1. Sauvignon Blanc
   Syrah
2. Chardonnay
   Pinot Grigio

If you want a nice spicy red wine that gives off aromas of roasted meat and black pepper, reach for a bottle of Syrah. This medium-bodied red is produced around the world, but is most famous in the Rhone valley and Washington state.

1. Pinot Meunier
   Cabernet Sauvignon
2. Pinot Noir
   Chardonnay

Champagne can only be produced with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, or Pinot Meunier. Winemakers can blend between a combination or produce a varietal Champagne, such as Blanc de-Blancs, a style of Chardonnay-exclusive Champagne.

1. Washington
   California
2. New York
   Texas

Washington is the second-largest wine producer in the United States, trailing only California. Washington grows over 70 varieties and is home to over 900 different wineries.

1. Chardonnay
   Albarino
2. Gewurztraminer
   Pinot Noir

There is no shortage of Chardonnay coming out of California. This popular white accounts for almost 100,000 acres of plantings in the state.

1. Rioja Gran Reserva
   Muscadet
2. Amarone
   Port

This fortified dessert wine hails from Portugal and is enjoyed at the end of heavy meals all around the world. The winemakers add brandy sometime in the winemaking process, lending richness to the beverage.

1. Grouping
   Vinous zone
2. Appellation
   Area of Growth

While individual countries have their own legal qualifications for geographic areas of wine, appellation is the catch-all term that refers to a legally defined area that can bear a certain name. The first legal appellations are thought to be Chianti and Tokaji.

1. Merlot
   Marsanne
2. Cab Franc
   Cabernet Sauvignon

Marsanne is most associated with the Rhone. Bordeaux blends include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and occasionally Carménère.

1. Malbec
   Pinot Noir
2. Riesling
   Chardonnay

Argentina is the largest producer of Malbec in the world and makes world-class wines from this French varietal. Malbec is an intense dark color with a solid-structure and notes of black fruit and spice.

1. Burgundy (France)
   Mosel (Germany)
2. Mendoza (Argentina)
   Napa Valley (United States)

The Mosel valley is the world's most renowned producer of Riesling. Located on the steep, stately hills of the Mosel River, these vineyards produce Riesling that can be bone dry and racing with minerality or sweet and decadent.

1. Beaujolais (France)
   Priorat (Spain)
2. Mendocino County (United States)
   Wachau (Austria)

Beaujolais is a rustic wine-growing region in France that produces mostly Gamay varietal for its wines. Once famous for the cheap and young Beaujolais Nouveau, producers are now turning back toward higher quality wines that exhibit bright red fruit.

1. Slate
   Limestone
2. Clay
   Fertile dirt

Paradoxically, great soil conditions produce bad wine. Unlike most crops, viticulturists want poor soil to reduce the output of grapes on vines, leading to deeper concentration of sugar in the grapes. Soil type plays a big factor in the character of wine.

1. Aspergillus flavus
   Mucor mucedo
2. Brettanomyces
   Botrytis

Botrytis is a gray mold that affects many plants, but most notably is found in grapes. It is given the nickname "Noble Rot" when grapes contract it during a wet period followed by a drier period, leading to berries high in sugar that are ideal for dessert wines.

1. Magnum
   Tall boy
2. Balthazar
   Truily

A magnum is the name for a bottle of wine that is twice the size of a normal bottle, or 1.5L. The largest wine bottle size is named after the Biblical King Solomon and is 18 L, or 24 regular bottles of wine.

1. Sulfite Reduction
   Chaptalization
2. Carbonic Maceration
   Maloactic Fermentation

Chaptalization is a technique used by winemakers in which they add additional sugar to unfermented grapes to rectify lack of natural sugar in the harvest process. This controversial process isn't to make wine sweeter, but to increase the alcohol levels in the wine.

1. Cava
   Champagne
2. Tokaji
   Prosecco

Tokaji is a Hungarian dessert wine that was once known as the "Wine of Kings," due to its favor by noble drinkers. It is reliant on the botrytis fungus, or noble rot to achieve sweetness.

1. Chardonnay
   Pinot Noir
2. Merlot
   Riesling

Chablis is an appellation in the Burgundy region of France that produces some of the world's finest Chardonnay. Chablis is celebrated for a tension in the wine that produces lean whites high in minerality and acidity.

1. Peppermint
   Vanilla
2. Forest floor
   Lavender

New American oak imparts several strong flavors, such as coconut, vanilla and dill into wine aged in its barrels. Deciding on whether to use oak, and how much, is an important consideration in the wine-making process.

1. It lightens.
   It darkens.
2. It stays the same.
   It varies from wine to wine.

Red wines typically lighten in color when they age, turning a brickish-red color. This is a result of tannins interacting with red color pigments to produce something called polymeric pigments that lead to the lightening in color.

