Flowering
Fruit Set
Veraison
Harvest
Dormancy

Question 37

Name 4 things why canopy management is important

Answer 37

controls the size and shape of the vineyard
controls the amount of light that reaches the fruit
controls the amount of fruit
impacts wine flavor

Question 38

Describe the berry structure (3 components, what they contain)

Answer 38

Skin - pigment, tannins
Seeds - Tannins
Pulp - juice, no pigment

Question 39

3 things to mitigate frost

Answer 39

Spraying with water
smudge pots
wind turbines

Question 40

typical life of a vine

Answer 40

20-25 years

Question 41

typical yield of grapes in california per acre

Answer 41

2-26 tons

Question 42

typical premium wine yield

Answer 42

3-7 tons per acre

Question 43

how many gallons in a ton of grapes

Answer 43

160 gallons or 600 liters

Question 44

What is spur pruned, cordon trained vine

Answer 44

the cordons branching from the main trunk stay in place from year to year. The cordons have been trained to follow a trellis wire, branching out laterally in two directions from the main trunk . The spur, which is last year’s wood is the most recent wood on the vine and it is pruned to leave two buds for the coming year’s growth.

Question 45

What is cane pruning

Answer 45

nearly all the vine from the previous year is removed
except for one or two canes from the head of the trunk and a renewal spur. The canes are
trained along a trellis wire. Along the length of the cane will be buds that become the shoots
and flower clusters for the coming year.

Question 46

The grape variety Concord is a variety of the _________________ grape species

Answer 46

Vitis Labrusca