* Answers are at the bottom of this quiz.

1. The scent of a fine, aged Riesling is most reminiscent of:

A. NFL locker room
B. Greyhound bus depot
C. Wet monkey

2. The vine louse phylloxera never invaded Chile because:

A. The mountains are too high for the louse to climb.
B. The quarantine controls are strict for the louse to slip by.
C. The desert is too harsh for the louse to survive.
D. All of the above.

3. Which famous dessert wine has the longest history?

A. German Eiswein
B. French Sauternes
C. Portuguese Porto
D. Hungarian Tokaji Aszu

4. Of the eight “international” varieties in widespread commercial production, which is not indigenous to France?

A. Chardonnay
B. Merlot
C. Pinot Gris
D. Riesling

5. What’s the difference between Syrah and Petit Syrah?

A. No difference: They are the same grape.
B. Big difference: they are not related.
C. Some difference: they are related..
D. None of the above.

6. What is the newest AVA to be approved in the Napa Valley?

A. Rock Pile
B. Calistoga
C. Napa River
D. Yountville
E. Stags Leap

1. Wine Quiz Answer: B. Greyhound bus depot
As Riesling ages, it develops a waxy, petrol or diesel smell, which connoisseurs learn to love. Especially when they paid a lot for the bottle.

2. Wine Quiz Answer: D. All of the above.
All of these conditions were too much for the root louse to overcome. This is why today Chile has some vines that are older than those planted in Europe. In fact, many of the original vine cuttings came from European vineyards, particularly those in Bordeaux, France.

3. Wine Quiz Answer: D. Hungarian Tokaji Aszu
Legend has it that the first ‘aszú’, or ‘dried’ grape wine, was made in Hungary’s Tokaj-Hegyalja region by Laczkó Máté Szepsi in 1630, though records suggest the style already existed almost 60 years earlier. The first region to fully explore the usefulness of ‘noble rot’, or botrytis cinerea, in making sweet wine, Tokaji wines (meaning ‘from Tokaj’) were sought after by royalty. Their extraordinary ability to age gracefully sparked rumors of magical healing properties, and the famous style came to be imitated far and wide. In many regions, rich or aromatic white wines were named after these Hungarian beauties in the sincerest form of flattery, like ‘Tokay d’Alsace’ and ‘Tocai Friulano’

4. Wine Quiz Answer: D. Riesling
Although Riesling is indigenous to Germany, Alsace has long held a fine reputation for crafting dry wines made from this stellar variety.

5. Wine Quiz Answer: C. Some difference: they are related..
Petit Syrah is not Syrah, but a grape with several aliases, Petit Sirah and Durif being the most common. It is related to Syrah by parentage: it is the offspring of Syrah and the obscure French grape Peloursin. This connection was uncovered in 1996 via DNA research preformed at University of California at Davis.

6. Wine Quiz Answer: B. Calistoga
The US TTB approved this new AVA on 12/4/9. The application had been submitted in 2004. There was much discussion as there are two wineries using the name currently and yet they do not meet the minimum 75% grapes from the AVA to use the name. They must make that change within three years or discontinue using Calistoga in their winery name.