Level 3 wine exam practice · Learning outcome 2

Alsace and the Loire: practice questions

27 original multiple-choice questions on this chapter, each with an explanation. Five are below; the rest, plus timed mocks and written-answer drills with mark schemes, are in the app.

Sample questions

Which Loire rosé is typically off-dry to medium-sweet and based mainly on the Grolleau grape?
  1. Rosé d'Anjou
  2. Rosé de Loire
  3. Sancerre rosé
  4. Tavel
Answer: Rosé d'Anjou. Rosé d'Anjou is the Loire's high-volume, gently sweet pink, led by the local Grolleau. Rosé de Loire must be dry, Sancerre rosé is dry Pinot Noir, and Tavel is a dry rosé appellation of the southern Rhône. Cabernet d'Anjou is also off-dry but is made from the two Cabernets.
Which appellation near Sancerre offers a similar Sauvignon Blanc style, usually at a lower price?
  1. Menetou-Salon
  2. Savennières
  3. Bourgueil
  4. Muscadet
Answer: Menetou-Salon. Menetou-Salon lies just south-west of Sancerre on the same limestone and makes crisp Sauvignon Blanc that trades on being less famous. Savennières is Chenin Blanc, Bourgueil is Cabernet Franc red, and Muscadet is at the far end of the river.
Which Alsace grape gives a full-bodied, low-acid white with pronounced aromas of lychee, rose and spice?
  1. Gewurztraminer
  2. Riesling
  3. Pinot Blanc
  4. Muscat
Answer: Gewurztraminer. Gewurztraminer's pink-skinned berries make an oily, perfumed, often off-dry wine with high alcohol and low acidity. Riesling is the taut, high-acid variety, Pinot Blanc is neutral and soft, and Muscat is aromatic but in a fresh, grapey way.
Which Loire appellation is known for dry, concentrated, age-worthy Chenin Blanc?
  1. Savennières
  2. Sancerre
  3. Chinon
  4. Muscadet
Answer: Savennières. Savennières, on steep schist slopes north of the Loire in Anjou, makes the region's most serious dry Chenin Blanc, often austere in youth and long-lived. Sancerre is Sauvignon Blanc, Chinon is Cabernet Franc red, and Muscadet is Melon Blanc.
Compared with a typical Mosel Riesling, an Alsace Riesling is usually:
  1. Drier, fuller-bodied and higher in alcohol, with ripe citrus and stone fruit and a stony character
  2. Sweeter and lower in alcohol
  3. Oak-aged with buttery flavours
  4. Lightly sparkling
Answer: Drier, fuller-bodied and higher in alcohol, with ripe citrus and stone fruit and a stony character. Alsace's sunnier, drier climate ripens Riesling more fully, and the local tradition is to ferment it dry, so the wine has more body and alcohol than the Mosel's light, often off-dry style. Neither region uses new oak or encourages buttery malolactic character in Riesling.
Drill all 27 in the app