Certified Specialist of Wine, part 2

With three weeks until I take the CSW exam, I am reading about wine several hours everyday. I've made my way through the wine regions that I am familiar with (France, Spain, Portugal and Italy) and starting on the regions that I am less familiar with (Germany, Austria, Hungary, Greece, Australia) before I finish up with the Americas. I am confident that I will get through everything and do well on the exam, but will have to wait until October to find out the results.

In addition to reading about wine regions that I know little about, I had a wine this past weekend that I've never even heard of before. This interesting wine was a 2008 Welschriesling made by Leo Hillinger from Austria. Not related to the eponymous Riesling that most people know (love it or hate it), this grape can be found in central and eastern Europe (Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, etc). I didn't take notes, as we were eating dinner, but I remember it tasting of crisp green apple and cast iron skillet (not in a bad way). As I learn more about unique and interesting wine regions I look forward to trying more indigenous grapes not found regularly in the U.S.

Back to the CSW exam, how did you fare on the sample exam questions from the previous post? Ready to try your hand at the second half? Answers to the first half appear below.

11. Which of the following AVAs has the hottest climate?

a. Paso Robles
b. Puget Sound
c. Rogue Valley
d. Russian River Valley

12. If a Chilean wine contains a vintage on the label, what percentage of the grapes must come from that vintage?

a. 75%
b. 85%
c. 95%
d. 100%

13. All of the following are reasons to add SO2 to grape must EXCEPT:

a. to inhibit wild yeast fermentation
b. to prevent browning
c. to slow the growth of spoilage bacteria
d. to break down cellulose and speed up fermentation and color extraction

14. The grape used to make a dark, sweet dessert wine of the same name from Greece is:

a. Mavrodaphne
b. Xinomavro
c. Roditis
d. Moschofilero

15. Marlborough, New Zealand is located:

a. on the south end of the South Island
b. on the north end of the North Island
c. in the northeast of the South Island
d. in the southwest of the North Island

16. Pinotage is:

a. widely grown in South Africa and Southern France
b. a hybrid of Pinot Noir and Steen
c. a crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut
d. no longer grown in South Africa

17. Which of the following is one of the levels of the Portuguese wine classification pyramid?

a. Vinho controllada
b. Vinho regional
c. Vinho de origem
d. Vinho verde

18. In addition to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the third authorized grape variety for Champagne production is:

a. Pinot Blanc
b. Pinot Gris
c. Pinot Meunier
d. Sauvignon Blanc

19. Which of the following can be detected by the sense of touch?

a. tannin
b. flavones
c. esters
d. aldehydes

20. Which of the following lists Austrian Prädikatswein levels in increasing order by must weight?

a. Kabinett, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Ausbruch
b. Spätlese, Auslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Ausbruch
c. Spätlese, Beerenauslese, Ausbruch, Trockenbeerenauslese
d. Spätlese, Kabinett, Auslese, Eiswein

Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. c
4. d
5. a
6. c
7. b
8. d
9. b
10. d
11. a
12. a
13. d
14. a
15. c
16. c
17. b
18. c
19. a
20. c