Basic Wine Knowledge: Trivia Facts Quiz!

Wine is best stored in a cool, dark location away from vibrations. Sunlight and heat can "cook" a wine.

Red wine comes from the use of red (all dark-colored) grapes. During the fermentation process, the grape juice remains in contact with the skins for a period of a couple of weeks, giving the red wine its color. If the skins are removed immediately after the crash, the resulting wine from the red grapes will actually be white or light pink.

Chardonnay is the world's most popular wine. While most of us know it for the heavy oak and butter flavors, neither of these flavors actually come from the grape, but from winemaking techniques frequently applied to this particular grape.

If a bottle of wine with a cork is stored upright, the cork will dry out, allowing oxygen to enter the bottle. This will result in the oxidation of the wine, turning the wine (both red and white) browner in color, tasting stale, and giving undesirable flavors.

Red wines will have varying amounts of tannin levels depending on the grape used and the winemaking process. Tannins add astringency (dryness) and bitterness. Wines high in tannins will have the tannins "soften" or "mellow" with age.

While most of the word refers to the grape as Syrah, Australia refers to it as Shiraz. Two of the world's best regions for this grape are the Cotes du Rhone in southeastern France and the Barossa Valley in South Australia.

While hearing about a 1980 Chateau Margaux sounds exotic, the truth is that most wines are created with the intent to be consumed within a short period of time, especially among white and sparkling wines.

Bordeaux is located in southwest France, where the Garonne River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Regions on the left bank (south of the river) tend to have a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, while regions on the right bank (north of the river) use Merlot as the predominant grape.

Riesling traditionally hails from Germany, although it also does well in Alsace, the Pacific Northwest, New York, and cooler regions in Australia and New Zealand. It is light-bodied, fruity, and tangy.

While the majority of white wine comes from white grapes, white wine can also be made from red grapes if the skins are removed immediately after the crash.

The pasta itself rarely is the deciding factor on which wine to use. It is the other components of the pasta dish (sauce, filling) that are the determining factor. A good rule of thumb is white sauce goes with white wine, while red sauce goes with red wine.

Cork taint is a result of contact with a flawed cork. This occurs in 1% to 7% of all wines depending upon your source. Cork taint is undetectable until the wine is opened. It occurs in all quality levels and price ranges of wines. A wine suffering from cork taint is referred to as "corked" and should be discarded.

The Chianti region lies within Tuscany in western Italy. Laws dictate that the grape Sangiovese must be used in order for the wine to be called a "Chianti". Pioneering winemakers have experimented with blending Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and other grapes to make "Super Tuscan" wines.

Tannins can help soften and break down a chewy piece of meat. Dark red wines balance well with rich cuts of meat while lighter reds and nearly all whites would be overwhelmed by the flavors of the meat.

Sauvignon Blanc is a very versatile white wine that pairs well with a wide variety of foods. Its most famous regions are New Zealand, France (Loire Valley and Bordeaux), and California.

While the finest champagnes all result from a secondary fermentation occurring in the bottle, this is also the most labor-intensive (and therefore expensive) method. Other methods include secondary fermentation in a closed tank or simple carbonation (which results in large, flabby, short-lasting bubbles).

Rioja lies in Northern Spain along the Ebro river.

Beaujolais-Nouveau is produced from the Gamay grape and comes from the Beaujolais region in Eastern France (just south of Burgundy). This light red wine benefits from being slightly chilled and is best consumed very young.

Wine enthusiasts are renowned for their ability to detect what sounds like odd or absurd aromas in a wine, from gooseberry to tobacco to pencil shavings. Beginning wine tasters should concentrate on broader characteristics such as "citrus fruit" or "minerals". The collection of all aromas is referred to as the wine's "bouquet".

The Rhone valley lies in southeastern France where the Rhone river meets the Mediterranean sea. Wines in the Northern Rhone tend to be made with a high percentage of Syrah while the wines in the south use a higher amount of Grenache along with Syrah and Mourvedre.

While winemakers can certainly manipulate the final wine, generally speaking, Pinot Noir wines tend to be lightest and lowest in tannins while Cabernet Sauvignon is the boldest and most tannic. Merlot is usually right in the middle.

Most fine rose wines result from contact with red grape skins for a short (2-3 day) period of time during fermentation. This requires the winemaker to gauge the desired level of color and remove the skins at the precise moment he achieves the proper color. A much less stressful method used in bulk rose production is to blend a finished red wine with a finished white wine to obtain the proper color level.

Burgundy lies in eastern France along the Soane river. It is the world's most famous region for exceptional red wines made from Pinot Noir.