A.

Vintage Port—generally the most expensive style of Port—will last about a day or two if it’s old (15 years old or more). You might get a few more days leeway if it’s a younger Vintage Port. Vintage Ports are made only in exceptional years when Port producers “declare” a vintage. All of the grapes in the blend will come only from that vintage and from the very top vineyards the producer owns or has access to. Vintage Ports age beautifully for decades. Some of the most recent renowned vintages for Vintage Port: 2000, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2016, 2017 and 2019.

B.

While it’s true that screwcaps make opening wine easier, that wasn’t the motivation behind their increased use in the modern era. Rather, screwcaps were a response to the increased incidence of “corked” wine—i.e., wine tainted by the compound TCA (trichloroanisole) and related compounds which can move from faulty corks to the wine itself, giving the wine a smell often described as wet-dog-sitting-on-wet-newspapers. In the 1980s estimates of corked wine were as high as 8 to 10% for some wines. The first countries to embrace screwcaps were New Zealand and Australia. Today, thanks to vastly better, more sanitary techniques in harvesting cork bark and making corks, the incidence of cork taint is estimated at 1 to 5%.

D.

Copper is a part of the earth’s crust and is a naturally occurring element. For more than a hundred years, copper has been sprayed on vineyards to combat fungal diseases. In Bordeaux and many other parts of France in particular (where rain and humidity pose a problem), very small amounts of copper are sprayed on vines to combat the devastating vine diseased downy mildew. Historically, copper has been so important that it’s even been allowed to be used in organic vineyards worldwide. But as of mid January 2026, France has banned copper-based fungicides because of the concern that copper, a persistent metal, can accumulate in the soil and may pose a danger to vineyard workers.

B.

In 2024 (the last year of full statistics), the French consumed about 11 gallons of wine per person, which is nearly 4 times more than Americans at 3 gallons per person that year, according to the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine). France actually came in third in consumption after Italy and Portugal. The latter was way way way out in front with 16 gallons of wine consumed per person in 2024.

A.

Malbec is an alternative name for the French grape Cot. In the mid nineteenth century Cot (Malbec) was brought from Bordeaux to Argentina where it is now the leading grape. There isn’t much Malbec left in Bordeaux (although there’s some). That said, the grape is still the historic grape of the region of Cahors in southwestern France.

D.

The sparkling wine vineyards of southern England are less than 200 miles from Champagne. The two places share an arc of nearly identical chalky soils laid down millions of years ago before the English Channel formed. As a result of its soil (as well as global warming), England is now the newest world hotspot for fine bubbly. In 2018, 2.2 million bottles of English bubbles were sold. As of 2023, that figure has grown to 6.2 million bottles.

B.

WineAmerica, the National Association of American Wineries, commissioned a study of the wine industry’s total impact in 2025, including the production, distribution, sales, and consumption of wine. The total impact for the year was shown to be approximately $324billion.

A.

Areni is one of the leading ancient red grape varieties which flourished in the Transcaucasian region (today’s Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia). It’s also interesting to note that in Armenia, the ancient cave named Areni-1, dating to 6,100 years ago, may be the site of the world’s first winery.  Religious scholars believe that the cave is near where, according to biblical legend, Noah’s ark ran aground, and where Noah is said to have planted the first vineyard. Areni, by the way, is also the name of a famous think tank devoted to the wine industry.

A.

Most of Argentina’s vineyards are planted on the high-altitude slopes of the Andes Mountains, whose peaks reach 22,000 feet above sea level and, globally, are exceeded in elevation only by the Himalayas. Argentine vineyards are often planted at altitudes of 4,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level, and some reach 10,000 feet asl. At this altitude, the vines are bathed in intense luminosity which affects the rate of grape ripeness among other factors.

A.

Invented in 2007, a durand corkscrew combines the helical worm of a standard waiter’s corkscrew with the prongs of an Ah-so cork puller. Durands are fantastic for getting any type of cork (even fragile old corks) out of a bottle without the cork crumbling. The Durand corkscrew was invented by Mark Taylor, an engineering-trained wine collector from Atlanta, Georgia.

A.

In antiquity, amphorae were ancient clay jars that held wine (and sometimes olive oil), allowing the wine to be traded throughout the Mediterranean. The pointed base was buried deep in sand on ships, and the amphora’s two handles were lashed together for stability.

A.

Hungary’s Tokaji Aszu, Portugal’s Port, Spain’s Sherry, France’s Sauternes, Germany’s Trockenbeerenauslese, and South Africa’s Vin de Constance were all once regarded as the greatest wines in the world and were readily drunk, as were sweet wines in general. Historically, the popularity of sweet wines was due not only to their profound taste, but also because, before the modern era of food manufacturing and trade, sweet foods were scarce. Sweet wine, on the other hand, was readily available and could be stored and drunk any time of year.

A.

In the regional French dialect of Bordeaux, the name Merlot means “little blackbird.” The name comes from the blackbirds—merlau in French—who reportedly love to eat the grapes. Today is International Merlot Day.

A.