1. They lighten.
   They darken.
2. It stays the same.
   It varies from wine to wine.

White wines darken as they age, turning a rich yellow or sometimes golden hue. Older white wines lose some of the fruit characteristics that dominate the palate in their youth, giving way to more herbal and vegetal notes.

1. Nebbiolo
   Chardonnay
2. Pinot Noir
   Sylvaner

Nebbiolo is an Italian varietal that is known for producing highly structured and tannic red wines. The grape is used in Barolo and Barbaresco, two renowned wines in the Piedmont region. It has a wonderful bouquet of floral and earthy aromas.

1. Oregon
   Washington
2. California
   New York

The Willamette Valley is home to over two-thirds of Oregon's vineyards and is gaining a reputation as one of the world's most exciting wine regions. It has a similar climate to Burgundy, making it an ideal location to grow world-class Pinot Noir.

1. Ukraine
   Austria
2. Georgia
   Portugal

The country of Georgia, located in the Caucasus mountains, is believed to be the earliest region in the world to make wine. Over 8,000 years ago, Georgians buried wine in clay pots called kvevris where it would ferment.

1. Waterford Estate
   Penfolds
2. Cayuse Vineyards
   Screaming Eagle

Penfolds is one of the oldest and the most prestigious wineries in Australia, founded in 1844 by Dr. Christopher Penfolds. Their iconic Penfolds Grange wine sells for over $1,000 a bottle and is one of the most celebrated wines in the entire world.

1. Sidecar
   Kir Royale
2. Negroni
   Corpse Reviver No. 1

The Kir Royale is a classic French aperitif that combines Champagne and Creme de Cassis. Creme de Cassis has a delightful currant and berry flavor.

1. Champagne
   Vinho Verde
2. Sherry
   Rioja

Vinho Verde is a region in northern Portugal that produces crisp, acidic white wines that are best enjoyed young. Some Vinho Verde is slightly effervescent and the two main grapes are Alvarinho and Loureiro.

1. Add sulfites
   Use new oak barrels
2. Stop fermentation
   Harvest early

The process of fermentation converts sugar into ethyl alcohol and is how grape juice becomes wine. Stopping fermentation early will leave more of the sugar in the grapes in the final product, resulting in a sweeter wine.

1. Use whole cluster grapes
   Use stainless steel vats
2. Use pesticides
   Maloactic fermentation

Chardonnay is a versatile grape that can produce either dry acidic wines or creamy and buttery wines. The latter, common in Sonoma County, achieve the effect through the use of oak barrels and maloactic fermentation. Maloactic fermentation is a secondary fermentation that removes the tart-tasting malic acid and produces a compound named diacetyl that imparts a buttery flavor.

1. Loire Valley (France)
   Rhone (France)
2. Rioja (Spain)
   Baden (Germany)

Chateuneuf-de-Pape is one of the most famous regions in the Rhone, located in southeastern France along the Rhone River. The appellation produces Grenache-dominant blends that also feature Syrah, Mouvedre and other Rhone grapes. The characteristic taste is a balance of red fruit, earth, and spice.

1. Barbera
   Vermentino
2. Tempranillo
   Sangiovese

Tempranillo is the signature Spanish grape, grown in Rioja and elsewhere in the country. Its name means early, a nod to the grape ripening earlier than other Spanish varietals.

1. Sauvignon Blanc
   Cabernet Sauvignon
2. Malbec
   Carignan

Sauvignon Blanc is New Zealand's crown jewel, accounting for more than 72% of the wine grown in the country. A typical NZ Sauv Blanc is herbaceous and features a strong acidity with wild herbaceous flavor with some tropical or citrus fruit. Drink cold on a hot day.

1. August-November
   January-March
2. March-July
   June-September

Harvest season, or crush, is the most important time on the wine's calendar. In the Northern Hemisphere, it typically stretches from August to November, with grapes ripening at different times depending on location and varietal.

1. Sec
   Brut
2. Extra Sec
   Doux

Champagne is classified by the amount of dosage, or extra sweetness, added to the wine. Of the answer choices, Brut is the driest with no more than 12 grams of sugar added. On the other end of the spectrum sits Doux (French for sweet) with over 50 grams of added sugar.

1. Pyrazines
   Tannins
2. Ethanol
   Sugar

Methoxypyrazine is the compound that creates the vegetal aroma in wine. The trademark smell is common in Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Franc and some Loire Sauvignon Blanc.

1. United States
   Germany
2. Italy
   Spain

Italy overtook France in 2015 for the status of world's largest wine producer. Italy, France and Spain are the three biggest wine producers in the world.

1. Riesling
   Chardonnay
2. Cabernet Franc
   Malbec

In addition to strong acidity and minerality, Riesling is known for its gasoline-like aroma. This comes from a compound called TDA found within the grape that accompanies ripening.