Wine Exam 2 Review

A comprehensive vocabulary review of 73 wine-related concepts, regions, laws, grapes, and producers across France, Spain, and Italy.

Main Red Wine-Producing Regions of Burgundy

Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, and Côte Chalonnaise.

Red Burgundy Grape Varieties

Pinot Noir and Gamay

Napoleonic Code (Effect on Burgundy Vineyards)

A legal code requiring inheritance to be divided equally among children, which resulted in splitting Burgundy vineyards into smaller parcels over generations.

Gamay (Beaujolais)

The grape variety from which Beaujolais wine is made.

Beaujolais Quality Levels

Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages, and Cru Beaujolais.

Cru Beaujolais (Quantity)

10 distinct Crus that make up the highest quality category of Beaujolais.

Cru Beaujolais Villages (3)

Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, and Fleurie.

Beaujolais Nouveau Release

the third Thursday in November.

Two Côte Châlonnaise Wine Villages

Mercurey and Givry

Côte d’Or Quality Levels

The four quality tiers: Regional appellations, Village appellations, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru.

Name the two regions within the Côte d’Or.

Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune

How many Grand Cru vineyards does Côte d’Or have?

32 Grand Cru vineyards

Côte de Beaune Red Wine Villages

Pommard and Volnay

Côte de Beaune Red Grand Cru Vineyards

Corton and Corton-Bressandes.

Côte de Nuits Red Wine Villages

Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne-Romanée

Côte de Nuits Red Grand Cru Vineyards

Romanée-Conti and Chambertin.

Where in france is the Rhône Valley

Southeastern France, stretching south from Lyon toward the Mediterranean Sea.

The three major quality levels of the Rhône Valley

Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages, and Cru wines.

What percentage Côtes du Rhône wines come from grapes grown in the southern region?

95%

Rhône Valley Crus (Quantity)

17 recognized Crus within the Rhône Valley.

Northern Rhône Crus

Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage.

Southern Rhône Crus

Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas.

Alsace vs. German Riesling Styles

Alsace Riesling is usually drier and fuller-bodied, while German Riesling is often sweeter and lighter-bodied.

Alsace Most Planted Grape

Riesling

Two Alsace Wine Shippers

Hugel and Trimbach

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé Grape Variety

Sauvignon Blanc, the grape variety used exclusively to produce both Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.

Vouvray Grape Variety

Chenin Blanc

Sur Lie

A winemaking method where the wine stays in contact with dead yeast cells after fermentation, which can add texture and flavor.

Graves (Meaning)

An appellation in Bordeaux whose name translates to "Gravel" in English.

White Bordeaux Grape Varieties

Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon

Two Classified Châteaux of Graves

Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion.

Sauternes Primary Grape

Sémillon

The three classification tiers for Sauternes châteaux

Premier Cru Supérieur, Premier Cru, and Deuxième Cru.

Burgundy Main Regions

Chablis, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise, and Mâconnais.

Chablis

The subregion of Burgundy that produces exclusively white wine.

Côte de Nuits

The subregion of Burgundy responsible for producing the most red wine.

Côte d’Or Red vs. White Production

overall produces more red wine than white wine.

Burgundy Quality Levels

Village, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru.

Chablis Two Grand Cru and Premier Cru Vineyards

Grand Cru vineyards- Les Clos and Vaudésir

Premier Cru vineyards- Fourchaume and Montée de Tonnerre.

Three most important Côte de Beaune White Wine Villages

Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet

Three Côte de Beaune White Grand Cru Vineyards

Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, and Corton-Charlemagne.

Pouilly-Fuissé Region

Mâconnais, the subregion of Burgundy from which Pouilly-Fuissé originates.

Estate-Bottled (Burgundy)

Wine that is grown, produced, and bottled by the winery or estate responsible for the vineyard, rather than being bottled by a separate company.

Major Winemaking Regions of Spain

Rioja, Ribera del Duero, and Penedès.

Cosecha

A Spanish wine term translating in English to "harvest" or "vintage."

High-Quality Spanish Wine Regions (Historical)

Rioja and Ribera del Duero

Rioja Primary Red Grapes

Tempranillo and Garnacha, the two primary red grapes used to make Rioja wines.

Rioja Red Grape Percentage

90 percent of the grapes grown in Rioja are red grapes.

Vino de Pagos

A Spanish wine designation indicating that the wine comes from a single estate.

Rioja Aging Levels

Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva.

. In which wine region would you find Bodegas Montecillo, CVNE, and Marqués de Cáceres?

Rioja

Ribera del Duero Bodegas (Producers)

Vega Sicilia and Pesquera.

Ribera del Duero Red Grapes

Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Garnacha.

Cava

Spanish sparkling wine, primarily produced in the Penedès region.

Priorat Major Grape Varieties

Garnacha, Cariñena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah.

In which region would you find the wines of Álvaro Palacios, Mas Igneus, and Pasanau?

Priorat

Rueda Location

A Spanish wine region located in Castilla y León, in northwestern Spain.

Albariño (Rías Baixas)

The primary grape variety that accounts for the majority of wine produced in Spain's Rías Baixas region.

Italian Wine Regions (Quantity)

20

Top Three Italian Wine Regions (Historically)

Veneto, Apulia, and Sicily.

DOCG

The highest quality level designated by Italian wine laws (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita).

Chianti Quality Levels

Chianti DOCG, Chianti Classico DOCG, and Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG.

Tuscany and Sangiovese

Tuscany (Toscana) is the region where Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Brunello di Montalcino are produced; Sangiovese is their primary grape.

Brunello di Montalcino Oak Aging Requirement

A minimum aging requirement of 2 years in oak barrels.

Super Tuscan

A wine from Tuscany that uses grapes or blending methods outside traditional DOC/DOCG rules and sometimes contains international grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Piedmont Major Red Grapes

Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto.

French AOC vs. Italian DOC Wine Laws

Both regulate wine production and origin; French AOC laws traditionally have stricter rules about where grapes are grown and how wine is produced, while Italian DOC laws allow more flexibility depending on the designation.

Nebbiolo (Barolo and Barbaresco)

The only grape variety permitted to produce Barolo and Barbaresco wines.

Barolo vs. Barbaresco Aging Requirements

Under DOCG laws, Barolo must age longer (minimum 3 years) compared to Barbaresco (minimum 2 years).

Veneto Wine Appellations

The region in northeastern Italy from which Valpolicella, Bardolino, Soave, and Amarone come.

Ripasso, Classico, and Superiore

A winemaking process where Valpolicella wine is refermented with leftover grape skins from Amarone production

Wine made in the original, historically established production area

A wine designation requiring higher minimum alcohol levels and additional aging.

Three different ways Italian wines are named:

by grape variety, by region or place, and by producer or brand name.

Other Important Regions in Italy

Sicily, Puglia (Apulia), Campania, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, Abruzzo, Sardinia, and Lombardy.