Northern Italy

Question 1

Valle d’Aosta Climate

Answer 1

Because of its elevation, the wines tend to be lighter and higher in acid. It is a true continental
climate and its vineyards are located on the Dora Baltea river

Question 2

Subzones of Valle d’Aosta

Answer 2

Arnad-Montjovet, Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle, Chambave,
Donnas, Enfer d’Arvier, Nus, and Torrette

Question 3

Valle d’Aosta White Grapes

Answer 3

Blanc de Morgex,
Müller-Thurgau, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Petite Arvine, and Moscato

Question 4

Valle d’Aosta Red Grapes

Answer 4

Petit Rouge and
Picotendro (Nebbiolo) are the main indigenous varieties with Gamay, Pinot Noir and Merlot
also planted

Question 5

Valle d’Aosta Wine Styles

Answer 5

Still white, rosé, and red, and late harvest wines are produced.

Question 6

Lombardy Location

Answer 6

located in the north-central part of Italy at the base of the Alps on the border
with Switzerland

Question 7

Lombardy bodies of water

Answer 7

It has four major lakes, but Lake Garda and Lake Iseo have wine regions
surrounding them

Question 8

Lombardy Climate

Answer 8

This is a true continental climate with cold winters and warm summers

Question 9

Lombardy is known for

Answer 9

because of its marginal climate, it is an excellent place to grow grapes for sparkling wines

Question 10

Sparkling wine history in Lombardy

Answer 10

Franciacorta has a long history of sparkling winemaking dating back to 1570 and started to
rival the quality of Champagne in the 1960s

Question 11

Grapes for Sparkling Wine

Answer 11

Pinot Noir, Pinot Bianco, and Chardonnay tend to
be the preferred grapes for sparkling wines while in Valtellina to the north Nebbiolo
(Chiavennasca) is the main grape.

Question 12

Franciacorta DOCG

Answer 12

Traditional method sparkling wines from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and
Pinot Blanc

Question 13

Franciacorta DOCG Wine Styles

Answer 13

Styles include Blanc, Rosé, Satèn (sparkling wine made from all-white grapes
and bottled at less than 5 atmospheres of pressure), Millesimato (vintage), and Riserva

Question 14

Franciacorta on Label

Answer 14

Minimum 18 months on the lees after tirage, 25 months total.

Question 15

Franciacorta Satèn & Rosé

Answer 15

Minimum 24 months on the lees after tirage, 31 months
total. Both styles may also be Millesimato or Riserva

Question 16

Franciacorta Millesimato

Answer 16

Minimum 30 months on the lees after tirage, 37 months
total

Question 17

Franciacorta Riserva

Answer 17

Minimum 60 months on the lees after tirage, 67 months total.

Question 18

Scanzo DOCG

Answer 18

A dried, sweet wine made from 100% Moscato di Scanzo, a red version of
Moscato. The grapes have to be dried for a minimum of 21 days

Question 19

Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico DOCG

Answer 19

Sparkling wines made in the traditional method,
can be white, rosé, and varietally labeled Pinot Noir

Question 20

Valtellina Superiore DOCG

Answer 20

Dry reds from Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo). Can be Riserva and labeled with a subzone. May be labeled as Stagafassli if bottled in Switzerland.

Wines need to be aged for 24 months, and 3 years for Riserva.

Question 21

Sforzato di Valtellina DOCG

Answer 21

Dry wine from dried Nebbiolo grapes. Minimum 14% abv, with
high tannins

Question 22

Liguria is known for

Answer 22

quaffable beach wines

Question 23

Liguria Climate

Answer 23

Mediterranean climate and its biggest
influence is the Ligurian sea

Question 24

Notable Ligurian DOC’s

Answer 24

Cinque Terre: dry and sweet wines from Bosco and Vermentino;

Colli di Luni: whites from Vermentino and Trebbiano, reds from Sangiovese;

Riviera Ligure di Ponente: varietally labeled
dry to sweet whites from Vermentino, Pigato, and Moscato, and dry to sweet reds from Rossese

Question 25

Emilia Romagna

Answer 25

Emilia Romagna produces easy-drinking, food-friendly wines.

Question 26

Emilia Romagna Climate

Answer 26

It lies in the fertile plains of Po River Valley and is a continental climate with Mediterranean influences from the Adriatic sea

Question 27

Albana Romana DOCG

Answer 27

dry to sweet white wines from Albana- rarely found in US

Question 28

Colli Bolognesi Classico Pignoletto DOCG

Answer 28

dry still and sparkling wines from Pignoletto- rarely found in US

Question 29

Lambrusco Grape DOC's

Answer 29

Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro, Lambrusco di Sorbara, and Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce

Question 30

Lambrusco Style

Answer 30

Wines are frizzante and can range from a light rosé to a dark purple and can be one dry or slightly sweet. These wines are making a resurgence because of their versatility in pairing with food and light tannins.

