WA, OR, NY, MEX, CAN Flashcards
Which state is the U.S.’s second largest producer of premium wines? What percent of the nation’s total production comes form here?
Washington
5%
Where are a majority of Washington’s vineyards located?
95% of its vineyards are east of the Cascade Mountains
What is the name of the mountain range in Washington that creates a rain shadow effect and turns the land arid east of it? What vineyard practice is necessary here due to this?
Cascade Mountains
Irrigation is necessary.
What kind of climate does eastern Washington experience?
Continental climate with hot summers and cold winters
What are the major seasonal concerns or hazards to the vines of eastern Washington?
frost and winter freezes are serious concerns for growers
What is the soil like east of the Cascade Mountains? What catastrophic event led to the formation of this soils structure?
Basalt overlaid by sediments deposited by the Missoula Floods, a catastrophic cycle of massive floods that occurred repeatedly at the end of the last ice age.
What is the largest AVA in Washington and how large is it? (acres) What three AVAs are nested within it?
Columbia Valley (11 million acres)
Nested AVAs include:
Yakima Valley
Walla Walla Valley
Horse Heaven Hills
Which AVA was Washington’s first-approved? When was this? What fraction of the state’s vineyards is planted here? What three AVAs are nested within it?
Yakima Valley
(1983)
1/3 of the state’s vineyards are planted here.
Nested AVAs within Yakima Valley include:
Snipes Mountain
Red Mountain
Rattlesnake Hills
What is the name of Washington’s warmest growing region which is also the smallest and most densely-planted? What is the star grape here?
Red Mountain
Cabernet Sauvignon is the star grape here.
Which AVA is south of Yakima Valley and Red Mountain AVA along the Oregon border and what is the nested AVA within it? What is peculiar in regards to the soil of this nested AVA and also its location? When did it receive AVA status?
Walla Walla Valley
Rocks of Milton-Freewater (2015) is the nested AVA here and is entirely located in Oregon
The soil is of basalt cobblestones that draw comparisons to Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Name three major white international varieties of Washington.
Riesling
Sauvignon Blanc
Gewürztraminer
Name three major red international varieties of Washington.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Syrah
Merlot
What two mountain ranges is Willamette Valley located between?
Cascade Mountains and the Coastal Range
Who were the first two people to explore the potential of Pinot Noir in Willamette Valley? When was this?
David Lett of Eyrie Vineyards and Charles Coury were the first to explore the potential of Pinot Noir
This happened in the 1960s
What are the six nested AVAs within Willamette?
Nested AVAs within Willamette include: Dundee Hills Eola-Amity Hills Ribbon Ridge McMinnville Yamhill-Carlton District Chehalem Mountains
What is the name of the gap in the Coastal Mountains, which separates the Willamette Valley from the Pacific Ocean, that directly impacts the AVAs of McMinnville and Eola-Amity Hills by funneling Pacific winds into the area? What styles of Pinot Noir are produced as a result of this?
Van Duzer Corridor
More tannic styles of Pinot Noir are produced in McMinnville and Eola-Amity as a result.
Which AVA within Willamette Valley is known for its leaner, fresher Pinot Noir due to its north-facing vineyards and cool microclimates?
Chehalem Mountains
What are the two major soil types of the Willamette Valley? Describe them and how they influence the wines produced from vines grown on them.
Jory: well-drained soils of volcanic origin that produce wines with more elegance. Commonly found in the “red hills” of Dundee Hills AVA
Willakenzie: Marine sedimentary soils that produce a denser style of wine and darker fruit. Commonly found on the valley’s westernmost slopes such as in Ribbon Ridge AVA
What is the star white grape of the Willamette Valley and what styles is it fermented in?
Pinot Gris
Fermented dry and off-dry
What is the name of David Lett’s Pinot Noir that achieved outstanding results in French competitions and brought vindication to the efforts of early trailblazers? (vintage, wine name, and producer name)
1975 Eyrie Vineyards “South Block Reserve”
Which Burgundian producer is producing high quality Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley? What is the name of the estate and what AVA is the property situated in?
Joseph Drouhin
Domaine Drouhin situated in Dundee Hills
Describe how Pinot Noir from Willamette compares stylistically with California and Burgundy.
Steppingstone between California and Burgundy. Lighter and earthier than the former, riper and more forward than the latter.
What are the five nested AVAs within Southern Oregon AVA?
Nested AVAs include: Umpqua Valley Elkton Oregon Rogue Valley Applegate Valley Red Hill Douglas County
What is the name of the warmest and driest AVA west of the Cascades in Oregon?
Applegate Valley
Which three AVAs are shared between both Washington and Oregon?