An ampelographer is a person who practices ampelography, a field of botany that deals with the identification and classification of grapevines. Ampelographers can tell what variety of grapes is planted in a vineyard by looking at the shape, size, and texture of the grapevine’s leaves, clusters, and berries. Before the invention of DNA typing of grapevines (in the 1990s), the variety or varieties in vineyards were identified by ampelographers.

C.

In the Champagne region, oak barrels can be used at the producer’s discretion. Neutral oak barrels in particular are sometimes used for some of the still base wines (vins clairs) that make up a blend. Importantly, neutral barrels (which have been used previously several times) do not impart oaky flavors. Rather, by virtue of minute amounts of oxygen, time spent in neutral barrels can open up a wine and enhance the perception of roundness. And that’s the goal of Champagne producers who use barrels.

D.

Sekt (pronounced “zecht”) is the German term for sparkling wine. Most of the sekt made in Germany and Austria is light, clean, and uncomplicated. These bargain versions of sekt are made in bulk by using large tanks to perform secondary fermentation. The finer versions (which are increasingly made) are made in small lots using the traditional Champagne method. October 22^nd is Austrian Sekt day.

A.

That was a tough one! The native Spanish varieties are Garnacha (which the French call Grenache), Monastrell, (known as Mourvèdre in France), and Achéria (better known by its French name: Cabernet Franc). Cabernet Franc is thought to have originated in the Spanish País Vasco (Basque Country).

D.

The tiny village of Condrieu in the northern Rhône Valley of France sits at a curve in the Rhône River. The name comes from the French coin de ruisseau, “corner of the brook.” Condrieu is famous for its highly aromatic white wines, all of which are made from the grape variety Viognier.

D.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both hoped to establish Virginia as a wine region but failed to do so. Washington imported European varieties and planted them at Mount Vernon, then tried native grapes before the Revolutionary War interrupted his efforts. Jefferson planted European vines at Monticello, but similarly, the Revolutionary War and disease destroyed his wine ambitions. Both presidents recognized Virginia’s wine potential but were thwarted by climate, pests, and war.

D.

Contrary to common belief, aroma and bouquet are not synonymous terms. Aroma is used to describe smells associated with a young wine. Bouquet, on the other hand, describes the more complex smell of a wine that has been aged for a considerable period of time, and thus all of the early smells have evolved and coalesced. Bouquets (unlike aromas) are almost impossible to describe.

A.

Plantings of Pinot Noir have been increasing for a decade in California, especially in cool appellations with proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Since 2021, it’s the second most widely planted red grape in the state after Number 1, Cabernet Sauvignon. Coming in at numbers 3 and 4 are Merlot and Zinfandel, respectively. Pinot Noir also grows over an especially long swath of territory in the state, from the Anderson Valley of Mendocino in the north to near Los Angeles in the south, a distance of almost 500 miles.

B.

B.

Sitting against the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains, Mendoza’s vineyards’ altitudes range from 2900 to 5200 feet above sea level. Before the rain can reach the vineyards, the mountains extract most of the moisture from storms. Consequently, grapevines in Mendoza rely almost entirely on irrigation, and Argentine growers control water precisely to regulate the vines’ growth. Interestingly, the city of Mendoza also depends on a unique irrigation: Cement-lined shallow canals carry snowmelt from the mountains to neighborhoods throughout the city.

C.

After a wine’s initial fermentation (during which, yeasts turn grape sugar into alcohol), a winemaker may choose to let the grapes undergo a process called malolactic fermentation. This process softens the wine by converting malic acid to lactic acid, and creates a byproduct called diacetyl. This compound is what gives butter its characteristic flavor, so when it is present in wine, diacetyl can have the same effect.

D.

Sillery is a village in Champagne that’s known for producing still red and white wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The village’s vineyards fall into the subregion of Champagne known as the Montagne de Reims and are 100% Grand Cru. The Chardonnay in particular is renowned.

B.

OK Boomers. I hope you got this. Most of these events actually occurred in 1973. But California’s Sutter Home introduced White Zinfandel in 1972. In that year, Sutter Home accidentally “discovered” the off-dry style of white Zin thanks to a stuck fermentation. Beringer and Woodbridge introduced their white Zins soon after.

B.

Ruché is a relatively rare but highly prized, aromatic red wine grape variety native to Piedmont, Italy. Once nearly extinct, the variety is said to have been saved by a local parish priest who planted it and promoted it as a signature grape of the region. It has aromas and flavors evocative of spices, violets, roses, cinnamon, and red berries.

D.

Since wine has no official vocabulary, drinkers often resort to creative ways of giving wines a sense of personality. According to Punch Drink, “baby fat” describes youthful characteristics found in some wines that are meant to age. In time, the “baby fat” will disappear and the wine will taste more balanced.

B.

Vouvray is an appellation in the Loire Valley of France. All Vouvrays are made from Chenin Blanc. Vouvray wines range in style from very dry to very sweet and everything in between. A medium dry Vouvray is also known as “classic.” It’s the most traditional style of Vouvray from the region. Although the term medium-dry might suggest that the wine is a little sweet, Vouvray usually has enough balancing acidity that the wine tastes completely dry.

