Wine Trivia Wednesday–Sesame Street

Posted on February 28, 2013 by the drunken cyclist

It is (close enough to) Wednesday and time again for Wine Trivia Wednesday. Before we get to this week’s quiz, here’s another look at last week’s:

1. Beaujolais is technically (at least for wine purposes) part of Burgundy. How is it that all of Beaujolais (for the most part) is made from Gamay while most of the other red wine from Burgundy is Pinot Noir? (For this answer to be correct, I am looking for the name of a dead white guy that was influential here). As many pointed out, it was Phillip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, that had a huge influence on the Burgundy region back in the late 14th Century. He wanted to elevate the quality and prestige of the region’s wine, so he outlawed the cultivation of Gamay, calling it an ‘evil and disloyal grape’. Beaujolais, just to the south of Burgundy (and not under the control of Phillip) continued to plant and cultivate Gamay since it was much higher yielding and easier to cultivate.

2. How many ‘Cru’ villages are there in Beaujolais? Name them.

There are ten:

Brouilly

Chénas

Chiroubles

Cote de Brouilly

Fleurie

Juliénas

Morgon

Moulin à Vent

Régnié

Saint Amour

 
3. Of the ‘Crus’:
  • Which is the largest? Brouilly
  • Which is the smallest? Chénas
  • Which is generally considered the most prestigious?
     Vinoinlove brought up a good point–it depends on who is asking, but  when the word ‘generally’ is included, most would agree that it is Moulin-à-Vent (which as armchairsomm pointed out, means ‘windmill’ and windmills are cool).

Thus, we have two winners this week, the aforementioned armchaisommelier and newcomer Chris Larkin (whose blog I have looked for on a number of occasions, but I can’t seem to find).

On to this week’s quiz. I tried to come up with a unifying theme for this week’s quiz, but I failed miserably, so just pretend that there is not usually a unifying theme and you won’t be disappointed.

Which of the following does/do not belong? Justify your response as there may be more than one right answer:

  1. Alsace, Champagne, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Pommard, Sancerre, Savoie.
  2. Banyuls, Cahors, Gigondas, St. Joseph, St. Julien, Tavel.
  3. Ajaccio, Montbazillac, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh, Pecharmant.
  4. Bourgeuil, Chinon, Madiran, Pomerol, Vouvray.
That’s all for now. Have a great week, answers next Wednesday!
Unknown's avatar

About the drunken cyclist

I have been an occasional cycling tour guide in Europe for the past 20 years, visiting most of the wine regions of France. Through this "job" I developed a love for wine and the stories that often accompany the pulling of a cork. I live in Houston with my lovely wife and two wonderful sons.
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11 Responses to Wine Trivia Wednesday–Sesame Street

  1. vinoinlove's avatar vinoinlove says:
    February 28, 2013 at 19:27

    I’m not too knowledgeable with French wines but I’ll give it a go.

    1. I think Champagne doesn’t fit because I don’t think that red wine is produced in Champagne (if red wine is produced in Champagne then in very small quantities)

    2. I think Banyuls doesn’t fit because it’s an AOC for dessert wine/fortified wine only. The other AOCs are for red wine.

    3. I think Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh doesn’t fit because it’s an appellation for white wine only. The AOC is known for white Madiran wine.

    4. I go with Vouvray because the Vouvray AOC is almost exclusively for white wines from Chenin Blanc.

    Looking forward to the answers. I hope I have at least 1 out of 4 right but I think I got them all wrong 😛

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  2. Frank @ Beach Walk Reflections's avatar aFrankAngle says:
    March 1, 2013 at 07:16

    Love Beaujolais … so thanks for the info. As far as the quiz, got me – so I’ll wait on the answer.

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  3. Bryan Richards's avatar The Wandering Gourmand says:
    March 1, 2013 at 08:54

    Not even and educated guess here…

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  4. frankkwine1982's avatar frankkwine1982 says:
    March 1, 2013 at 08:58

    No idea… way too difficult

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  5. The Flask Half Full's avatar armchairsommelier says:
    March 1, 2013 at 09:38

    Wheee, I’m a winner! And on the heels of victory . . . a tough quiz! At least it was for me . . . just when I thought I was doing OK with French wine knowledge, I realize I have a loooong way to go! Here’s my stab:

    1. Could be Champagne, because it’s the only AOC on the list that produces primarily sparkling wine. Or it could be Chateauneuf du Pape, because it’s the only AOC on the list named for the Pope’s New Castle, which is a timely tie-in to the new Pope Emeritus.
    2. Could be Banyuls, because it’s the only AOC on the list that makes a fortified dessert wine. Or it could be Tavel, because that’s the only AOC on the list that produces Rosé.
    3. I’m going with Ajaccio, because it’s the only AOC on the list that’s on an island, Corsica. (How’s that for outside-the-box thinking?).
    4. I’m going with Vouvray, because it’s the only AOC on the list that produces primarily white wine, specifically Chenin Blanc.

    Salud!

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