Level 3 wine exam practice · Learning outcome 2

USA and Canada: practice questions

31 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

How do the deep lakes of the Finger Lakes region help viticulture in such a cold continental climate?
  1. They store summer heat and release it slowly, moderating winter cold, delaying budburst until after the spring frosts and extending the autumn ripening season
  2. They provide irrigation water in summer
  3. They attract rain that the vines need
  4. They reflect sunlight that ripens the grapes
Answer: They store summer heat and release it slowly, moderating winter cold, delaying budburst until after the spring frosts and extending the autumn ripening season. Water changes temperature far more slowly than land, so the lakes keep nearby slopes warmer in winter and cooler in spring, protecting the vines from winter kill and late frost, then warm the air in autumn. Vineyards are therefore planted close to the shores, on the slopes above the water.
The Napa Valley is most famous for which grape variety?
  1. Cabernet Sauvignon
  2. Pinot Noir
  3. Riesling
  4. Zinfandel
Answer: Cabernet Sauvignon. Napa's warm valley floor and hillside benches ripen Cabernet Sauvignon to a full, ripe, oak-aged style that made the region's name. Pinot Noir is grown only in the cool south at Los Carneros, Riesling is marginal, and Zinfandel, though present, is more associated with Sonoma, Lodi and Paso Robles.
What does VQA on a Canadian label indicate?
  1. Vintners Quality Alliance: the wine meets the origin and quality rules of a province such as Ontario or British Columbia and is made from grapes grown in that province
  2. That the wine is an Icewine
  3. That the wine was made from hybrid grapes
  4. That the wine was aged in oak
Answer: Vintners Quality Alliance: the wine meets the origin and quality rules of a province such as Ontario or British Columbia and is made from grapes grown in that province. VQA is Canada's appellation and quality system, run province by province, principally in Ontario and British Columbia, guaranteeing local grapes, defined regions and a tasting panel. It covers all styles, not just Icewine, and does not dictate grape type or oak.
White Zinfandel is:
  1. A pale, off-dry rosé made from the Zinfandel grape in large volumes
  2. A dry white wine from a white mutation of Zinfandel
  3. A sparkling wine
  4. A late-harvest dessert wine
Answer: A pale, off-dry rosé made from the Zinfandel grape in large volumes. White Zinfandel is a blush wine: black Zinfandel grapes pressed quickly, fermentation stopped to leave sweetness, sold cheaply in enormous quantities. It kept many old Zinfandel vineyards in the ground through the years when red Zinfandel was unfashionable.
Why do the vineyards of Washington's Columbia Valley depend on irrigation?
  1. They lie in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains, in a near-desert continental climate with very little rainfall
  2. The soils are too sandy to hold any water
  3. The vines are planted on steep slopes that shed rain
  4. The region is at very high altitude
Answer: They lie in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains, in a near-desert continental climate with very little rainfall. The Cascades wring the Pacific moisture out of the air before it reaches eastern Washington, leaving a dry, sunny interior with hot summer days, cold nights and harsh winters. Water from the Columbia river system makes viticulture possible and lets growers control vine vigour precisely.
Drill all 31 in the app