D.

The world’s most planted grape, Kyoho, is a blackish-blue colored Asian table grape hybrid, valued in Japan and China for its size and juicy flavor. “Kyoho” means “Giant Mountain” in Japanese and the individual grapes can be golf-ball sized. By contrast, many wine grapes from the species Vitis vinifera (such as Cabernet Sauvignon) are the size of blueberries.

C.

Also known as “buchette del vino,” wine windows have been a part of Italian culture for about 500 years, according to National Geographic. These small windows, found especially in the city of Florence, were once used to sell wine to the city’s residents because the water was not safe to drink. Consuming wine was a matter of safety. After almost completely dying out, the tradition was resurrected in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, there are about 10 windows open throughout the city.

C.

When it was released, the 1966 Heitz Cellars “Martha’s Vineyard” was the first wine to be labeled with the name of the vineyard on the front of the bottle.  At $7 a bottle, it was also astronomically expensive since Heitz’s regular cabernet sauvignon, released just three years earlier, was only $1.63 a bottle. Located on the west side of Oakville, Napa Valley, Martha’s Vineyard is surrounded by giant eucalyptus trees, often credited as the source for the wine’s distinctive minty aroma and flavor.

D.

Achéria is the oldest name for, and most primitive clone of, Cabernet Franc.  Although widely assumed to have originated in Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc (Achéria) is native to the Basque Country of northern Spain. From there it spread over the Pyrenees to the Gironde (the area around Bordeaux), where it encountered Sauvignon Blanc (which, for its part, had moved south from the Loire Valley). In the Gironde, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc had a nice moment in Nature and gave birth to Cabernet Sauvignon.

B.

The name Burgundy dates back to the 6^th century when a barbaric, wandering Germanic tribe known as Burgondes established a settlement in central France after the fall of the Roman Empire. They called the region Burgundia. However, even before the region was named, grapes grew in Burgundy. The area’s first documented vineyard was planted in the village of Meursault in the first century A.D.

D.

The oldest AVA in the U.S. is Augusta, Missouri which was awarded the status on June 20, 1980. The region is home to a plethora of grape varieties including chambourcin, vignoles, concord, and Norton/Cynthiana (the latter variety became the official state grape in 2003).

B.

In Armenia, the cave named Areni-1, dating to about 6,000 years ago, is the site of what may be the world’s first winery. It includes a fruit-treading platform, and receptacles carved into the floor of the cave to catch the juice that ran from the pressed fruit. Archaeologists found grape seeds from a Vitis vinifera variety scattered all over the treading platform. According to Biblical legend, it was near here that Noah’s ark ran aground, and where Noah is said to have planted the world’s first vineyard.

A.

Diamond Creek’s 1987 “Lake Vineyard” Cabernet (only 75 cases were made) was the first wine in the Napa Valley to cost $100. Opus One 1985 was released at a price of $55 per bottle. Heitz 1973 “Martha’s Vineyard” Cabernet cost $13.50 when it was released. And Colgin “Herb Lamb” 1990 doesn’t exist; the first vintage of Colgin “Herb Lamb” was in 1992 and was $39 per bottle. As an aside, the first Napa Valley wine to cost more than $1,000 was the 2014 Screaming Eagle.

B.

Chardonnay accounts for approximately 52% of all white wine grapes planted in California, according to 2023 data from the USDA. Of the approximately 457,000 acres of all wine grapes planted in California, about 88,000 acres are dedicated to Chardonnay, representing 19% of total vineyard acres.

A.

Sicily makes some of Italy’s most dramatic, wild red and white wines, especially those from vineyards with volcanic soils poised on the hillsides of Mount Etna, the largest still-active volcano in Europe. The major indigenous red grapes on Mount Etna are Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio and the local white is Carricante. All three grapes are high in acidity and make for wines that are vibrant partners to Sicily’s amazing cuisine, influenced by virtually every historic Mediterranean power, from the Spaniards to the Arabs to the Normans. The center of the island is still very agricultural and famous for its grains and crops.

B.

Koshu is a white wine grape variety named after the region where it originates—Koshu Valley in Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan. The grape is actually a cross of Vitis vinifera and an east Asian Vitis species. The flavors of Koshu are said to be similar to that of Japanese cuisine—subtle and minimalistic. Japanese-American owned Kazumi Winery in Napa Valley is the first and only winery currently making Koshu in the US. May 1^st marks the beginning of Asian American and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month.

C.

The Loire Valley takes its name from the 630-mile long Loire River which runs from the Massif Central mountain range in the heart of France to the city of Nantes on the Atlantic coast. Virtually every style of wine is made here—from dry to sweet, red to white, and still to sparkling. Wine drinkers may know many of the Loire’s most famous wines including, Muscadet, Vouvray, Sancerre, and Chinon. The region, with its stunning turreted castles, is known as the “garden of France” because some of France’s best produce is grown there.

B.

