Wine Regions

Question 0

Name the 5 growing regions of Burgundy.

Answer 0

Chablis
Côte de Nuits
Côte de Beaune
Côte Chalonnaise
Mâconnais

Question 1

What is Terroir?

Answer 1

The symbiosis of grape soil climate Vineyard placement and the human touch all rolled into one.

Question 2

What grapes are found in Burgundy?

Answer 2

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

Question 3

What are the Gran Cru sub-regions of Cote de Nuits?

Answer 3

Gevery-Chambertin, Morey-St. Denis, Chambolle-Musigny,Vosne-Romanee, Vougeot, Flagey-Eschezeaux

Question 4

Define Gran Cru in the context of Burgundy wines.

Answer 4

The term is applied to classified vineyards, with Premier cru being the second-highest classification level, below that of Grand cru and above the basic village AOCs. For Burgundy wines, the terms Premier Cru or 1er Cru are usually kept rather than being translated into English.

Question 5

What are the Gran Cru sub-regions of Cote de Beaune?

Answer 5

Pernand-Vergelesses, Aloxe_Corton, Ladoix-Serrigny, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet.

Question 6

What are the Gran Cru sub-regions of Chablis?

Answer 6

Auxerre.

Question 7

Describe the Chablis wine growing area of Burgundy.

Answer 7

Famous for zesty Chardonnay. 100% white wine. The river Serein (Serene) flows through the area, moderating the climate. Closer to Champagne in location and climate. Dominant soil here is called “Kemmeridgian” limestone, just like in Champagne. Its white chalky texture is great at retaining and reflecting the warmth of the sun which helps the grapes ripen and gives the wines a purity and crispness that just says “Chablis”.

Question 8

Describe the Cote de Nuits.

Answer 8

The area begins just south of Dijon and ends at the village of Corgoloin. 80% of the wines produced here are Pinot Noir and the remaining 20% either Chardonnay or Rosé – a specialty of Marsannay.
The Côte de Nuits (named after walnut trees!) is home to 24 Grand Cru vineyards and some of the world’s most expensive vineyard real estate. 95% red wine, 5% white.

Question 9

Describe Cote de Beaune.

Answer 9

Valleys are open and rolling, the vineyards have more of a southeasterly exposure and Chardonnay plays a more important role with 7 of the 8 Grand Cru vineyards producing white wine – Corton, Corton Charlemagne, Montrachet ( literal translation: Bald Mountain), being some of the well known names.
70% red wine, 30% white wine.

Question 10

Describe Cote Chalonnaise.

Answer 10

South of Cote de Beaune. The wines from this area are good value. They range from smooth Chardonnays with subtle oak influences and ripe tree fruits to more rustic Pinot Noir filled with dried strawberry, cherry, earth and forest influences and suede-like tannins. 60% red wine, 40% white wine.
Some villages:
Bouzeron - devoted to Aligote grape.
Rully - a center of production of sparkling wines Cremant do Bourgogne since the 19th century..

Question 11

Describe Maconnais.

Answer 11

The most southerly region, and the largest of Burgundy, is the Mâconnais. Once thought ‘ordinary’ this region is somewhat the ‘rogue’ of the family. 85% White wine production, 15% red wine production.

Question 12

What is the golden slope in Burgundy?

Answer 12

Cote d’Or. It is the combinationof Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune.

Question 13

What are the Bourgogne wine classifications?

Answer 13

Grand Cru - 1%
Premier Cru - 10%
Village Wines - 37%
Regional Wines - 52%

Question 14

What are the classifications of Chablis

Answer 14

Petit Chablis - Produced from grapes grown surrounding the village. Higher in acidity and have lots of light citrus character. Best when drunk young so look for recent vintages.

Chablis - Rounder and more minerally with grapes sourced from the limestone slopes near the village of Chablis. The majority of the wines we see on our local shelves are in this category.

Premier Cru Chablis - Only about 15% of the annual production, these wines are more nuanced and elegant coming from vineyards filled with Kimmeridgian limestone marl giving these wines a distinctive character. Look for climate names on the label like “Mont de Milieu” (“Mount in the middle”), “Côte de Léchet” (really zesty) or “Fourchaume” (fruity).

Grand Cru Chablis - Located in a beautiful arc north of the town of Chablis where the steep slopes face south-southwest. There is only, technically, one Grand Cru but there are 7 ‘climats’ inside that Grand Cru and their names will be on the label: Blanchot, Bougros, Les Clos, Grenouilles, Presuses, Valmur and Vaudésir. The Grand Cru wines in Chablis can taste dissimilar to the rest of Chablis because many are aged in oak. The Grand Cru vineyards produce wines that age beautifully with floral honey notes and a refreshing flinty acidity.

Question 15

What are the three main acids in wine?

Answer 15

Tartaruc, citric, and Malic.

Question 16

Describe Reisling.

