Other USA, Mexico, Canada Flashcards
Name 3 wild grape vines indigenous to the US
Vitis Labrusca, vitis rotundifolia & vitis aestivalis
What was the nations first bonded winery? When was it established? Where is it located?
Pleasant Valley Wine Company, est. in 1860, located in Hammondsport in the Finger Lakes
When did the prohibition begin? What amendment was it in the constitution?
1920- 18th amendment
How did some wineries survive the prohibition?
By producing still-legal Christian sacramental wines
What amendment ratified the prohibition? When?
21st amendment in 1933
Who planted Riesling in the Finger Lakes?
Dr. Konstantin Frank
Who first planted Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley? When?
David Lett (of Eyrie Vineyard) in 1966
How many US states produce wine?
All 50
Who originally oversaw the AVA system?
The ATF (the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms)
When did the ATF finalize the AVA system?
In the late 1970’s
What are the demarcated appellations based upon?
Distinctive geographical, physical and climatic features
When was the first AVA approved? What was it and where is it?
Late 1980; Augusta AVA in Missouri
Who now oversees the AVA system?
TTB (Tax and Trade Bureau)
When was the TTB created? By who?
In 2002 by the Homeland Security Act
Explain why the TTB suspended the entire process of new AVA approval in 2007.
With the proposal to create a Calistoga AVA within Napa Valley, it exposed a contentious disconnect between the rights of a brand and truth in appellation labeling. (2 wineries- Calistoga Cellars and Calistoga Estates- did not use enough Calistoga fruit in their wines and stood to lose their names if the AVA was approved)
If a label lists an AVA, what is the minimum of grapes must be sourced from within the named AVA?
85%
If a label lists a county, state or country, what is the minimum for grapes that must be sourced from within? What are the exceptions to this?
75%. California and Oregon require 100% and Washington requires 95%
Wines labeled by a single vineyard require what percentage of grapes to be sourced from within?
95%
What are the requirements for vintage dating wines?
If an American or imported wine in the US uses a vintage date, the wine must carry an appellation smaller than a country. For wines labeled with an AVA, a min of 95% must come from the stated vintage. For wines labeled with a state or county, a min of 85% must come from the stated vintage.
What is the minimum varietal makeup for a varietal designation?
75% minimum with the exception of vitis labrusca grapes, which are only required to be at 51%
What are the requirements for alcohol content on labels?
Alcohol content must be stated on labels, within a margin on +/- 1.5%. As an alternative, wines in the 7-14% ABV range can be labeled as ‘table wine’ or ‘light wine’.
What are the labeling requirements for sulfites and health warnings?
Law requires a government health warning and the phrase ‘contains sulfites’ provided they are present in a concentration of 10 parts per million or more.
What are the requirements for using the term ‘estate bottled’?
100% of the grapes must come from grapes grown on land owned or controlled by the winery. In addition, the winery and all vineyards used in the production of an estate bottled wine must be located within the same AVA
What is the climate of the Willamette Valley?
Mild, temperate, rainy
What are the sub AVAs of Willamette Valley?
- Dundee Hills
- Eola-Amity Hills
- Ribbon Ridge
- McMinnville
- Yamhill-Carlton District
- Chehalem Mountains
What are the soils of the Willamette Valley AVA? (In general)
Alluvial soils, known as Willamette Silt over older volcanic and sedimentary bedrock.
What is the soil of the Dundee Hills AVA?
Jory- a well drained volcanic topsoil
What is the soil of the Ribbon Ridge AVA?
Willakenzie- fine loam, ash covered
What styles of wine typically develop out of Jory soils? What about Willakenzie?
Jory soils provide more elegance whereas Willakenzie is renowned for a denser style and darker fruit
Where do you find Jory soil?
Dundee Hills AVA, Willamette Valley, OR
Where do you find Willakenzie soils?
Ribbon Ridge AVA, Willamette Valley, OR
What are the sub AVAs of Southern Oregon AVA?
- Umpqua Valley
- –Elkton Oregon
- –Red Hills Douglas County
- Rouge Valley
- –Applegate Valley
What is the general climate of Southern Oregon AVA?