Malbec has become widely associated with Argentina, however its ancestral home is Cahors, a tiny, ancient wine region in southwest France. Here, the wine is known as le vin noir, “the black wine,” not only because of its dark color, but also because of its severe, tannic, black fruit flavors. Curiously, the grape grown in Argentina makes a much softer wine. The world Malbec is actually a nickname for the grapes true ampelographic name: Côt. In the nineteenth century, Malbec was a slang term for someone who spoke badly of others in the region. The word became a common surname—and an affectionate term for the local grape. April 17 is World Malbec Day.

D.

Terroir may be the oldest concept that explains the idea that place matters, but terroir has recently been joined by three new related terms—airoir (the idea that the character of the air in a given place has an impact on what grows there), barroir (the “terroir” of barrels) and meroir (the “terroir” of the sea).  Oysters, by the way, are the perfect example that meroir exists.

D.

The animated movie Ratatouille (2007) follows the adventures of a French country rat named Remy as he pursues his passion for cooking gourmet cuisine in a Parisian kitchen. His dishes share the screen with a 1947 Cheval Blanc and a 1961 Latour, both considered “wines of the century.”

B.

“Stickies” is a catchall Australian term for both sweet and fortified wines and their sweet, but not fortified, cousins. The most sensational and rare of the stickies are Australia’s sweet fortified Muscats and Topaques, made in Rutherglen, a tiny district in the northeast corner of Victoria. These sweet wines are so stunning that they are truly unforgettable. Two you should try are Chambers Rosewood Rutherglen Muscat ($18) and Yalumba Antique Muscat ($22).

C.

40% of all the Riesling in the world is grown in Germany, and virtually all of Germany’s best wines are made from it. Percentagewise, Germany makes the most Riesling, followed by Alsace, Washington State and Austria. There are approximately 56,000 acres of vineyards in Germany dedicated to the grape. March 13^th is International Riesling Day.

A.

Also known as a piccolo, a snipe is a quarter-bottle of wine (187 milliliters). It’s smaller obviously than a split, which is a half-bottle (375 milliliters). In parts of Great Britain, a favorite late afternoon pick-me-up is a “snipe of Champagne and a scone.”

A.

Canada is the largest importer of wines made in the US, according to com. In 2023, the total value of wine sent to Canada totaled more than $434 million. In fact, the liquor control board in Ontario is one of the largest purchasers of wine in the entire world.

A.

Damp drinking is the practice of reducing alcohol consumption rather than using an “all-or-nothing” approach, according to the academic journalism website theconversation.com. It’s a strategy that young consumers are using to achieve moderation.

C.

You’re probably shocked to read this, but California leads the way in number of pizzerias, according to pizzatoday.com. There are approximately 7,300 pizzerias in California, While New York State has 5,700. While there are lots of small, family-owned pizzerias, the number one pizza chain in the US is Domino’s.

A.

Football fans in America will consume approximately 2.6 billion pints of beer on Super Bowl Sunday, according to Fintech.com (a company providing financial technology to the beverage industry). Beer is by far the most popular drink for the big game, with only about 7% of drinkers choosing wine.

C.

Well before classification systems were established in Bordeaux and Burgundy during the 1700s, the best plots in Hungary’s Tokaj-Hegyalja region (Tokaj for short) were already being designated First, Second, or Third class. Strict royal decrees kept vineyard and winemaking practices at very high levels. The resulting wine, Tokaji Aszú, was considered one of the most sought-after wines in the world. February 1 is International Furmint Day, a celebration of the main grape used to make this coveted wine.

B.

So-called “butts” are 600-liter (160-gallon) American oak barrels used in the Jerez (Sherry) region of Spain for aging Sherry. Butts are nearly three times larger than a Bordeaux barrel, and are usually painted jet-black. Because the butts are arranged in rows four or five barrels high, and because a typical Sherry bodega has many thousands of such barrels, the visual impression is often startling. Butts are also known as botas in Jerez.

A.

Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest wine producing region in the world, totaling approximately 700,000 acres of vineyards. The region received AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) status in 2007 and is known for producing red, white, rosé, sparkling and fortified wines.

B.

This term can be a bit confusing because wine, after all, is wet. A wine is considered “dry” if it has little to no residual sugar left in it. If a wine has any natural grape sugar left—that is, if some of the sugar was not converted to alcohol during fermentation—then the wine is said to have residual sugar (RS).

D.

Barefoot wine topped the charts in 2024, according to Statista.com, selling approximately $555 million worth of wine overall. The viral brand Josh Cellars came in a close second, with an approximate $499 million in wine sales for the year. Sutter Home was third in sales.

C.

Many producers began stenciling labels because the humid climates in these regions were less than ideal for paper labels as they would easily disintegrate. Some bottles of Sherry and Madeira continue to be stenciled today, often by older women in the region.

D.

Carbohydrates rule the table for Christmas. According to YouGov.com, the most popular food for the holiday table is roasted potatoes. Mashed potatoes came in a close second, followed by turkey, bread or dinner rolls, and stuffing. Regionality also plays a big part in seasonal favorites. West coast residents also like tamales for the holidays; people in the Midwest go for Cornish hen; the south loves black-eyed peas; and the northeast chooses lasagna.

