Back to School Time

With the school year in full swing and summer a distant memory, sharpen your pencil for a fun back-to-school quiz. My wine savvy quiz is designed to encourage you to pull many more corks in the quest for higher knowledge; so if you can’t make one of my October tasting classes, use this short wine quiz to find out how much you really know.

1. What is brix?
a) Combined with mortar, brix are used to construct buildings.
b) The sugar content of unfermented grape juice.
c) The determinant of alcohol content in a finished wine.
d) Both b and c.

2. True or false?
Fermentation is the process in which grape juice is turned to wine by transforming sugar into alcohol.
a) True
b) False

3. What does secondary malolactic fermentation do to a wine?
a) Boosts the fruit flavors
b) Turns the wine into milk
c) Introduces an odor of smelly socks
d) Converts acids to create a creamy texture and buttery flavor

4. Chardonnay, Semillon, and Muscat are all examples of what?
a) White varietals
b) Red varietals
c) Noble grapes from the Vitis vinifera vine
d) Both a and c

5. Which comparison clarifies the difference between acidity and astringency in the mouth when tasting a wine?
a) Acidity is like chocolate and astringency like lemons.
b) Acidity is like water and astringency like butter.
c) Acidity is like darts and astringency like a vacuum cleaner.
d) There is no difference.

6. What does the pucker you might feel in your mouth when tasting a red wine come from?
a) A corked bottle.
b) Tannins, chemical compounds in grape skins let loose into the wine by extended skin contact.
c) Drinking red wine with fish.
d) Brushing your teeth right before you drink.

7. In general, the ideal temperature to serve wine (in degrees Fahrenheit) is:
a) Chilled to 50-55 degrees for white, red, and rose alike.
b) Room temperature for white, red, and rose alike.
c) Chilled to 50-55 degrees for white and rose wines, and just below room temperature for red wines, about 65 degrees.
d) Chilled to 50-55 degrees for red wine, and just below room temperature for white and rose wines, about 65 degrees.

8. True or false? All wine is best served in a translucent 10-ounce rounded-bowl glass with a stem.
a) True
b) False

9. To better enjoy a wine’s flavors and structure, finish a previously opened bottle within:
a) Seconds.
b) A few days.
c) A few weeks.
d) Forever.

Answers
1-d; 2-a; 3-d, 4-d; 5-c; 6-b; 7-c; 8-b; 9-b

No matter where you stand on the learning curve, I hope my wine quiz has enlightened your palate and boosted your wine IQ.