Well, it is Wednesday again, and time for the Weekly Wine Quiz. Last week, the Quiz was comprised of a few general wine knowledge questions, which we need to address first.
1. Which of the following is not used to describe wine?
a. acerbic b. brooding c. coarse d. dull
A. Acerbic. Acerbic can be used to describe something sour or bitter, but it is rarely, if ever, used to describe wine. It is more often used to describe personality or one’s wit (as my high school history teacher used to describe mine–he was way off, obvi). Brooding refers to a wine that it rather dark, intense red. A Coarse wine is one that is overly tannic and unrefined. Dull describes those wines that are generally lacking in acidity.
2. Which borough in New York City grows and produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot?
a. The Bronx b. Brooklyn c. Queens d. Staten Island
C. Queens. The Queens County Farm Museum has about an acre of land under vine. Have I tried it? Um, no….
3. Which of the following might you find on a bottle of champagne?
a. Brut Sauvage b. Demi-Brut c. Méthode Champenoise d. All of the Above
A. Brut Sauvage. This indicates that there was no added sugar in the dosage after the secondary fermentation. It is also called ‘Brut Nature’. Demi-Brut is a term that I made up and Méthode Champenoise is a term to indicate that the Champagne method was used to make the wine (which is superfluous in Champagne). It is now a term that has fallen out of favor and illegal to use in the European Union. “Méthode Traditionelle” is now used in its stead.
4. Which of the following is the biggest fast food pairing faux pas?
a. Merlot and In & Out Burger (or Five Guys) b. Champagne and KFC c. Barbera and Pizza Hut d. Pinot Noir and Chipotle
D. Pinot Noir and Chipotle. Certainly, this is open for debate, but the spiciness of Tex-Mex would overpower our delicate little Pinot. Sure, you can argue that you were right, but you would then be admitting that you are quite familiar with the “cuisine” of the particular “restaurant.” Do you really want to go there (unless its In & Out Burger in which case we could certainly hang…)?
Bonus Question: Who is this? Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat Winery.
That means we have just one who got all the questions right (but not the bonus)–The Food and Wine Hedonist, who claims that he does these “Google-Free” to which I say “poppycock” (a word I particularly enjoy writing and saying). Of course, using Google is not just allowed, but encouraged, so I have no idea why he insists on the Google-free thing. Perhaps it is due to his inner hippie (he lives in Ann Arbor, after all), eschewing any type of big, corporate, Big Brother technology. Kudos to VinoInLove and The Winegetter as well for taking a stab at it.
On to this week’s quiz. Once again, instead of focusing on one wine region, the quiz this week is a hodgepodge of wine trivia. So in no particular order:
Good luck answers next week!
1. Which of the following statement is true?
a. Syrah is a legal stand alone AOC wine in Alsace. b. Sauvignon Blanc is a legal stand alone AOC wine in Alsace. c. Syrah is a legal stand alone AOC wine in Burgundy. d. Sauvignon Blanc is a legal stand alone AOC wine in Burgundy.
2. This is the country with the highest per capita consumption of sparkling wine in the world:
a. England b. France c. Germany d. United States
3. Which of the following is not a part of biodynamics?
a. Yarrow blossoms fermented in the urinary bladder of a red deer. b. Decomposed cow manure that had been stuffed into a cow horn. c. Dandelions that had been fermented in a cow's bladder. d. Crushed powdered quartz that had been stuffed into a sheep's skull.
4. Who purchased the Mondavi residence in Yountville?
a. Francis Ford Coppola b. Robin Williams c. Jean-Charles Boisset and Gina Gallo d. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie e. The Drunken Cyclist's former basketball coach
Bonus Question: Who is this? And what is his connection to wine?
From Biography.com
Good luck! Answers next week!
the drunken cyclist 
Oh, I think I know the bonus question. That looks like singer Dave Matthews, who is now getting into the wine business, too.
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Now you only have four questions to go!
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OK, I’ll take a stab this week.
