Think you know a thing or two about wine? Have a go at the France44 Wine Trivia quiz! Answers are at the bottom—no peeking!
1) What is a crémant?
a) A cream-based wine
b) A French sparkling wine produced outside of Champagne
c) A French sparkling wine noted for its creaminess
d) 100% Chardonnay Champagne
2) What is Napa Valley’s Frog’s Leap Winery named after?
a) There used to be a frog farm on the estate
b) It’s the measurement of a frog’s leap from the winery to any of the estate vineyards
c) They wanted to poke fun at Stag’s Leap Winery
d) They want to highlight how important biodiversity is to their winery
3) Pinotage is a cross of what 2 grapes?
a) Pinot Gris and Hermitage
b) Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah
c) Pinot Noir and Cinsault
d) Concord and dirt
4) How do you pronounce Freixenet, Spain’s #1 producer of Cava?
a) frightened-eh?
b) fresh-uh-net
c) freaks-in-net
d) fray-shnay
5) Bobal is a little-known grape from ______ that is rapidly gaining popularity.
a) Australia
b) Argentina
c) California
d) Spain
6) We love dogs, and so do winemakers! Out of our almost 3,000 wine labels at France44, how many of them sport pictures of hounds (or their canine relatives)?
a) 23
b) 11
c) 18
d) 68
7) What grape is used to make Vino Nobile di Montepulciano?
a) Montepulciano
b) Sangiovese
c) Nebbiolo
d) Noble grapes
8) What grape is used to make Brunello di Montalcino?
a) Montepulciano
b) Cabernet Sauvignon
c) Sangiovese
d) Nebbiolo
9) What grape is used to make Morellino di Scansano?
a) Colorino
b) Sangiovese
c) Barbera
d) Dolcetto
10) What the heck is on Matthiasson’s wine labels?
a) Ballet dancers
b) Grape vines
c) Nut crackers
d) Pruning shears
11) What is the “Mistral”?
a) A strong wind that blows constantly in France’s southern Rhone Valley
b) A specific soil type found only in Jura
c) The head honcho at every French winery
d) The national after-dinner digestif of Greece
12) Our General Manager, Chris, has worked harvests for this superstar California winemaker.
a) Fred Franzia
b) Russell Bevan
c) Chuck Wagner
d) Dale Peterson
13) How is Madeira wine made?
a) It develops a layer of yeast called flor and ages within a solera barrel system
b) It’s fortified, then heated for 3 months
c) It’s mixed with clarified sea water to give it its slight brininess
d) It’s distilled, then poured over smoked palm leaves
14) Bell’agio Chianti’s straw basket is called a _______.
a) Straw basket
b) Wine hammock
c) Fiasco
d) Diablo
15) This dude is the patron saint of vineyards and winemakers, and his picture is here.
a) St. Vinotheque
b) St. Sylvan
c) St. Knoll
d) St. Urban
16) This France44 staff member went to high school with the designer of the Rabble wine labels.
a) Dustin
b) Adam
c) Doug
d) Zach
17) What grape is Prosecco made from?
a) Pinot Grigio
b) Prosecco
c) Glera
d) B and C
18) This French wine is made in the same way as dry Sherry from Spain.
a) Pineau des Charentes
b) Sauternes
c) Vin Jaune
d) Beaujolais Nouveau
19) What does “LBV” stand for on some Port bottles?
a) Lost Baby Viper
b) Les Beaulieu Vino
c) Last Bottle Vine
d) Late Bottle Vintage
20) Which wine label sports Salvador Dali and his pet ocelot?
a) Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir
b) Tridente Tempranillo
c) Field Recordings “Wonderwall” Pinot Noir
d) Orin Swift “Pretty Kitty” Red Blend
ANSWERS
1) B. Try the Clavelin or the Antech—a couple staff favorites!
2) A. Read Frog’s Leap story while you’re sipping on their incredible Chardonnay.
3) C. Pinot Noir and Cinsault, known as Hermitage in South Africa. This is a great introductory bottle if you’re not familiar with Pinotage yet.
4) B. Now you know Catalan!
5) D. We have two in the store!
6) C. Double points if you can spot all of them.
7) B. Tuscany’s “noble wine,” Sangiovese (known in Montepulciano as Prugnolo Gentile) has to make up at least 70% of the blend in Vino Nobile.
8) C. A special clone of Sangiovese that only grows in the tiny Tuscan town of Montalcino.
9) B. Apparently the answer to every question is “Sangiovese.”
10) D. Use your imagination a little—you’ll see it.
11) A. Rouge-Bleu’s “Mistral” is a delicious, funky little wine made in honor of this crazy wind.
12) B. Larger than life, and a Minnesota native! His Pinots are incredible.
13) B. This method is meant to replicate what would happen to the wine on its long sea journeys back in the 18th century.
14) C. What a fiasco!
15) D. And the Knolls’ exquisite Gruner Veltliner pays him dutiful homage.
16) A. Check out her amazing website!
17) D. Same grape!
18) C. This is an experience in a bottle—Rolet makes a fantastic expression of it. Make sure you have some olives and cheese to go along with it!
19) D. Want to try a vintage port but don’t want the hefty price tag? LBVs see more wood aging than regular vintage ports, and unlike vintage ports they are ready to be drunk upon release.
20) C. Juicy and ridiculously fun to drink.
How’d you do?
1-7 points: Well… you’ve gotta start somewhere, right?
8-14 points: Not bad! You clearly know more than the Average Joe.
15-19 points: I bet you’ve read through The Wine Bible a few times.
20 points: Either you cheated, or you work at France44.