A.

The word “booze” (once spelled bouse) comes from the medieval Dutch word büsen, meaning “to drink to excess.” Bouse dates back a thousand years to medieval English but was commonly used in the 16^th century by unsavory characters—mostly thieves—before becoming part of general slang.

D.

Within the German wine classification system, Auslese—meaning “select harvest”—is used to describe a wine made from very ripe grapes. Trocken is the driest, followed by Kabinett, then Spätlese. The Prädikatswein system, as it is called, was started in 1971 as a way to indicate quality. Since Germany has a very cold climate in which grapes often struggle to ripen, this system was created with the idea in mind that higher ripeness meant higher quality.

A.

Verjus—“green juice” in French—is a non-alcoholic beverage made by harvesting and pressing unripe grapes early in the growing season. Its flavor profile is pleasingly tart, light and refreshing with the slightest touch of sweetness. Verjus has been used in cooking since ancient times, and today, is used as in cocktails, mocktails, dressings, marinades and more.

C.

Zebra-striping is a practice among some drinkers to alternate between alcoholic and no-alcohol wines (or spirits) during the same occasion as a way of moderating total alcohol consumption. The term was coined by Tom and Lisa Johnstone, co-founders of Optimist Drinks, a Los Angeles-based producer of drinks based on botanicals.

B.

Chaptalization is the addition of adding cane or beet sugar to the wine before or during fermentation in order to increase the total amount of sugar available to the yeasts, thus raising the alcohol content of the wine. Chaptalized wines are not more sweet. Chaptalization is legal for some types of wine in some northern European regions where, historically, cool years led to grapes that weren’t fully ripe. By chaptalizing, the winemaker could give a thinnish wine more body.

D.

The terms variety and varietal are not used interchangeably. Variety is used to describe a type of grape that is cultivated. A vineyard is planted with a specific variety of grapes. Varietal refers to a wine made from a specific variety of grape. In the U.S., a wine named after a grape—a varietal wine—must contain 75% or more of that grape variety named on the label.

A.

Of the hundreds of different sweet wines produced in Italy, the best known may be vin santo, “holy wine,” so named because priests have drunk it during the Mass for centuries. Vin santo is the customary finale to even the humblest Tuscan meal, served after espresso, almost always with a plate of small biscotti called cantucci, stubby, twice-baked cookies meant for dunking. Most vin santo does not taste as sweet as, say, Sauternes. The wine has a delicate, creamy, honey-roasted flavor, and the color can be unreal, from radiant amber to neon orange.

D.

Contrary to common belief, aroma and bouquet are not synonymous terms. Aroma is used to describe smells associated with a young wine. Bouquet, on the other hand, describes the smell of a wine that has been aged for a considerable period of time, and thus all of the early smells have evolved and coalesced. Bouquets (unlike aromas) are almost impossible to describe.

D.

Vintage Champagnes (also known as millésimé) are made entirely from the grapes of a single given year’s harvest and as such, they reflect that year’s vintage. Vintage Champagnes are only made in the very best years and generally constitute no more than 10% of all the Champagne made. Each year, each Champagne firm decides individually whether to make a Vintage Champagne. That Vintage Champagne can be made in any style—from Blanc de Blancs to Rosé and from Extra Dry to Extra Brut or even Brut Nature (no dosage at all). Vintage Champagnes are complex and extremely age worthy, often aging beautifully for two decades or more. In the past decade, harvests in 2012, 2013, and 2014 produced many Vintage Champagnes.

B.

According to The National Association of American Wineries (WineAmerica), there are a total of 10,637 in the U.S. with more than 100k vineyard acres. Wine is produced in all 50 states, and there’s no surprise that California tops the charts with almost 5k wineries statewide.

D.

The U.S. has the dubious distinction of being the country with the top five most expensive cities to buy wine, according to reporting in The Drinks Business. The cities are (in order from most expensive): New York City, Columbus (Ohio), San Francisco, Oakland, and Philadelphia. The report was based on data that analyzed 190 cities. New York City, where the average bottle of wine costs $20, is more than five times more financially demanding than the city with the cheapest wine—average $3.55 a bottle—Cordoba, Spain. And Columbus, Ohio? No idea why it came in second.

B.

The tall, narrow “flute-shaped” bottles of Alsace and Germany were historically shipped using the main trade route in barges along the Rhine River. Since the route was much less strenuous on the glass than other modes of transportation, the bottles did not need to be as thick and strong as in other regions such as Bordeaux. Having taller, skinner bottles also allowed more wine to be packed onto the barge. This bottle shape is not only considered traditional, but is now enshrined into law. For example, Alsace AOC wines MUST be bottled in flutes.

C.

According to the USDA, the average 5-ounce glass of dry red wine has 1-2 grams of sugar, equal to 0.01%. Compare that to the standard 8-ounce glass of orange juice, which has 7 grams of sugar, or a can of coke, which has a whopping 39 grams of sugar. That dry wine is high in sugar is a misconception. In reality, for dry wines, most of the sugar that existed in the ripe grapes at harvest time has been converted to alcohol during the fermentation process.

