WSET L2 Exam 07 - The Whole Course

Question 1

The thick layer of grapes skins that float to the top of fermenting grapes juice is called the:

a) Flor
b) Cap
c) Lees
d) Botrytis

Answer 1

b) Cap

Question 2

Which region produces large volumes of inexpensive wine:

1. South Eastern Australia
2. Margaret River
3. Pays d’Oc IGP
4. Sancerre
   a) 1 and 2
   b) 2, 3, and 4
   c) 1 and 3
   d) 1 only

Answer 2

c) 1 and 3
* FIO:*

• In 2009, the Vin de pays classification was replaced by the new IGP - Indication Géographique Protégée, or Protected Geographical Region - designation.
• There are three tiers of Vin de Pays: regional, departmental and local.
• There are six regional Vins de Pays, which cover large areas of France. The most voluminous contributor to this category of wines is Vin de Pays d’Oc, from the Languedoc-Roussillon area in Mediterranean France.

Question 3

Moderate climate average growing season temperatures range from 16.5 to 18.5 degrees Centigrade

a) True
b) False

Answer 3

a) True
* FIO: 61-65 degrees Fahrenheit

Question 4

Véraison

a) Makes tiny holes in the skins of grapes
b) Is a vine disease
c) Is a vine pest
d) Is the point where grapes lose their dark green colour

Answer 4

d) Is the point where grapes lose their dark green colour

Question 5

Tempranillo is a grape variety that is widely grown in

a) Australia
b) New Zealand
c) Spain
d) Hungary

Answer 5

c) Spain

Question 6

The climate of Bordeaux is warm

a) True
b) False

Answer 6

b) False

Question 7

Which of the following is a white grape grown in Avellino

a) Fiano
b) Riesling
c) Barbera
d) Cabernet Sauvignon

Answer 7

a) Fiano

• FIO: Italy = Fiano di Avellino
• Riesling =
  
  • France (Alsace)
  • Germany (Mosel, Rheingau, Pflaz)
  • Australia (Claire Valley, Eden Valley)
• Barbera = Italy (Barbera d’Asti)
• Cabernet Sauvignon = (BLACK Fruits)
  PGI production:
  ​ South of France

PDOs France:
Bordeaux,
Médoc,
Haut-Médoc,
Pauillac,
Margaux,
Graves,
Pessac-Léognan

USA:
California,
Napa Valley (Oakville, Rutherford, Calistoga),
Sonoma

Chile:
Central Valley,
Maipo Valley,
Colchagua Valley

South Africa:
Stellenbosch

Australia:
Coonawarra,
Margaret River

New Zealand:
Hawke’s Bay

Question 8

What does a plant NOT need to grow and produce sugars:

a) Sunlight
b) Heat
c) Nutrients
d) Yeast

Answer 8

d) Yeast

Question 9

The appearance of PX Sherry is?

a) Deep ruby
b) Deep amber
c) Pale lemon
d) Almost black

Answer 9

d) Almost black
* FIO: Pedro Ximenez (aka PX) is a lusciously sweet Sherry*

Question 10

The solera system is used in the production of :

a) Port
b) Sherry
c) Asti
d) Champagne

Answer 10

b) Sherry
* FIO:*
* Sherry is a fortified wine produced in southern Spain around the town of Jerez de la Frontera.

Winemaking Process

• 1. The starting point of most sherries is a dry base wine made from the Palomino grape, a local white grape variety.*
• 2. Once fermentation is complete, alcohol is added to fortify the wine before it enters the solera system.*
• 3. Solera is a system is of old-oak casks containing wines from different ages. In these casks, the wines are continuously blended together and develop various distinctive flavours. The maturation process plays an important role in determining the different styles of Sherry.*
• Solera System*

Styles
Dry Sherry styles: Fino, Oloroso, Amontillado
Sweet Sherry Styles: Pale Cream, PX (Pedro Ximénez)

Question 11

Hawke’s Bay produces quality wines from

a) Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
b) Zinfandel, and Merlot
c) Merlot, and Pinotage
d) Semillon, and Viognier

Answer 11

a) Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
* FIO: Hawke’s Bay = New Zealand

Question 12

Oak barrels help to soften tannins in red wine ?

a False

b True

Answer 12

b True

• FIO: Oak smoothes the wine tannins, improves wine age-ability, texture and stabilises colour in red wines.

Question 13

Recioto di Soave DOCG is made from

a) Fiano.
b) Garganega.
c) Corvina.
d) Malbec.

