Level 3 wine exam practice · Learning outcome 1
Natural factors in the vineyard: practice questions
29 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
A Mediterranean climate is characterised by:
- Warm, dry summers with rainfall concentrated in the winter months and a low annual temperature range
- Cold winters and hot summers with a large annual temperature range
- Mild weather and rain spread evenly through the year
- Constant high humidity
Answer: Warm, dry summers with rainfall concentrated in the winter months and a low annual temperature range. The dry, sunny growing season of a Mediterranean climate keeps disease low and ripens grapes reliably, but drought can stress the vines; the Languedoc, much of California and South Australia share it. The large annual range is continental and the even rain is maritime.
Why does a vine need both warmth and sunlight during the growing season?
- Sunlight powers photosynthesis, which makes the sugar that ripens the grapes, and warmth drives the vine's growth and ripening processes; too little of either leaves grapes underripe
- Warmth alone ripens grapes; sunlight is irrelevant
- Sunlight alone ripens grapes; warmth is irrelevant
- Neither matters if the soil is fertile
Answer: Sunlight powers photosynthesis, which makes the sugar that ripens the grapes, and warmth drives the vine's growth and ripening processes; too little of either leaves grapes underripe. A cloudy warm climate and a sunny cold one both struggle to ripen grapes fully. Sunshine hours and heat accumulation are separate measures that growers use when assessing a site, and long sunny days are one reason high-latitude regions can ripen grapes in a short season.
What effect does altitude have on a vineyard's climate?
- Temperature falls with height, so high vineyards are cooler, with colder nights and a larger diurnal range, and sunlight is more intense
- High vineyards are warmer because they are closer to the sun
- Altitude has no effect on temperature
- High vineyards receive less sunlight
Answer: Temperature falls with height, so high vineyards are cooler, with colder nights and a larger diurnal range, and sunlight is more intense. Altitude lets growers make fresh wines in hot latitudes: Mendoza, Salta, Etna and the Alto Adige all rely on it. The cold nights preserve acidity and aromatics, and the intense light builds colour and tannin in black grapes.
Which grape variety is best suited to a cool climate region?
- Riesling, which ripens with high acidity and aromatic intensity at low sugar levels
- Grenache, which needs heat to ripen fully
- Mourvèdre, which ripens very late
- Zinfandel, which needs a long, warm season
Answer: Riesling, which ripens with high acidity and aromatic intensity at low sugar levels. Matching grape to climate is the foundation of viticulture: early-ripening, acid-retaining varieties such as Riesling, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay suit cool regions, while late-ripening, heat-loving grapes like Grenache, Mourvèdre and Zinfandel would never ripen there.
What is a clone of a grape variety?
- A vine propagated by cuttings from a single parent vine selected for particular characteristics, such as yield, disease resistance or flavour, so that all its offspring are genetically identical
- A cross between two different Vitis vinifera varieties
- A cross between two different vine species
- A vine grown from seed
Answer: A vine propagated by cuttings from a single parent vine selected for particular characteristics, such as yield, disease resistance or flavour, so that all its offspring are genetically identical. Because vines are propagated by cuttings, a grower can multiply one exceptional plant indefinitely; different clones of Pinot Noir, for instance, vary in bunch size and ripening. A cross between two vinifera varieties is a crossing, between species a hybrid, and seedlings are genetically new plants.