Columbia Gorge
Columbia Valley
Walla Walla Valley
Which AVA of Oregon is mostly located in Idaho?
Snake River Valley AVA
Varietal wines form Oregon, excluding those from white and red Bordeaux varietals, major Rhône grapes, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Tannat, and Tempranillo, must contain a minimum of what % of the stated grape rather than the standard 75%? Name two grapes that must abide by this law.
90%
Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir
A wine labeled by AVA within Oregon must contain a minimum what % of grapes grown in the respective appellation, rather than the 85% mandated by federal law?
95%
Which state is the second largest producer of wine in the U.S., but not the second largest premium wine producer?
New York
Who is largely responsible for the introduction of Vitis vinifera varieties to New York? When was this (decade)?
Dr. Konstantin Frank in the 1960s
What are the sub-AVAs of Long Island AVA (2) What grapes are largely planted in these areas (generally-speaking)?
North Fork of Long Island AVA
The Hamptons, Long Island AVA
Bordeaux Varieties
What two grapes were crossed to make Niagara?
Concord x Cassady
How much longer is the growing season on the eastern side of NY compared to the western side?
thee weeks longer
Which three major AVAs of New York are located near the Great Lakes?
Finger Lakes AVA
Niagara Escarpment AVA
Lake Erie AVA
What beneficial effect do the Great Lakes provide in regards to vineyard hazard during the early growing season?
Mitigation of cold temperatures helping to lower the chance of damaging winter freezes and promotes a late bud-break, lessening the dangers of spring frosts.
Which U.S. state is gaining steam for quality Nebbiolo?
Virginia
How large (acres) is Texas Hill Country?
9 million acres
What is the name of the world’s largest demarcated appellation?
Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA
What is the name of the most important viticultural region in Mexico? What grapes are grown there? What are the 4 subzones of this region?
Baja Peninsula
Zin, Merlot, Cab
Guadelupe Valley
Ojos Negros Valley
San Vincente Valley
Santo Tomas Valley
What is the name of the oldest winery in America and when was it established? Where is it?
Casa Madero (1597)
Located in Coahuila
What is Inniskillin most famous for? Where is it located? What two international grapes are used in the production of this style?
Canadian Icewine
Niagara Peninsula
Riesling and Cabernet Franc are used.
Name three French hybrids introduced in Canada by de Chaunac in the 1950s and 60s.
Baco Noir
Rosette
Maréchal Foch
What is the only French hybrid allowed for VQA ice wine?
Vidal
What does VQA stand for and when was it launched? Where was it launched?
Vintners Quality Alliance (1988)
Launched in Ontario
When did British Columbia establish its VQA standards?
1990
If VQA wine is labeled as Ontario or British Columbia, what % of grapes used in its production must come from the stated area?
100% from the stated area
In British Columbia, if a VQA wine is named with a more precise appellation than British Columbia, what % grapes must come from the stated appellation?
95%
In Ontario, if a VQA wine is labeled with a regional appellation, what % of grapes must come from that stated region? What about for sub-appellations, what %?
85% for appellations and regional appellations
100% for subappellations.
If a VQA wine is labeled with a single vineyard, what % of fruit must come from that vineyard?
100%
With the exception of sparkling wines, VQA wines from Ontario must be labeled with a vintage date and contain a minimum of what % of grapes harvested in the stated year? What about in British Columbia?
85% for both
If a VQA wine is labeled by variety, what % minimum of the stated variety must be used to produce the wine?
85%
What is the temperature at the time of harvest for grapes to be use for ice wine production typically?
-8 Celcius
What are the three main Viticultural Areas of Ontario? What is the name of the area that was deregulated in 2013? What are the names of the Lakes by which all three are located?
Niagara Peninsula
Lake Erie North Shore
Prince Edward County
Pelee Island was deregulated in 2013
Eerie and Ontario
What is the name of the largest viticultural area in Ontario? What are the two regional appellations within it?
Niagara Peninsula
Regional appellations within it:
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara Escarpment
What are the two main grapes of Prince Edward County?
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
What are five Designated Viticultural Areas (DVAs) of British Columbia? Which supplies 82% of the province’s wine?
Vancouver Island Fraser Valley Similkameen Valley Gulf Islands Okanagan Valley
What is the name of the Mountain Range in the Okanagan Valley that creates a rain shadow effect? How does the climate here compare to that of California’s coastal regions?
Monashee Mountains
Summers are hotter than in California’s coastal regions, and winters are much colder, bringing annual fears of significant vine damage.
Where is Mission Hill Winery? What award did it when in 2013?
Okanagan Valley
Won “World’s Best Pinot Noir” in 2013 at the Decanter World Wine Awards in the U.K.
