Wine Wednesday Quick Quiz Answers

Here are the correct answers for the Quick Quiz:

QUESTION 1 ANSWER

Why does one ‘swirl’ a wine glass before tasting?

• It aerates the wine and helps to release its aromas
• It’s a way to mix the wine with the air so that the alcohol content is reduced, making it less potent
• It activate the wine’s natural antioxidants, which are believed to be more potent when the wine is exposed to air
• It removes any impurities or sediment that may have settled at the bottom of the glass

When you swirl a glass of wine, you release literally hundreds of unique aroma compounds, which attach themselves to the oxygen in the air. This helps separate the aromas in the wine, enriching the smelling and tasting experience.

QUESTION 2 ANSWER

True or false: MCC (méthode cap classique) bottles contain more pressure than the tires of a car?

• True
• False

The elegant champagne bottle handles pressures of 70-90 pounds-per-square-inch (psi), while the plain old average car tire handles only around 30 psi.

QUESTION 3 ANSWER

Which two Fining agents (the material used to clarify a wine), prevent it from being classified as vegan?

• Fish bladder and egg whites
• Yeast and malt
• Oak bark and gunpowder
• Horse hoof filings and sheep liver

Bizarre as it may seem, animal-derived products have been used in wine production for a long time. They’re not added to wine, per se, merely used to clarify it. Suspended particles in the fermenting vat clump around these so-called fining agents and fall to the bottom where they can be easily removed.

Milk proteins, egg whites and isinglass, a derivative of sturgeon bladders, are a few common agents. Others include bentonite, a form of clay, and gelatin.

If used properly, fining agents don’t make their way into finished wine. But the concentrations are difficult to measure and are generally very low – if they are present at all.

QUESTION 4 ANSWER

What is Vitis Vinifera?

• The species of grapevine from which wine is made
• A rare species of flower that only blooms once every 50 years and is used in Blanc de Noirs Brut
• A type of Italian pasta specifically created to be paired with Montepulciano wine and known for its distinct spiral shape and chewy texture
• A unique hybrid of Chilean Spanish red and white grapes representing the balance of good and evil in traditional Chilean culture

Vitis vinifera, the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran. There are currently between 5,000 and 10,000 varieties of Vitis vinifera grapes though only a few are of commercial significance for wine and table grape production.

The wild grape is often classified as Vitis vinifera sylvestris (in some classifications considered Vitis sylvestris), with Vitis vinifera vinifera restricted to cultivated forms. Domesticated vines have hermaphrodite flowers, but sylvestris is dioecious (male and female flowers on separate plants) and pollination is required for fruit to develop.

Grapes can be eaten fresh or dried to produce raisins, sultanas, and currants. Grape leaves are used in the cuisine of many cultures. The fresh grapes can also be processed into juice that is fermented to make wine and vinegar. Cultivars of Vitis vinifera form the basis of the majority of wines produced around the world. All of the familiar wine varieties belong to Vitis vinifera, which is cultivated on every continent except for Antarctica, and in all the major wine regions of the world.

QUESTION 5 ANSWER

On average how much wine does one acre of grapevines produce?

• 2-3 tons
• 3.5-5 tons
• 7-8.5 tons
• 9-11 tons

On average, one acre of grapevines produces about 5 to 10 tons of grapes, which can yield approximately 2800 to 3000 litres of wine or about 3.5 – 5 tons of wine. However, the actual amount of wine produced can vary depending on several factors, such as the grape variety, climate, soil type, and vineyard management practices.