It is not Wednesday, but Friday. I normally put out a quiz every Wednesday, but this week was my first attempt at Wine Blogging Wednesday, so the quiz got bumped. I had planned to get it up yesterday, but my wife is out of town and I have stayed home with our son. He broke his arm a couple of weeks ago and was under strict orders from the doctor that he could have no activity.

Yeah.

You tell a soon to be five year old that.

I have also been rethinking the quiz in general, so I have a poll for you this wee. Before we get to the poll, we need to review the questions from last week:

1. Which of the following white varieties is not a major grape in the Loire Valley?

a. Chardonnay
b. Chenin Blanc
c. Melon de Bourgogne
d. Sauvignon Blanc

A. Chardonnay. Although there are small amounts of Chardonnay grown in the Loire, it is only used as a blending grape.

2. Which of the following red varieties is not a major grape in the Loire Valley?

a. Cabernet Franc
b. Cabernet Sauvignon
c. Gamay
d. Pinot Noir

B. Cabernet Sauvignon. Although this is the most widely planted red wine grape in the world, it does not figure in the Loire Valley.

3. True or False: The Loire region is the third largest producer of sparkling wine in France.

False. The Loire is the second largest producer of sparkling wine (behind Champagne).

4. Which of the following does not belong and why?

a. Chinon
b. Montlouis-sur-Loire
c. Sancerre
d. Vouvray

C. Sancerre. There are perhaps several ways to answer this question, but I say Sancerre since its white wine is from Sauvignon Blanc, while the other three produce Chenin Blanc.

5. Which of the following does not belong and why?

a. Bourgeuil
b. Chinon
c. Sancerre
d. Saumur-Champigny

C. Sancerre. Again, many possible interpretations here, but of the four, three produce reds from Cabernet Franc while Sancerre uses Pinot Noir.

6. Bonus Question: Name the castle

This is the castle of Cheverny, in the Touraine.

7. Super extra special bonus: How was this castle special in popular French culture (think comic books)?

The castle was used as the inspiration for Moulinsart in the Tintin comic books by Hergé.

That means that Foxress is the winner this week, even getting both of the bonus questions correct!

On to this week’s quiz. Sort of. As I mentioned above, I have had my hands full these last few days, and I have not been able to spend much time thinking of this blog (in fact, as I write this, I am also playing Monopoly Junior with Sebastian and he is screaming at me that it is now my turn).

I have also thought that it might be time to give the weekly quiz a bit of a rest for a while. Before I took such a earth shattering step, I thought I would instead ask all four of you what you thought first.

Best of luck–answers next week!