One of the warmest and driest regions in the state (with the exception of Walla Walla)
What three AVAs are shared between Washington and Oregon?
- Columbia Gorge
- Columbia Valley
- Walla Walla Valley
What AVA is shared between Oregon and Idaho?
Snake River Valley
Varietal wines from Oregon must contain a minimum of what percentage of the stated varietal? What are the exceptions to this?
90%; White/red Bordeaux varieties, major Rhone varieties, Zin, Sangiovese, Tannat and Tempranillo (These are only required to reach 75%)
A wine listed by AVA in Oregon must have what percentage of its fruit sourced from that AVA?
95%- as opposed to the federal law of 85%
Where is Chehalem Mountains AVA?
Willamette Valley, OR
Were is Ribbon Ridge AVA?
Willamette Valley, OR
Where is Yamhill-Carlton District AVA?
Willamette Valley, OR
Where is Dundee Hills AVA?
Willamette Valley, OR
Where is McMinnville AVA?
Willamette Valley, OR
Where is Eola-Amity Hills AVA?
Willamette Valley, OR
Where is Red Hills Douglas County AVA?
Southern Oregon, OR
Where is Umpqua Valley AVA?
Southern Oregon, OR
Where is Elkton Oregon AVA?
Umpqua Valley, Southern Oregon, OR
Where is Applegate Valley AVA?
Southern Oregon, OR
Where is Rogue Valley AVA?
Southern Oregon, OR
Where is Columbia Gorge AVA?
Columbia Valley, WA/OR
Where is Walla Walla Valley AVA?
Columbia Valley, WA/OR
Where is Snake River Valley AVA?
OR/ID
All of Washington’s wine regions are to the east of what mountain range? What is the exception to this?
Cascades; Puget Sound AVA
What is the climate of eastern Washington?
Experiences a true continental climate, with hot summers and cold winters: frost and winter freezes are serious concerns for growers, but ripeness is easily achieved in the state’s warm growing seasons.
What is the largest AVA in Washington?
Columbia Valley AVA
What are the sub AVAs of Columbia Valley (Washington side)?
- Yakima Valley
- –Red Mountain
- –Rattlesnake Hills
- –Snipes Mountain
- Walla Walla Valley
- Wahluke Slope
- Lake Chelan
- Horse Heaven Hills
- Naches Heights
- Ancient Lakes of Columbia
What was the first AVA of Washington?
Yakima Valley (est. 1983)
What is Washington’s smallest AVA?
Red Mountain AVA
What is the most planted grape in Yakima Valley AVA?
Chardonnay
What is the most prominent varietal coming from the Red Mountain AVA?
Cab Sauv
What are the soils of Walla Walla Valley AVA (Washington Side)?
Basalt bedrock and thin alluvial topsoil
What are the most planted grapes in Walla Walla Valley (Washington side) AVA?
Cabernet Sauv, Merlot and Syrah
Where is Puget Sound AVA?
Washington
Where is Yakima Valley AVA?
Columbia Valley, WA
Where is Rattlesnake Hills AVA?
Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, WA
Where is Red Mountain AVA?
Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, WA
Where is Snipes Mountain AVA?
Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, WA
Where is Naches Heights AVA?
Columbia Valley, WA
Where s Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley AVA?
Columbia Valley, WA
Where is Horse Heaven Hills AVA?
Columbia Valley, WA
Where is Lake Chelan AVA?
Columbia Valley, WA
Where is Wahluke Slope AVA?
Columbia Valley, WA
What are the main AVAs of New York?
- Long Island
- Hudson River Region
- Finger Lakes
- Lake Erie (shared with PA and OH)
- Niagra Escarpment
- Champlain Valley of New York
What is the climate of Long Island AVA?
Warmer maritime
What are the sub AVAs of Long Island AVA?
North Fork of Long Island and The Hamptons, Long Island.
What are the primary grapes planted in Long Island?
Bordeaux varietals
Where is majority (90%) of New York’s wine produced?
The Finger lakes
What is Niagara?
