Wine quiz to test your knowledge of wine

January 20, 2011

Some years ago, I wrote a 20-question wine quiz that was extremely difficult. Written for my private wine newsletter, it had questions so difficult to answer that only one person got 18 correct — and she is a wine historian! Two persons got 16 right, and of dozens of entrants, no one else got as many as 12.
Here are 11 of the questions, with answers below.
1. Name the Napa Valley winery that was founded in Sonoma County and is still operating under the original founding family.
2. Name the Sonoma County winery that started out in Napa Valley.
3. Name the long-time, well-known California winemaker who first made wine in Chile.
4. Why did a large California wine company purchase half a ship?
5. Joseph Phelps and Fred Fisher shook hands on a deal decades ago that both men were pleased about, but which never became a public venture. Upon what did they agree?
6. What California winemaker earned the nickname White Rabbit while in college and why?
7. Name the winemaker who made two of the wines that were evaluated in the famed “Judgment of Paris” tasting in 1976.
8. An American president was reputed to have served a modest red Bordeaux to his guests during dinner parties, but surreptitiously he drank a famed wine that the others didn’t know had been opened. Who was the president and what were the two wines?
9. Which winemaker was responsible for a brand of wine called Friar’s Table?
10. What does Mendocino Wine Co. have in common with the Cleveland Indians baseball team?
11. A well-known Napa Valley winery has a below-ground wine cellar and aging area that is cooled by cold water running through a specially constructed pipe system. What is the name of the winery and why does it have to cool its subterranean cellar?

1. In 1969, Gino Zepponi and Norman DeLeuze rented an old building east of Sonoma and for 10 years operated ZD from that location. They moved in 1979 to the winery’s present site, off Napa Valley’s Silverado Trail.
2. Lindley Bynum outgrew his home wine-making facility in Albany (near Berkeley) in 1971 and bought a 26-acre vineyard in Napa Valley to make wine. But getting a winery permit proved so bureaucratic he moved his family to Sonoma’s Russian River Valley.
3. Paul Draper worked in Chile before he was hired to replace Dave Bennion at Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
4. In 1955, Louis Petri, then the most powerful wine man in America, was irate over excessive rail fees for shipping wine to the Midwest and East Coast. He heard about a ship that had split apart with the bow sinking, but the aft section still intact. He paid $300,000 for half of a ship, had the Navy tow it to San Francisco, where he did repairs, outfitted it with stainless steel tanks, and sent it up the Mississippi to deliver bulk wine to the Midwest. But even before the SS Angelo Petri made its maiden voyage, the publicity from the idea had driven rail fees down dramatically by 1956.
5. When Fisher Vineyards released a Chardonnay called Coach Insignia, Joe Phelps called him and said the name could possibly cause confusion with his red wine, Insignia. The men soon agreed that Fisher could use the name as long as Fisher (of the famed Body by Fisher family) used the word “Coach” in front of it (an automotive design reference) and always made it a great wine.
6. Erich Russell of Rabbit Ridge in Paso Robles was a sprinter on the famed San Jose State track teams that featured world record holder Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, and other great black stars. As the only Caucasian on the sprint team, the nickname was obvious.
7. Both the 1972 Freemark Abbey Chardonnay and the 1969 Freemark Abbey Cabernet were made by Jerry Luper, who now makes wine in Portugal.
8. As the story goes, Richard Nixon drank 1966 Chateau Margaux while he served others the far cheaper Mouton Cadet.
9. The late Silver Oak Cellars winemaker Justin Meyer, when he was at Franciscan Vineyards in the early 1970s. Friars Table was used mainly to dispose of wine that existed at Franciscan when Meyer, a former Christian Brother, and partner Raymond Duncan acquired it.
10. Both the winery and the Indians have a president named Paul Dolan.
11. After construction was begun at Opus One, it was discovered that the winery sat in a geothermal zone, requiring the elaborate and expensive cooling system.
Bonus question, never before published (answer next week): Name the California winery owner who is a sponsor of the fabulous Renaissance statue of David that stands in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence?
Wine of the Week: 2009 Martin Codax Albariño, Rias Baixas ($15) — This aromatic grape variety is the most dramatic white wine coming out of Spain. This widely distributed version is spicy with tropical fruit such as mango, and is really full-flavored, a lot more interesting than most Pinot Gris.
Dan Berger lives in Sonoma County, where he publishes “Vintage Experiences,” a weekly wine newsletter. Write to him at winenut@gmail.com.

Source: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110118/LIFESTYLE/110119559?p=3&tc=pg

Although wines are widely available in most Asian countries, especially in Hong Kong which has eliminated import tariff on wines altogether, the availability of fine vintage wines is still very scarce. Most wine merchants offer big names, young vintages and cheaper wines for everyday consumption. Wine lovers and connoisseurs looking for something special often travel to Clark Pampanga Philippines to do their shopping at this Wine Shop in Manila.

At Yats Wine Cellars we believe that a little bit of knowledge in wine goes a long way to developing expectations in the wines we choose to buy or drink. Without expectation, it is difficult to really enjoy wine to its fullest. With this in mind, efforts are made by Yats Wine Cellars to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible for our clients to learn more about wine.

Birthday wine gifts is one of the most popular birthday gifts to give someone living in the Philippines. Fine Vintage wine from Yats Wine Cellars is a sure winner and it does not have to cost a great deal to send someone a bottle in Philippines

To avail of wine catering service of Yats Wine Cellars, just contact this wine supplier in Manila or Angeles Clark Philippines for a meeting to design a theme for the event. The venue for a wine event can be in the privacy of a home, the convenience of an office in Manila for example or in a clubhouse of a subdivision. Wine glasses and accessories necessary for wine service are included in the wine catering service. Moreover, interesting wine notes accompany the wine to help participants enjoy the event even more by learning a little bit about wine while enjoying the party. A wine steward will be present to serve the wine.

There is also an exciting collection of white wine from Burgundy at this wine shop in Clark Pampanga such as Meursault, Chablis, Chassagne Montrachet, Puligny Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne and St. Aubin. Red wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhone are also available with a good depth of back vintages too. Visitors buy wine in Manila and Pampanga should not miss stopping at this wine shop for a few bottles of fine vintage wines to bring home.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

For inquires and reservations, contact us here

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.