Level 2 wine exam practice · Learning outcome 4
Regional white grapes: practice questions
32 original multiple-choice questions on this chapter, each with an explanation. Five are below; the rest, plus timed mocks, are in the app.
Sample questions
A customer wants a light, dry, unoaked Spanish white with high acidity to drink with shellfish. Which wine should you recommend?
- Reserva white Rioja aged in oak
- Albariño from Rías Baixas
- Oaked Chardonnay from Catalunya
- Traditional-method Cava Brut
Answer: Albariño from Rías Baixas. Albariño from Rías Baixas is dry, light-bodied and high in acidity, with citrus and peach fruit that suits shellfish. The oaked Rioja and Chardonnay carry the oak the customer ruled out, and Cava is sparkling rather than still.
Gavi is produced in the same Italian region as which famous red wine?
- Barolo
- Chianti
- Amarone
- Brunello
Answer: Barolo. Gavi lies in the south of Piemonte, the region better known for Barolo and its Nebbiolo reds. Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino are Tuscan Sangiovese wines, and Amarone comes from Valpolicella in the Veneto.
Which description fits a typical Fiano di Avellino?
- Dry, medium to full body, stone fruit, honey and nutty notes
- Dry, light body, neutral citrus and a very short finish
- Sweet, full body, dried fruit from grapes dried after harvest
- Off-dry, light body, lychee and rose from an aromatic grape
Answer: Dry, medium to full body, stone fruit, honey and nutty notes. Fiano gives a dry white with more weight and texture than most Italian whites, showing peach, honey and hazelnut, and it can gain complexity with bottle age. Light neutral citrus describes Gavi, dried-grape sweetness is Recioto, and lychee and rose are Gewurztraminer.
How is Recioto di Soave made sweet?
- The grapes are frozen on the vine before pressing
- The fermentation is stopped by adding grape spirit
- The grapes are dried after harvest before fermentation
- The grapes are attacked by noble rot in the vineyard
Answer: The grapes are dried after harvest before fermentation. Recioto wines are made from healthy bunches dried indoors for weeks, which concentrates the sugar so that plenty remains after fermentation. Freezing on the vine gives Eiswein, fortification makes Port, and noble rot is the route for Sauternes and Tokaji Aszú.
A sweet Vouvray tastes fresh rather than cloying despite its residual sugar. Which feature of Chenin Blanc explains this?
- Its naturally high acidity
- Its thick, tannic skins
- Its low sugar at harvest
- Its strong oak influence
Answer: Its naturally high acidity. Chenin Blanc keeps high acidity even when fully ripe, and that acidity balances the sugar so the wine finishes clean. Thick skins and tannin matter for black grapes, low sugar would rule out a sweet style, and sweet Vouvray is not defined by oak.