An American cross of Concord and Cassady with a large following in the Finger Lakes
What are the sub AVAs of Finger Lakes?
Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake
Where is North Fork AVA?
Long Island, NY
Where is The Hamptons AVA?
Long Island, NY
Where is Cayuga Lake AVA?
Finger Lakes, NY
Where is Seneca Lake AVA?
Finger Lakes, NY
Where is Lake Erie AVA?
NY, PA, OH
What is the largest AVA in Texas?
Texas Hill Country AVA
What states share the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA?
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois
What is the larges AVA in the US? When was it formally approved?
The Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA (30,000 square miles) was approved in 2009
What is the most important viticultural region in Mexico?
Baja Peninsula
What is the climate of the Baja Peninsula?
Maritime influenced
What are the sub regions of the Baja Peninsula?
- Valle de Guadalupe
- Valle de Santo Tomas
- Valle de San Antonio de la Minas
- Valle de San Vincente
Where is the Americas oldest winery??
Casa Madero (est. 1597) in the state of Coahuila (near the state of Texas) in Mexico
Where is Augusta AVA?
Missouri
What were the popular French hybrid grapes in the 1950s-1970s in Canada?
De Chaunac, Baco Noir, Rosette and Marechal Foch
When was Chardonnay introduced to Canada?
1951 by Adhemar de Chaunac
What are the similarities and differences between the Canadian prohibition and the US prohibition?
Both occurred in the early 20th century, but Canada’s was on a provincial rather than national scale
Which providence of Canada was the last to repeal the prohibition? When?
Ontario in 1927
What happened to the Canadian wine industry after prohibition?
It became consolidated- a moratorium was placed on new winery licenses and larger companies swallowed up smaller ones that struggled through the prohibition. By 1974, at the end of the moratorium, only 6 wineries remained in business
What winery created the international reputation for Canadian Icewine?
Inniskillin in Niagara on the Lake
What is the only French hybrid allowed in the production of icewine?
Vidal
When did Ontario launch the VQA? When did British Columbia?
1988; 1990
What does VQA stand for?
Vintners’ Quality Alliance
What are the only two regions of Canada to have VQA status?
Ontario and British Columbia
What is special about the VQA in British Columbia?
It is voluntary
VQA wines labeled by providence must be made from what percent of grapes grown within the stated providence?
100%
VQA wines from British Columbia labeled with a more precise appellation must be made from what percentage of grapes grown within that appellation?
95%
VQA wines from Ontario labeled with a more precise appellation must be made from what percentage of grapes grown within that appellation?
85% for appellations and regional appellations and 100% for sub appellations (in Niagara Peninsula)
What percentage of grapes must be sourced from the stated single vineyard for VQA wines?
100%
Ontario VQA wines must give a vintage date with what exception? What percentage of grapes must be harvested in the stated year?
Sparkling wines do not need to be vintage dated. 85% of the grapes must be harvested in the stated year.
British Columbia VQA vintage dated wines must contain what percentage of grapes harvested from the stated year?
85%
What percentage of the wine must be made from the labeled variety for VQA wines?
85%
When is chaptalization not permitted in Canada?
Late harvest wines or icewine
What are the three main appellations of Ontario?
- Niagara Peninsula
- Lake Erie North Shore
- Prince Edward Island
When was Pelee Island deregulated from an appellation? Which providence was it in?
2013- Ontario
What is the climate of Ontario?
Cool continental mitigated by the lake effect of the Great Lakes
What are the two regional appellations of the Niagara Peninsula?
Niagara Escarpment and Niagara on the Lake
What are the main grapes of Niagara Peninsula?
◦White Grapes: Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
◦Red Grapes: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Gamay
What is the soil of Niagara Peninsula?
Variable clay, silt and sand
Who is the key producer of Niagara Peninsula? What are they known for?
Inniskillin- Icewine
When do producers have to declare their intentions to make icewine in Ontario? What temperature is required to harvest the grapes used for icewine in Ontario?
By November; -8 degrees Celsius
What are the major grapes of Prince Edward County?
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
What are the major grapes of Lake Erie North Shore?
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
Where is Niagara Peninsula?