D.

Fining is a process of softening the texture of a wine by adding one or more protein coagulants, such as gelatin, egg whites, isinglass, or other natural substances to the wine. The coagulant attaches itself to tannin molecules, then settles to the bottom of the container, carrying the tannin along with it. Fining can also be done to clarify the color of a wine.

D.

Yoho Brewing, a Japanese brewery, has created a new beer glass that intentionally slows down the drinking experience. The glass is 350ml (almost 12 ounces) and shaped like an hourglass. The purpose of the Yona Yona Ale glass is to slow drinkers down, so that it takes almost three times as long to enjoy a glass of beer. The brewer believes that this allows a drinker to better appreciate the flavors and nuances of the beer.

A.

A bench is essentially a lateral outcropping that runs (like a giant step or terrace) across a sloped area, interrupting the steep decline in elevation. Benches are usually formed by erosion, weathering, or by successive deposits often left behind by a river or a retreating glacier. On Ontario Canada’s Niagara Escarpment, the benches are ideal areas for vineyards because they catch cool breezes in the hot summer months, and in the winter, warm air over adjacent lakes help’s moderate the temperature. Napa Valley and Sonoma County are also famous for their benches, like the Rutherford Bench in Napa Valley and the benchland areas in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County.

A.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, residents of Washington D.C drank the most wine per capita in 2023. 1.07 gallons per person, to be exact. Delaware and New Hampshire also ranked high on the list, with .8 and .76 gallons per resident, which is largely in part due to the absence of sales tax which drives residents from neighboring states to cross the border for wine purchases. West Virginia pulled in the lowest spot, at only .11 gallons per person.

B.

Coming from the Greek symposio, meaning “drink together,” a symposium typically took place at the end of a banquet, after the meal had been served, where drinking wine for pleasure took place. This was often accompanied by dancing, entertainment and conversation. The Greek symposium was a social institution, and the strength of the wine served at these events was sometimes determined on how serious—or sensual—the evening would be.

D.

Pet-Nat is short for pétillant naturel which is a type of wine made using an ancient method (méthode ancestrale). Pet-nats are bottled when the wine is still in its first fermentation, trapping the carbon dioxide that is emitted during fermentation and creating a slightly fizzy (and usually slightly cloudy) wine.

B.

The name Sauvignon comes from the French “sauvage,” meaning wild. It’s a fitting name for a vine that, if left to its own devices, would grow wildly with riotous abandon. Wild can also be used to describe Sauvignon Blanc’s flavors—straw, hay, grass, green tea, green herbs and limey intensity.

D.

The word “Cava” is Catalan for Cave or Cellar. When Cava was first produced, it was called champán or xampany, a reference to Champagne. Penedés winemakers later decided the sparkler needed its own name to distinguish it from Champagne, renaming it to Cava.

B.

According to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), a numerical alcohol content is only necessary on the wine’s label if the content is over 14% ABV. For wines from 7% to 14% ABV, it’s optional, and these wines may be labeled simply as “table wine” or “light wine” as the mandatory designation.

C.

Made using artisanal methods—often using clay or concrete amphorae—orange wines are white wines that have undergone many months of skin contact. The process leaves them with a dry, sturdy feel (from tannin in the skins), aromas of bitter orange peel and dried fruit, sometimes funky flavors, and their signature muddy orange color.

B.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape was the first French wine Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC)—a term meaning “controlled designation of origin”—registered in 1936. Until the early 19th century, much of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape harvest was sold in bulk to Burgundy, to be used as vin de médecine—a shot of alcohol to boost the body in most Burgundies. Before this, wine naming laws in France defined only geographical territory (not unlike our AVA system). A year later—in 1937—the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC commissioned its signature bottle. With the crest of the papal crown and St. Peter’s keys, the bottle is an acknowledgment of the region’s history as the temporary home of the Papacy in the 14th century.

C.

Phylloxera vastatrix (the “dry leaf devastator”) is a tiny insect that was introduced to Europe sometime in the mid-1800’s from the United States. The pest feeds on vine roots, ultimately sucking all life out of the vines.

B.

Those tiny crystals are potassium bitartrate, usually just called tartrates. These clear crystals won’t hurt you and they are tasteless. Tartrates are simply bits of the natural tartaric acid in wine that have precipitated out of solution and formed crystals. The change in acidity from a liquid to a solid form can happen when a wine undergoes a drastic change in temperature.

A.

It’s a narrow lead, but according to the YouGov poll, among people who drink wine at least a few times a week, 22% say they love Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by sparkling wine (21%), white wine in general (20%), and Pinot Noir (20%). The type of wine named least favorite was Syrah which only 10% of American wine drinkers say they love. But there’s a good reason for that: 43% say they have never had it.

D.

Piedmont, meaning “foot of the mountain,” is the largest region of the Italian mainland, and it’s named for its mountains and rolling foothills. Although much of the region is too steep or cold for vines, the eastern and southern parts of the area are warm enough for grape growing. The tiny villages of Barolo and Barbaresco are renowned for their namesake wines made from the Nebbiolo grape, crafted into formidable, firm red wines idea for pairing with the richness of roast lamb or the region’s breathtakingly expensive white truffles.

