French Quiz Answers

Wines from the Sud-Ouest contain unusual varietals.

1.  Which French wine region has traditionally always included the grape varietal on the label?

Answer - Alsace has always included its grape varietal on the label such as Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurtztraminer, Sylvaner, Muscat, Pinot Blanc etc.  You might award yourself quarter of  a mark for Muscadet which is an alternative name for Melon de Bourgogne its grape varietal.

2.  Pouilly-Fumé and Pouilly-Fuissé come from different wine regions.  Which ones?

Answer - Pouilly-Fume is next door to Sancerre in the Loire Valley and produces great Sauvignon Blanc.   Pouilly-Fuissy is one of the Macon appellations in Burgundy and produces great Chardonnay,

3.  Which French wine Region contains the first Appellation Controllée and which was it?

Answer - The Rhone Valley contains the first Appellation Controllee which was Chateauneuf-du-Pape in 1935.

4.  In which French wine region do they grow Pinot Meunier as one of their three main grape varietals?

Answer - Pinot Meunier along with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is one of the main Champagne region grape varieties.  It is particularly popular in the Marne Valley.

5.  Which French wine region grows Merlot on its right bank in clay soils and Cabernet Sauvignon on its left bank in gravelly soils and then blends them with other varietals?

Answer - Bordeaux.  St Emilion and Pomerol grow Merlot and Medoc and Grave concentrate on Cabernet Sauvignon.  Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot are other varietals grown in Bordeaux.

Some of the many vines in the Languedoc.

6.  Which is the largest of the French wine regions in terms both of size and bottles of wine produced?

Answer - The Languedoc is the largest region.  It is bigger in terms of product than large countries such as Australia.

7.  Which French wine region uses unusual grape varietals such as Fer, Gros and Petit Manseng and Colombard in its wines?

Answer - The Sud-Ouest or South West is a very varied region including Bergerac, Cahors, Madiran and many other disparate appellations contains these and may other unusual grape varietals.

8.  Which French wine region makes the unusual sherry like Vin Jaune wines? 

Answer - The Jura is the region that contains Vin Jaune including the amazing Chateau Chalon which unusually is sold in 62cl bottles.

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