Wine Trivia

True or False: red wine is made from red grapes, and white wine is made from white grapes

False. Red wine gets its color because the grape skins are left to ferment with the juice. To make white wine, the skins are removed before fermentation.

What is the oldest bottle of wine in existence?

The oldest bottle of wine is over 1650 years old and has been on display at the Pfalz Historical Museum in Germany for over a century. Discovered in 1867, the wax-sealed bottle was discovered in the tomb of a Roman noble and is believed to have been produced locally in the year 350 AD.

Who painted the picture “Red Vines in Arles”?

Vincent Van Gogh

How many standard wine bottles equals one Nebuchadnezzar?

20 (yes, 20!) standard (750 mL) bottles! Other fun names for large format wine bottles include Rehoboam (6 bottles), Methusaleh (8 bottles), and magnum (2 bottles)

What was Dom Perignon’s occupation when he invented Champagne?

He was a monk

Is all wine vegetarian and vegan?

No, it isn’t! Many substances used to fine wine, giving it clarity, are not vegan or vegetarian. These include egg whites, milk protein, and animal protein. Beyond that, there were almost certainly bugs in your wine at some point; wine is an agricultural product, after all!

What kind of French wine is traditionally made from the pinot noir grape?

Burgundy

True or False: Fortified wines have been distilled to have a greater alcohol content

False. Fortified wines have had brandy or another spirit added to them.

How many bottles of wine can you make from one wine barrel?

300

What are the three traditional Champagne grapes?

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunieur

How many grapes are used to make one bottle of wine?

600 to 800 – Grapes used to make a bottle of wine

What country has the largest area of land dedicated to vineyards?

Spain

What is the Whistler Tree?

Located in the Alentejo region of Portugal, this tree is over 212 years old and has been producing the world’s best cork since 1820. Harvested every 9 years, it produces 10,000 corks for wine bottles.

The famous, historic wines of Constantia are produced in what style?

Sweet wines

With 7% of all vineyard plantings in the country, this crossing is synonymous with South Africa…

Pinotage

What is Méthode Cap Classique?

A way of making sparkling wine in the Champagne method

Why do you swirl wine in a glass before smelling and tasting it?

To get oxygen into the wine to help release its aromas

A wine is giving off strong spice and floral aromas, almost like the smell of Turkish delight. What grape do you think this wine will have been made from?

Gewürztraminer

What wine is traditionally made using a barrel that is not filled to the top so “flor” develops?

Sherry

Small, 225 litre barrels are called…?

Barriques

What is “riddling” in the context of making Champagne method sparkling wine?

A way of slowly turning bottles to help remove the lees

Which famous Tuscan wine has to be aged for at least 2 years in oak?

Brunello

The word ‘Reserve’ on a wine label from the New World means…

It has no legal meaning

Serving wine at room temperature means…

Around 18 degrees Celsius

What does lightness of colour indicate in a rosé wine?

It has little correlation with quality, but reflects variety and origin