US Wine History & AVA Laws

Question 1

The United States of America is the world’s __largest producer of wine, and claims the world’s __highest acreage of land under vine

Answer 1

4th, 5th

Question 2

California produces approximately __% of all American wine, followed by New York, Washington, and Oregon

Answer 2

90

Question 3

North America has what native grape vines?

Answer 3

Vitis labrusca (the Concord grape)
Vitis rotundifolia (the Scuppernong grape)
Vitis aestivalis (the Norton grape)

Question 4

The __ grape, introduced to Mexico in the early 1500s, made its way northward to Rio Grande settlements in present-day Texas and New Mexico as early as 1629

Answer 4

Mission

Question 5

In __, Franciscans at the San Juan Capistrano Mission produced California’s first wine from the grape

Answer 5

1783

Question 6

In 1823, the Franciscans built the __, the last of the missions and the northern terminus of the Spanish Empire in North America—a site now occupied by Sonoma’s town square

Answer 6

San Francisco de Solano Mission

Question 7

By __, George Yount had arived in Napa as the first American settler to set foot in the valley, and had planted its first vineyard

Answer 7

1839

Question 8

Who founded Buena Vista, one of California’s oldest commercial wineries?

Answer 8

Hungarian-born, self-styled “Count” Agoston Haraszthy arrived in 1849

Question 9

Haraszthy is credited with-

Answer 9

introduced more than 300 varieties to the state

Question 10

After working for Haraszthy, __ moved in 1861 to St. Helena in Napa Valley and founded his eponymous winery—the oldest in the valley

Answer 10

Charles Krug

Question 11

Jacob Schram built Schramsberg in __

Answer 11

1862

Question 12

Finnish immigrant Gustav Niebaum founded the legendary Inglenook Winery in __

Answer 12

1879

Question 13

Beringer, Napa’s oldest continuously operating winery, was established in __

Answer 13

1876

Question 14

What wreaked havoc in CA from 1873-1890

Answer 14

Phylloxera

Question 15

Vines were grafted onto ___ after Phylloxera in CA

Answer 15

Vitis riparia and its hybrids (american rootstocks)

Question 16

In New York, commercial winemaking can be traced to the __, when Robert Prince produced wine from native grapes on Long Island

Answer 16

1840s

Question 17

What dominated vineyards in the Fingerlakes from the 1850s onwards?

Answer 17

native Concord & the American hybrids Catawba and Delaware

Question 18

The nation’s first bonded winery, __, was est in 1860 and is still operating today, near Hammondsport in Finger Lakes

Answer 18

Pleasant Valley Wine Company

Question 19

Ohio: in the mid-19th century,__ annually produced 150,000 bottles of traditional method, hand-riddled sparkling Catawba

Answer 19

Nicholas Longworth

Question 20

Missouri, German immigrants were by 1856 producing 100,000 gallons annually, and __ in Hermann became the third largest winery in the world by the turn of the century

Answer 20

Stone Hill Winery

Question 21

American grapevines and their hybrids were vitally important in Missouri; to this day the __ grape remains the pride of the state

Answer 21

Norton

Question 22

__, a Missouri entomologist, earned his place in the history of wine for his part in saving it—he was the first to understand the innate resistance of American grapes species to phylloxera

Answer 22

Charles Valentine Riley

Question 23

What change happened in the 1920s in US wine industry?

Answer 23

nationwide ban on the manufacture and sale of “intoxicating liquors” with the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution

Question 24

The Frenchman Georges de Latour’s Beaulieu Vineyards actually thrived during the dry times, declaring itself-

Answer 24

the “House of Altar Wine.”

Question 25

When was prohibition lifted?

Answer 25

The 21st Amendment, ratified in 1933

Question 26

In 1938, Georges de Latour hired __, a Russian winemaker trained in France, to oversee the production at Beaulieu

Answer 26

André Tchelistcheff

Question 27

What did André Tchelistcheff bring to BV and CA?