Answer 13

b) Garganega.
* FIO:*

• Garganega Grape = ITALY
• GIs: Soave, Soave Classico
• Labels: Recioto, Classico

Question 14

Asti DOCG is

a. Low alcohol, sweet, still wine
b. Low alcohol, dry, sparkling wine
c. Low alcohol, sweet, sparkling wine
d. High alcohol, sweet, sparkling wine.

Answer 14

c. Low alcohol, sweet, sparkling wine
* FIO:*
* Barbera d’Asti = ITALY

Question 15

White wine is fermented at

a) 12 – 22 degrees C
b) 20 – 32 degrees C
c) 32 – 40 degrees C
d) 8 – 10 degrees C

Answer 15

a) 12 – 22 degrees C

Question 16

Winemakers can adjust wines by adding acid during wine making

a) False
b) True

Answer 16

b) True

Question 17

What flavours do most Nuits-Saint-Georges AC wines have?

1. Strawberry flavours.
2. Blackcurrant flavours.
3. Peach flavours.
4. Grass flavours.

Answer 17

1. Strawberry flavours.
   * FIO:*

• Nuits-Saint-Georges wine is produced in the communes of Nuits-Saint-Georges and Premeaux-Prissey in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy.
• The Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) Nuits-Saint-Georges may be used for red and white wine with respectively Pinot noir and Chardonnay as the main grape variety. The name of the appellation is sometimes written simply as Nuits, without the Saint-Georges part.
• The word “Nuits” has nothing to do with “nighttime” but comes from the Latin for walnuts, Nutium.
• The production of red wine dominates greatly, with around 97 per cent, and only around three per cent white wine.
• There are no Grand Cru vineyards within Nuits-Saint-Georges.

Question 18

Fully ripe Zinfandel produces flavours of :

a) Black cherry, prune, raisin.
b) Raspberry, red cherry, green pepper
c) Lemon, lime, pineapple
d) Banana, green pepper, cedar

Answer 18

a) Black cherry, prune, raisin.
* FIO:*
* Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards.
* DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kaštelanski and Tribidrag, as well as to the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Apulia (the “heel” of Italy), where it was introduced in the 18th century.
* The grape found its way to the United States in the mid-19th century, where it became known by variations of a name applied to a different grape, likely “Zierfandler” from Austria.
* The grapes typically produce a robust red wine, although in the United States a semi-sweet rosé (blush-style) wine called White Zinfandel has six times the sales of the red wine.*
* The grape’s high sugar content can be fermented into levels of alcohol exceeding 15 percent.
* The taste of the red wine depends on the ripeness of the grapes from which it is made. Red berry fruit flavors like raspberry predominate in wines from cooler areas, whereas blackberry, anise and pepper notes are more common in wines made in warmer areas[5] and in wines made from the earlier-ripening Primitivo clone.*

Question 19

Tertiary aromas are from the ageing processes in wine?

a) False
b) True

Answer 19

b) True

Question 20

Which grape is used for Pommard?

1. Pinot Noir.
2. Grenache.
3. Chardonnay.
4. Gamay.

Answer 20

1. Pinot Noir.

Question 21

A powerful full-bodied wine generally describes wines from

a) Brunello de Montalcino DOCG
b) Alsace
c) Casablanca Valley
d) South Eastern Australia

Answer 21

a) Brunello de Montalcino DOCG
* FIO:*

• Brunello di Montalcino is a red DOCG Italian wine produced in the vineyards surrounding the town of Montalcino, in the province of Siena, located about 80 km south of Florence in the Tuscany wine region. Brunello, a diminutive of Bruno (“brown”), is the name that was given locally to what was believed to be an individual grape variety grown in Montalcino. In 1879 the Province of Siena’s Amphelographic Commission determined, after a few years of controlled experiments, that Sangiovese and Brunello were the same grape variety, and that the former should be its designated name.
• In Montalcino the name Brunello evolved into the designation of the wine produced with 100% Sangiovese.
• In 1980, Brunello di Montalcino was among the four wines awarded the first Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) designation. Today it is one of Italy’s best-known and most expensive wines.

Question 22

Loire has the PDO of?

a) Pouilly-Fumé
b) Pomerol
c) Puligny-Montrachet
d) Pouilly-Fuissé

Answer 22

a) Pouilly-Fumé
* FIO: ** Not to be confused with Pouilly-Fuissé from Burgundy ***

• Pouilly-Fumé is an appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) for the dry sauvignon blanc white wine produced around Pouilly-sur-Loire, in the Nièvredépartement. Another white wine produced in the same area but with a different grape variety is called Pouilly-sur-Loire.
• Pouilly-Fumé is made purely from sauvignon blanc, a type of vine whose clusters are formed of small ovoid grapes, pressed against each other and resembling small bird eggs. At maturity, these grapes are coated with a grey bloom, the color of smoke—which explains why Pouilly winegrowers talk of “white smoke” to describe the type of vine or the wines made from it. “Fumé” also refers to the smoky bouquet (the renowned “gun flint aroma”), bestowed by the terroir vineyards of Pouilly-sur-Loire.