Answer 16

Origin: germany
Preferred growing conditions: cool to cold climates
Body: ranges from light when made in a dry style to thick and syrupy when made into a superrype desert wine
Acidity: very high
Style: most tend to be dry to alightly sweet table wines
Aging regime: almost always tend to be aged in stainless steel barrels amd should not have characteristics of oak
Varietal characteristics: very effectively translates terrior. If anything, younger reislings tend to show floral notes while aged reislings tend to show honey and petrol.

Question 17

What are the growing regions of Bordeaux?

Answer 17

The Medoc (Left bank of the Gironde estuary*)
Graves (Left bank)
The Libornais (Right bank)
Bourg and Blaye (Right Bank)
Entre Deux Mers
Sauternes
*The Gironde splits into two rivers - Garonne and La Dordogne)

Question 18

What are the components of Red Bordeaux?

Answer 18

There are 6 permitted grape varieties.

Carmenere (pretty much extinct in Bordeaux), Cabernet Savignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

Question 19

What are the components of White Bordeaux?

Answer 19

Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle. Typically, the blend is 2/3 Sauvignon Blanc and 1/3 Semillon, with some occasional use of Muscadelle.

Question 20

What are the appellations of the Haut Medoc?

Answer 20

Pauillac, St. Estephe, St. Julien and Margaux.

Question 21

What five Bordeaux wineries are classified as first growth wines?

Answer 21

Chateau Latour, Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Margaux, and Chateau Haut-Brion. In the only change to the classification since 1855, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild was elevated from 2nd Growth to 1st Growth status in 1973. Of the First Growths, three are from Pauillac (Lafite, Latour and Mouton), one is from Margaux (fittingly, Chateau Margaux) and one is from Pessac-Leognan (Haut Brion)

Question 22

What are the eleven main growing regions in France?

Answer 22

Alsace(Northeast), Bordeaux(Southwest), Burgundy (East of central), Beaujolias (South of Burgundy), Champagne (North), Cotes du Rhone (Southeast), Jura (East of Burgundy) Languedoc (South), Loire Valley (West), Medoc (Northest of Bordeaux) Provence(Southeast-south of Cotes du Rhone).

Question 23

Describe the Alsace growing region.

Answer 23

Situated on the lower eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains, in the Rhine valley between Strasbourg and Mulhouse, the Alsace vineyard is rather different from any other French wine growing area. Like the region of Alsace itself, the wine culture here is steeped in a Germanic tradition, producing mostly dry or fruity white wines, the most popular being Riesling, Sylvaner and the very fruity Gewurztraminer.

Question 24

What are the main sub-regions of the left bank Medoc growing region?

Answer 24

Medoc
Haut - Medoc
Saint-Estephe
Pauillac
Saint-Julien
Listrac-Medoc
Moulis
Margaux

Question 25

What are the main sub-regions of the left bank Graves growing region?

Answer 25

Pessac-Leognan

Graves

Question 26

What are the main sub-regions of the right bank Entre-Deux Mers growing region?

Answer 26

Loupiac
Cadillac & Sante Crox du Mont
Cotes de Bordeaux Saint Macaire
Bordeaux de Haut Benauge
Entre deux Mers
Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux
Sainte Foy Bordeuax

Question 27

What’s the difference between Appellation Bordeaux-Superieur Controllée and Appellation Bordeaux Controllée?

Answer 27

Bordeaux-Superieur AOP wines have a minimum of 10.5% ABV (versus 10%) and must be aged for a minimum of 12 months prior to release. The difference, although technically small, is a symbol of quality for many wines with the Bordeaux-Superieur AOP label. Many producers who classify their wines as Appellation Bordeaux-Superieur Controllée age their wines much longer than the minimum.

Question 28

What are the good vintages for value Bordeaux?

Answer 28

2010, 2009, 2008, 2005, 2003, 2002

Question 29

What are the five sub-regions of champagne?

Answer 29

Montagne De Reims -Kingdom of Pinot Noir with the most Grand Cru vineyards.

Vallee de la Marne -dominated by Pinot Meaunier and smaller amount of Pinot Noir, also home to a few Grand Cru vineyards.

Cote De Blancs -As the name suggested (Blanc -white), this the land for Chardonnay. Surprisingly, the region also produces good quality red wines, particularly from Coteaux Champenois.

Cote de Sezanne – Newest classified region in Champagne but quickly earned its reputation from Chardonnay grape.

Vignoble de L’Aube -Pinot Noir also finds home here in Aube, the region is known for Rose’ style wine made from -of course- Pinot Noir.

Question 30

Describe the 3 styles of champagne.

Answer 30

Non-vintage (NV) -most Champagne made each year is non-vintage, that means the grapes sorted can come from multiple years (or vintages). No vintage (year) on the bottle.
Vintage -only in year with ideal growing conditions, a vintage Champagne will be made. Grapes used can only come from that particular year. Vintage Champagne are usually aged for several years to enhance flavors and texture before released. It is common that a Champagne house can skip a year or two in making Vintage Champagne if the grapes harvested are not at the right quality. Vintage Champagne will indicate a year of harvest on its bottle.
Tete de Cuvee & Cuvee de Prestige -This is the best blend a Champagne house can offer. Grapes are intricately selected from top vineyards and only made in years with ideal growing conditions.