Answer 27

He introduced the Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, a new benchmark in quality for American wine, and brought new standards of hygiene and techniques to California, including temperature-controlled fermentations and controlled malolactic fermentation

Question 28

Tchelistcheff, dubbed the “dean of American winemakers,” mentored-

Answer 28

Robert Mondavi, Louis Martini, Joe Heitz, and Mike Grgich

Question 29

CA wineries that survived Prohibition

Answer 29

Inglenook, Beringer, and Beaulieu

Question 30

Following his departure from Charles Krug due to a family feud, Robert Mondavi, a man many credit with creating the “brand” of Napa Valley, launched his winery’s first harvest in-

Answer 30

1966

Question 31

In 1968, Mondavi singlehandedly made Sauvignon Blanc saleable by renaming it “__” and aging it in oak.

Answer 31

Fumé Blanc

Question 32

Who were early modern pioneers in Sonoma?

Answer 32

Hanzell, Martin Ray, and Simi

Question 33

Winemaker Paul Draper in 1969 took over production of-

Answer 33

“Monte Bello” at Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Question 34

__ Vineyards, originally est by Paul Masson in 1878, produced its first vintage under its new name in 1972

Answer 34

Mount Eden

Question 35

The 1st __ Vineyard bottling (Monterey’s oldest commercial vineyard) debuted in 1960

Answer 35

Chalone

Question 36

In 1970, disregarding much advice to the contrary, Richard Sanford planted Pinot Noir in his new-

Answer 36

Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in Santa Barbara’s Santa Ynez Hills

Question 37

Dr. Konstantin Frank, a janitor at Cornell University, demonstrated in the face of tremendous skepticism that __ could grow successfully in the Finger Lakes

Answer 37

Vitis vinifera

Question 38

His Vinifera Wine Cellars, founded in __, achieved praise with Riesling and sparkling wines and ignited a new interest in noble varieties in New York

Answer 38

1962

Question 39

In 1965, __ of Eyrie Vineyard planted his first Pinot Noir grapes in the Willamette Valley

Answer 39

David Lett

Question 40

Who placed first in the 1976 “Judgment of Paris”?

Answer 40

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and Chateau Montelena Chardonnay

Question 41

In 1978, a __ Cabernet Sauvignon was the first Napa Valley bottling to top the $100 mark at release

Answer 41

Diamond Creek

Question 42

Phylloxera recurred in California’s vineyards in the __

Answer 42

1980s

Question 43

What was the 1990s stylistic shift in CA?

Answer 43

ripeness, body, and higher alcohol levels, more weight and fruit

Question 44

What are new problems for CA growers?

Answer 44

Pierce’s Disease and the invasive, destructive light-brown apple moth both

Question 45

The bureau approved America’s first AVA—__—in late 1980

Answer 45

Augusta, in Missouri

Question 46

Napa Valley gained AVA status in __

Answer 46

1981

Question 47

Today, the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), a new federal bureau created by the Homeland Security Act of _, oversees the AVA system

Answer 47

2002

Question 48

What did the TTB approve in 2009, setting an example for future label integrity?

Answer 48

Calistoga Cellars and Calistoga Estates—did not use enough Calistoga fruit in their wines, and stood to lose their names if the TTB approved the AVA application. In late 2009, the TTB approved the AVA without grandfathering either winery

Question 49

% of Grapes Required for Labeling by Appellation

Answer 49

If labeled by country, state, or county: 75% If labeled by AVA: 85% If labeled with a single vineyard: 95%

Question 50

wines labeled as California or Oregon are required to be made-

Answer 50

solely from grapes grown in the state

Question 51

wines labeled as Washington must contain at least __% of grapes grown in the state

Answer 51

95

Question 52

For wines labeled with an AVA, a min __% must come from the stated vintage

Answer 52

95

Question 53

; for wines labeled with a state or county, the min is relaxed to __

Answer 53

85%

Question 54

Wine with a varietal designation must contain a min __% of the stated variety

Answer 54

75

Question 55

Vitis labrusca grapes, like Concord, are an exception, and need only comprise a min __% of a varietal wine

Answer 55

51

Question 56

Alcohol content must be stated on the label, within a margin of-

Answer 56

+/- 1.5%

Question 57

As an alternative, wines in the 7-14% abv range may simply be labeled as-

Answer 57

“table wine” or “light wine.”

Question 58

In order to legally qualify for the term "Estate Bottled,”-

Answer 58

100% of a wine must come from grapes grown on land owned or controlled by the winery

Question 59

The winery and all vineyards used in the production of an estate-bottled wine must be located-

Answer 59

within the same AVA