D.

Pessac-Léognan is a small area within the area known as Graves, the oldest winemaking district within Bordeaux. (Graves is named for its gravelly soil.) Pessac-Léognan is known for both white varieties (Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc) as well as red (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon). Among the top Pessac-Léognan chateaux are Domaine de Chevalier and Château Haut Brion, which are both famous for their red and white wines.

C.

In a recent large YouGov poll, 38% of Americans say they never drink wine. While the poll did not ask the respondents why they don’t drink wine, other research has shown that the U.S. has a very high abstinence rate compared, for example, with European countries, and that many Americans do not drink wine for religious reasons.

C.

The word Chardonnay is derived from the Roman word cardonnacum, which means the “place where thistle grows.”  The village of Chardonnay is one of 27 villages allowed to append its name to the appellation Mâcon in Burgundy, France. There are only about 570 acres of Chardonnay in the Mâcon-Chardonnay appellation.

B.

Approximately 36% of the wine consumed globally is closed with an aluminum screw cap, according to the latest data from the Aluminum Closures Group. Screw cap manufacturers STELVIN and Guala Closures suggest the number may be as high as 40%. Countries with the highest percentage of wines with aluminum closures include Germany, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. This year marks the 60^th anniversary of the first aluminum screw cap, introduced in 1964 in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. In 2001, the New Zealand Screw Cap Wine Seal Initiative encouraged the use of screw caps for wine instead of corks. Today, 95% of wine bottled in New Zealand has a screw cap, while an estimated 30% of wine bottled in the U.S. has a screw cap.

D.

Although it is now famous in Argentina, Malbec’s ancestral home is Cahors, a tiny, ancient wine region in southwest France. The late French ampelographer (a botanist who classifies grapevines) Pierre Galet documented over 1,000 different synonyms for Malbec. In the nineteenth century, Malbec was a slang term for someone who spoke badly of others (from the French mal, or “bad,” and bec, or “mouth”). There must have been a lot of malbecs in Cahors, for the word became a common surname—and an affectionate term for the local grape. Today (April 19, 2024) is Malbec Day!

B.

Petit Meslier is one of five white grapes that can be used to make Blanc de Blancs Champagne. The other white grapes are Arbane, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Fromenteau. There are only a couple of acres of Petit Meslier, planted mostly in Champagne’s Marne Valley.

D.

While Tannat originated in the Basque country of southwest France, it’s best known as the national grape of Uruguay, where it was first planted by the Basque immigrant Pascual Harraigue in the 1870s. The name of the grape refers to its high level of tannin, owing to its thick skins and many seeds. Tannat is well-suited to the coastal climate of Uruguay in part because of its thick skins, which make it resilient to both rain and drought. The grape is used to make a single varietal red wine that in modern times is usually unoaked to give it a fresher style, as well as rosé and sparkling wine. April 14 is Tannat Day 2024.

C.

Total Wine & More is the largest wine and spirits retailer in the U.S. with revenues of $6 billion last year, as reported in Forbes magazine. Starting in 1991 with a small store in Delaware, Maryland, brothers Robert and David Trone grew their business to include 263 Total Wine & More super stores in 28 states, with a selection of over 8,000 wines from around the world. Altogether, they employ more than 11,000 people, including 427 wine experts.

C.

Kendall-Jackson’s Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, which retails for $17 a bottle, has been the best-selling Chardonnay in America for 33 years and counting. The first vintage (1982) sold out after a happy accident: According to The Washington Post, the wine did not complete fermentation and was slightly sweeter than expected. People loved it. A favorite in the Reagan-era White House, the Chardonnay became known as “Nancy’s wine.” The original Kendall-Jackson winery is in Santa Rosa, Sonoma Valley, California. Jackson Family Wines, a private corporation, now owns 40 wineries around the world.

B.

In the U.S., commercially available cannabis wine, also known as cannawine, is a dealcoholized wine that has been blended with either THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana, or CBD, a non-psychoactive compound. Because cannabis use, possession, and distribution is illegal federally, and the federal government licenses wineries, a wine made by adding cannabis to grapes as they ferment could not legally be produced commercially. Even states like California that have legalized cannabis do not allow cannabis products (either THC or CBD) to be added to alcoholic beverages and sold commercially. Any cannabis wine that contains either THC or CBD therefore must have the alcohol removed.

D.

A functional beverage is a non-alcoholic drink that claims to enhance health, performance or mood due to added bioactive ingredients. These ingredients may include botanical extracts like CBD or THC, adaptogens (herbs, mushrooms, or synthetic compounds), nootropics (drugs used to enhance memory or brain function), antioxidants, dietary fiber, proteins, peptides, vitamins, minerals, and more.  Functional beverages can be divided into many different categories, such as energy drinks, meal replacers, sleep aids, and stress reducers. The long-term effects of regularly consuming drinks with bioactive compounds is not known.