1. I’d say D as I believe until you tell me I’m wrong that there is a village in Burgundy that is allowed to make/grow sauvignon blanc. I think that if I went through my tasting notes I’d see that I’ve had it – and I might forget as I was in a drunken stupor #robford
2. England – I used to go there on business and my son lived there for 7 years and I saw/drank a lot of bubbly – Winnie had a saying about it that I can’t remember too
3. Let’s say C – I’ve seen the cow horn thing and yarrow sounds so biodynamic
4. Brangelina would defile it, Coppola already has a place there or close by, Robin makes fun of wine in his routine, so I’m betting on Boisset/Gallo
Bonus – Dave Matthews
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Nice work–thanks for playing!
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Our first attempt at wine making was so sour and bitter, maybe acerbic could have been used to describe it. (LOL) Maybe we could all start a trend…using acerbic…to describe those truly awful wines we end up feeding to the nearest potted plant. (But… I like to push boundaries.)
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I think instead of acerbic, one would just say “blech” and worry if the plants would survive…
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Funny! I love it!
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Love these quizzes… I’m doing this Google-free – I pinky swear!
1. I’m going with B. (And darn it – I just did my France country research for my posts, but didn’t dive into Alsace.)
2. C – Germany. Wild guess. Well, I figure they like their carbonated beer, so maybe they prefer their wine the same.
3. First thought is, “huh?!” But I’ll go with D since it seems the quartz has to first be crushed and then stuffed and that doesn’t seem very biodynamic. But that’s about as much as I am leaning on to answer that one.
4. D – always guess Brangelina when it’s an option.
Bonus: Dave Matthews! He makes Dreaming Tree wines, which I very much enjoy and have a bottle in my wine fridge now. (And it’s one of my favorite cork design as well.)
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Excellent work! And your photo always cracks me up!
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Excellent. Will have to think about this.
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You are quite introspective!
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It has been known to happen 😉
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Wait, you call Chipotle spicy???? Seriously? 😉
No stab at this one, too tired…
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My mom calls Chipotle spicy, but she lives in the Midwest. Ann Arbor, to be precise. Oh wait….
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D
B
B
C
Bonus: Hey, that guy sells wine @ Costco
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Welcome to the quiz! Answers next week!
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OK, I’m playing this week just because of the bonus question – who happens to be my favorite musician!
1. D – I believe it’s called Saint Bris
2. B – I think France is (just barely) still the highest per capita wine consumer in the world, so I’ll guess that they also take the prize for sparkling wine.
3. D – I hope you’ve never tasted any of those things, and are all a product of your vivid (and gross) imagination, but by process of elimination, D is the only one that includes something (quartz) that was never part of a living plant or animal.
4. C – Boisset & Gallo
Bonus – Dave Matthews, musician extraordinare, and owner of wineries in both Virginia and California
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Very well dona as always Tom!
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Because I want to beat the Hedonist at his own game, here are my google-free wild guess answers:
1. C (because I guessed so)
2. D (because the French are snobby enough to only drink Champagne, Germans are too practical to appreciate frivolous bubbles, and, as for the Brits, sparkling wine doesn’t pair well with pub food).
3. D (because quartz isn’t going to get all bacteria-ed up and turn into something else)
4. C (because Gallo won’t stop until it destroys everything)
Bonus — that is one Dave Matthews. His connections to wine are that: (a) in high school I got very drunk on Boone’s Farms at a Dave show (okay, multiple Dave shows), which is almost wine; (b) you have to be slammered on wine to properly jam band dance to his Crash album; and (c) he’s from Charlottesville, Virginia and owns a vineyard in the area.
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Way to dip your toe in!
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1. I’m not sure if I understood the question but Saint Bris AOC in Burgundy is the only Burgundy AOC that allows Sauvignon Blanc in its wines. I didn’t find an appellation called Sauvignon Blanc AOC but I’m going with D.
2. According to Vinexpo it’s Germany – C
3. D
4. Jean-Charles Boisset & Gina Gallo – C
5. Dave Matthews. He collabortes with wine maker Steve Reeder in creating Dream Tree Wines.
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Excellent work Julian!
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Uhm, the only questions I got right were 1 and 2.
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Better than none! Thanks for stopping by!
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No clue … so guesses. …. B A D C ,,, but I’m fairly confident not only a guy who hasn’t visited my house, Dave Mathews.
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Wow, you have a whole host of famous people who have never visited your house!
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It’s a great standing answer.
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