Question 23

Herbal and black pepper aromas are characters sometimes found in

a) Syrah
b) Gamay
c) Sauvignon Blanc
d) Chardonnay

Answer 23

a) Syrah

Question 24

Cortese is the grape variety used in wines of?

a) Catalunya DO
b) Soave DOC
c) Barolo DOCG
d) Gavi DOCG

Answer 24

d) Gavi DOCG
* FIO:*

• Cortese di Gavi, or simply Gavi, is an Italian dry white wine produced in a restricted area of the Province of Alessandria, Piedmont, close to the Ligurian border. The wine was awarded DOC status in 1974 and elevated to DOCG in 1998.
• The name derives from Gavi, the comune at the centre of its production zone, and Cortese, the local variety of grape from which it is exclusively made and whose existence is reported from the 17th century.
• The current style of production dates to 1876. Cortese di Gavi made from vines within the comune of Gavi may be labeled Gavi di Gavi. Although the DOCG rules allow for sparkling spumante and metodo classico styles, most Gavi is produced as a non-sparkling still wine.

Question 25

The term Reserva on a Spanish wine means?

a) Oak and bottle aged
b) Made only from Tempranillo
c) Only aged in stainless steel tanks
d) Are subject to the highest minimum ageing requirements

Answer 25

a) Oak and bottle aged

Question 26

Dry, medium to full body, low acidity, peach and blossom aromas describes a

a) White Zinfandel
b) Pomerol AOC
c) Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
d) Condrieu AOC

Answer 26

d) Condrieu AOC
* FIO:*

• Condrieu (From the French coin de ruisseau meaning “corner of the brook”) is a French wine-growing Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) located in the Northern Rhône, near Vienne and to the south of the Côte-Rôtie AOC.
• The vineyards are situated in the seven communes of Limony, Chavanay, Malleval, Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône, Saint-Pierre-de Boeuf, Vérin, and Condrieu. These communes are in the French departments of Ardèche, Rhône and Loire on the steep slopes of the foothills of the Massif Central on the right bank of the Rhône.
• The four southernmost communes can also produce wine under the Saint-Joseph AOC. The wines made in this AOC are exclusively white, from the Viognier grape, which may have originated in the region.
• Within Condrieu is the enclave AOC of Château-Grillet, producing wines that are also 100% Viognier. The Condrieu AOC was officially created in 1940.

Question 27

The sweetness and acidity of a Sancerre would typically be

SWEETNESS ACIDITY

a. Sweet. Medium
b. Medium High
c. Off-dry Low
d. Dry High

Answer 27

d. Dry High
* FIO:*

• France Loire Valley
• Sancerre = Savignon Blanc grape

Question 28

Which one of the following will often have mango and banana flavours?

a. Sancerre.
b. Alsace Pinot Gris.
c. Chianti Classico.
d. White Zinfandel.

Answer 28

b. Alsace Pinot Gris.
* FIO:*
* France (upper right hand side, on border to Germany)

Question 29

Fino Sherry tastes of?

a. Apple, almonds, bread dough.
b. Apple, pineapple, smoke.
c. Dried fruit, caramel.
d. Blackcurrant, almonds, caramel.

Answer 29

a. Apple, almonds, bread dough.
* FIO:*

• Fino (“refined” in Spanish) is the driest and palest of the traditional varieties of sherry and Montilla-Moriles fortified wine. They are consumed comparatively young and, unlike the sweeter varieties, should be consumed soon after the bottle is opened as exposure to air can cause them to lose their flavour within hours.
• The defining component of Fino sherries is the strain of yeast known as flor that floats in a layer on top of sherry in the wine barrel. Until the mid-19th century most sherry winemakers did not understand what this yellowish foam that randomly appeared in some of their barrels was. They would mark these barrels as “sick” and relegate them to their lowest bottlings of wine. It turned out that this strain of Saccharomyces yeast thrived in air, and the more “head room” there was in the barrel the more likely it was to develop. Over time winemakers noticed that these wines were lighter and fresher than their other sherries, with the flor acting as a protective blanket over the wine that shielded it from excessive oxidation.

Question 30

Food that has a high umami content will make a dry wine taste?

a) More fruity
b) More bitter
c) Less acidic
d) Less fruity

Answer 30

b) More bitter