B.

The Number 1 new wine product in the U.S. in 2023 was Stella Rosa’s Pineapple & Chili wine, one of three new flavors in Stella Rosa’s “Spicy Series.” Stella Rosa wines are made from Moscato d’Asti grapes in the Piedmont region of Italy and imported by the Riboli family, an American company based in Los Angeles. The flavored wine blends are low in alcohol (5.5% abv), semi-sweet, and frizzante (lightly sparkling). Pineapple & Chili wine, which retails for $13, is meant to be served chilled or mixed with spirits to create a cocktail. Stella Rosa is one of the 30 largest wine brands in the U.S., selling over 700,000 cases domestically and 6.3 million globally, according to Wine Business Monthly.

B.

Sometimes seen hanging symbolically from a chain around a sommelier’s neck, a tastevin is a silver, shallow-sided tasting cup. Tastevins were invented for use by cellar masters sampling wine in dark cellars since the cups are more portable and less fragile than glass. More important, they have circular indentations in their sides that reflect candlelight across their metal bases and make it possible to determine, in a dark cellar, the clarity of a wine just drawn from a barrel.

D.

The Languedoc region derives its name from Occitan, the language and group of dialects spoken in southern France in the Middle Ages. Occitan was also referred to as langue d’oc, which translates to “the language of yes.” South of the Loire, the word for “yes” was oc (an abbreviation of Occitan), derived from the Latin word hoc. In northern France, the Old French word for “yes” was oïl, which later evolved to oui.  Today, the Languedoc is the largest wine-producing region in France. The region’s best wines are its reds, which possess a minerally, juicy, earthy, sensual “south of France” flavor that’s irresistible. To which we say, yes, please!

A.

If you’ve ever become dehydrated while drinking wine, it may surprise you to remember that wine is mostly water. Approximately 85% of the total volume in your glass of wine is water. That means a 5-ounce glass of wine may contain over 4 ounces of water. Other components in wine include alcohol (about 8-15% abv in naturally fermented wines), glycerol (1%), acids (0.5%), possibly tiny amounts of residual sugar, and trace amounts of other compounds. A wine with higher alcohol content will have lower water content.

A.

The American white oak tree (Quercus alba) needs to mature slowly, for at least 80 years, in order to develop the tight grain necessary for a good oak wine barrel. While this may seem like a long time, American oak trees mature far more quickly than French oak trees, which are generally harvested at about 170 years of age. Both species of oak tree grow in cold climates—and therefore grow slowly. But one of the reasons American oak costs less than French oak is because the American oak tree matures in half the time.

B.

The average price of a bottle of Napa Valley wine is $108, according to the 2023 Direct to Consumer Wine Report by First Citizens Bank. This is an increase of $17 over the price in 2022.

C.

“Aia” (from the Latin area) means “place of” and sometimes refers to a plot of land, farmyard, or vacant piece of ground.  Many producers of Super Tuscan wines use the suffix “aia” to name their wines. Sassicaia, for example, means “place of stones;” Ornellaia means “place of ash trees;” and Solaia means “place of sun.”

A.

The Monarch Wine Company in Brooklyn, New York, began producing Manischewitz Kosher Wine shortly after Prohibition. The syrupy sweet red wine was originally made from Vitis labrusca (Concord grapes) grown in upstate New York. Early on, Manischewitz advertised using the slogan, “Wine like mother used to make.” During Prohibition, Monarch had sold wine directly to synagogues for sacramental purposes. The advertising slogan was therefore directed at families who were used to getting their wine from their rabbi or making it themselves and who might have been reluctant to purchase commercial Kosher wine.

A.

Whites, reds, rosés, sparkling wines, fortified wines, dessert wines—you name it—they should all be swirled before drinking them. Swirling aerates or “opens up” a wine by mixing the volatile (smellable) compounds in the wine with air. Wines that have been swirled smell and taste more pronounced. Admittedly, fortified wines like Port are usually swirled gently because really vigorous swirling can cause the alcohol in such wines to smell overpowering. As for Champagnes and sparkling wines, though the bubbles help by propelling the aromas upward, it’s still a good idea to swirl the wine gently. If you have room that is. Alas, in the United States, most sparkling wines are poured to the top of the rim of the glass, making it nearly impossible to swirl.

B.

Pinot Noir earned this nickname because it is one of the most fragile and fickle grapes to grow, yet it can become one of the most poetic, compelling wines in the world.

A.

Also known as a piccolo (meaning “small” in Italian), a snipe is a quarter-bottle of wine (187 milliliters). It’s smaller than a split, which is a half-bottle (375 milliliters). In parts of Ireland, a favorite late afternoon pick-me-up is a “snipe of Champagne and a scone.”

C.

New Zealand is located midway between the equator and the South Pole, about 1,000 miles from Australia to the northwest. Due to the islands’ proximity to the International Date Line (IDL), New Zealand’s vineyards are the first to see the sun every day. The IDL, which was established in 1884, runs from the North to the South Poles, zigzagging to avoid cutting nations into two different calendar days.