Ontario
Where is Vinemount Ridge?
Ontario (Sub appellation not included in a regional appellation)
Where is Creek Shores?
Ontario (Sub appellation not included in a regional appellation)
Where is Lincoln Lakeshore?
Ontario (Sub appellation not included in a regional appellation)
Where is Niagara-on-the-Lake?
Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Where is Niagara Escarpment?
Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Where is Niagara River?
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Where is Niagara Lakeshore?
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Where is Four Mile Creek?
Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Where is St. David’s Bench?
Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Where is Short Hills Bench?
Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Where is Beamsville Bench?
Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Where is Twenty Mile Bench?
Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Where is Prince Edward County?
Ontario
Where is Lake Erie North Shore?
Ontario
What is a DVA?
Designated Viticultural Area
What are the DVAs of British Columbia?
- Okanagan Valley
- Vancouver Island
- Gulf Island
- Fraser Valley
- Similkameen Valley
What is the most northerly wine region in Canada?
Okanagan Valley- at the 49th parallel, it is one of the world’s most northerly areas
What area in British Columbia supplies most of the wine?
Okanagan Valley
What mountain range provides a rain shadow effect for Okanagan Valley?
Monashee Mountains
What is the climate of Okanagan Valley?
True continental, despite some mitigation of extremes by Lake Okanagan
What are the most planted grapes in Okanagan Valley?
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Merlot and Pinot Blanc
Where is Okanagan Valley?
British Columbia
Where is Vancouver Island?
British Columbia
Where is Gulf Island?
British Columbia
Where is Fraser Island?
British Columbia
Where is Similkameen Valley?
British Columbia
What are the unofficial subzones of Gulf Island?
- Gabriola
- Saturna Island
What are the unofficial subzones of Okanagan Valley?
- Golden Mile
- Black Sage/Osoyoos
- Kelowna
- Naramata
- Okanagan Falls
What are the unofficial subzones of Vancouver Island?
- Cowichan Valley
- Nanaimo
- Saanich Peninsula
What are the three sub appellations of Ontario outside of a regional appellation?
- Vinemount Ridge
- Creek Shores
- Lincoln Lakeshore
What are the sub-appellations of Niagara on the Lake?
- Niagara Lakeshore
- Niagara River
What are the sub-appellations of Niagara Escarpment (Canada)?
- Four Mile Creek
- St. David’s Bench
- Short Hills Bench
- Twenty Mile Bench
- Beamsville Bench
What was the first year that table wines surpassed fortified wines in domestic consumption?
1967
What three winemakers followed David Lett?
- Charles Coury
- Dick Erath
- Dick Ponzi
What AVA was established in 2011 in Washington?
Naches Heights
What AVA was established in 2013 in Washington?
Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley
What is the leading premium wine grape in Michigan?
Riesling
What is the only North American grape Riedel has commissioned a glass especially for?
Norton (vitis aestivalis)
What is the prided grape of Missouri?
Norton
What soils were deposited by the Missoula Flood in Oregon?
Willamette Silt
What state is the second largest producer in the US? What is the second largest producer of premium wine in the US?
- NY
- WA
Where is ‘The Rocks’ in Washington? What is it known for?
- Walla Walla Valley
- Features basalt cobblestones, similar to the galets of CdP
- Known for Rhobn-style wines
Where is Stone Hill Winery? What is the importance?
- Hermann, Missouri
- 3rd largest winery at the turn of the century
Who was Charles Valentine Riley?
- A Missouri Entomologist
- First to recognize the innate resistance of American grape species to phylloxera
Who was Nicholas Langworth?
Mid 19th century, in the height of his career, he produced hand-riddled sparkling Catawba grapes ~150,000 bottles annually in Ohio
Who was Robert Prince?
1840s- successfully made wine from native grapes on Long Island
What is the newest AVA of Oregon added in 2015?
Rocks of Milton Freewater (Walla Walla)
What is the warmest growing region of WA?
Red Mountain AVA
What is the warmest and driest growing region of OR west of the Cascades?
Applegate AVA
Where is Rocks of Milton-Freewater AVA?
Walla Walla Valley, OR