Question 31

Trentino-Alto Adige Location

Answer 31

This is actually two regions following a valley north to south. It is extremely mountainous and borders both Switzerland and Austria

Question 32

Trentino-Alto Adige Climate

Answer 32

Alpine-continental and because of the cool climate, white varieties do well here

Question 33

Trentino-Alto Adige Bodies of Water

Answer 33

Lake Garda is the biggest body of water here and the region follows the Adige River

Question 34

e delle Venezie DOC

Answer 34

umbrellas Trentino-Alto Adige and the Veneto and is where much of Italy's mass-market wines come from.

Question 35

Casteller DOC

Answer 35

dry red wines from Schiava, Merlot, and Lambrusco

Question 36

Lago di Caldero DOC

Answer 36

dry to sweet red wines from Schiava

Question 37

Teroldego Rotaliano DOC

Answer 37

dry red and rosé from Teroldego

Question 38

Veneto location

Answer 38

This region reaches all the way up to Austria and down to the Adriatic sea

Question 39

Veneto bodies of water

Answer 39

Numerous rivers including the Adige and Piave cut through the subregions here on their way to the ocean and Lake Garda is a big area for grape growing

Question 40

Veneto Climate

Answer 40

The climate starts as continental and moves into Mediterranean

Question 41

Veneto and Valpolicella

Answer 41

style of winemaking that includes drying grapes into raisins until they lose much of their moisture, creating wines that are big, rich, and can be white or red, sweet or dry

Question 42

Main grapes for Apassimento

Answer 42

The main red grape here is Corvina, for whites, it is Garganega, Trebbiano, Pinot Grigio, as well as a host of both red and white international varieties

Question 43

Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG

Answer 43

Dry to semi-dry wine from dried Corvina and Rondinella grapes. This region has a historical center called “Classico.” There is also a subzone, Valpantina. Minimum 14% abv, aging is a minimum 2 years, Riserva is a minimum of 4

Question 44

Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG

Answer 44

Sweet red wine made from Corvina and Rondinella in the Amarone style. Can be still or sparkling, and labeled with Classico or Valpantena

Question 45

Valpolicella DOC

Answer 45

Dry red wine from Corvina and Rondinella. Same area as Amarone, can be regular, Classico, Valpantina, and Superiore.

Question 46

Valpolicella Ripasso DOC

Answer 46

Ripasso is when a wine is run through the spent skins of an Amarone fermentation. This adds body and richness to the wine. Dry red wine from Corvina and Rondinella

Question 47

Bardolino Superiore DOCG

Answer 47

Dry red wine from from Corvina and Rondinella. Can be Classico

Question 48

Colli Asolani DOCG

Answer 48

Dry to sweet white sparkling wine from the Glera grape, made in either the Charmat or traditional method. Can be “Sui Lieviti” or spumante Superiore, a wine from a single harvest, must be fermented in the bottle and left undisgorged, minimum 90 days on lees

Question 49

Colli Euganei Fior d’Arancio DOCG

Answer 49

still, sparkling or passito sweet wines from Moscato Giallo

Question 50

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG

Answer 50

Dry to sweet sparkling wine from Glera made in the Charmat method. Can be still, Frizzante, Spumante Superiore, or have a “rive,” a single vineyard on the label. This is considered the highest quality DOCG for Prosecco

Question 51

Montello Rosso DOCG

Answer 51

Dry red wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Can be Superiore

Question 52

Recioto di Gambellara DOCG

Answer 52

Dry to semi-sweet white wine made from Garganega. Can be sparkling or Classico

Question 53

Soave Superiore DOCG

Answer 53

Dry white wines from Garganega. Can be Classico and Riserva

Question 54

Recioto di Soave DOCG

Answer 54

Dry to semi-sweet white wine made from Garganega. Can be sparkling or Classico

Question 55

Fruili-Venezia Giulia Location

Answer 55

This region is tucked between Austria, Slovenia, and the Adriatic sea

Question 56

Fruili-Venezia Giulia Climate

Answer 56

Mediterranean climate and shares similar varieties and a long wine-growing history with Slovenia

Question 57

Fruili-Venezia Giulia Wine Styles

Answer 57

best quality usually coming from DOCs and based on dry, high acid white wines. These wines can be fermented in stainless steel to keep their varietal characteristics, or some will have skin contact or be barrel-aged to add richness

Question 58

Fruili-Venezia Giulia white grapes

Answer 58

Pinot Grigio, Malvasia, Traminer, Ribolla Gialla, Ramandolo, Picolit, and Friulano

Question 59

Fruili-Venezia Giulia red grapes

Answer 59

Pignolo, Refosco, and Schioppettino all tend to make spicy,medium-bodied wines

Question 60

Colli Orientali del Fruili Picolit DOCG

Answer 60

Sweet passito wines made from Picolit. Can be Riserva and be labeled with the sub-zone, Cialla

Question 61

Lison DOCG

Answer 61

Dry white wine from Tai (Friulano) can be labeled with Classico

Question 62

Ramandolo DOCG

Answer 62

Sweet passito wines made from Verduzzo Fruilano

Question 63

Rosazzo DOCG

Answer 63

Dry white wine from a blend of Tai, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Bianco, and Chardonnay