How well do YOU know your wine? Take our corking quiz to discover if you know what’s a grape… and what’s a wine-growing PLACE, from Chablis to Champagne
Wine is confusing.
And one of the reasons is that many countries and regions produce wine with labels that don’t tell you what type of wine is actually in the bottle.
For example, there may be a picture of a castle on the label. Or a deer. Or a river. And very little else.
Do you have to show up? Then take this cork quiz and discover where your wine weaknesses are. We’ve mixed up 26 grape and wine villages and areas in the list below. Do you know which is which? The answers are all at the bottom.
WHAT ARE GRAPES? AND WHICH PLACES ARE FAMOUS FOR WINE MAKING?
Wine is confusing. And one of the reasons is that many countries and regions produce wine with labels that don’t tell you what type of wine is actually in the bottle.
1. Margaux. Are you making a pouring decision for the opening question?
2. Barolo. Often leaves drinkers on cloud wine.
3. Chablis. One of the world’s favorite wines. But is it a grape?
4. Chardonnay. A classic. But is it a village?
5. Chenin Blanc. If you drink wine, you’ve probably had Chenin Blanc.
6. Merlot. An indispensable part of every wine list.
7. Champagne. Are you bursting with wine knowledge? If so, then you know this.
8. Montalcino. Can you visit it? Or let it grow?
9. Montepulciano. Sick happens.
10. Beaune. A point of contention?
11. Maconnais. Can you find it on a map?
12. Saint Emilion. Is this the wine you are looking for?
13. Zinfandel. For some it is a wine in a million.
14. Albarino. This gives a feeling of vine and dandy.
15. Malbec. A go-to for millions of wine drinkers.
16. Sancerre. A wine full of vines. But can you walk through Sancerre?
17. Riesling. Associated with aromas of gasoline.
18. Rioja. Can you uncork the answer to this?
19. Tempranillo. It could easily be a village. Or could it be?
20. Syrah. Are you sad about this quiz?
21. Vinho Verde. We’re just trying to help you unleash your potential.
22. Semillon. Is it a grape? A place? A Tolkien novel?
23. Viognier. Sounds chic.
24. Gewurztraminer. Whatever it is, it’s Germanic. The rest is up to you.
25. Pomeranian. Would you accept the answer to this question with sadness?
26. Vosne-Romanée. With a name like that, it will definitely be tasty.
Many wine bottles reveal little and often simply contain a beautiful image
THE ANSWERS
1. Margaux – French village 25 km north of Bordeaux. Also a viticultural appellation (essentially a wine region).
2. Barolo – a region in Piedmont, Italy. Often confused with a grape.
3. Chablis – it is a village in Burgundy, France, and a wine-growing region. Often confused with a grape.
4. Chardonnay – grape. And place. A trick question. Chardonnay is not only a grape variety, but also a village in Burgundy within Macon-Chardonnay name. The Chablis region usually uses Chardonnay grapes to make its white wine. So if you say you don’t like Chardonnay but you like Chablis, it doesn’t make much sense.
5. Chenin Blanc – grape.
6. Merlot – grape.
7. Champagne – a wine-growing region in eastern France. Famous for its effervescence.
8. Montalcino – town in Tuscany, Italy.
9. Montepulciano – grape. (There is also a town in Tuscany with that name, but the two are not connected and the grape is not grown around it. I told you wine is confusing.)
10. Beaune – city in Burgundy.
11. Maconnais – wine growing area in Burgundy.
12. Saint Emilion – village in Bordeaux, France.
13. Zinfandel – grape.
14. Albarino – grape.
15. Malbec – grape.
16. Sancerre – French village. And known worldwide for its aromatic white wine.
The beautiful wine village of Sancerre in the Loire Valley
17. Riesling – grape. Often grown in Alsace in France and Germany.
18. Rioja – wine region in Spain. Often confused with a grape.
19. Tempranillo – grape.
20. Syrah – grape.
21. Vinho Verde – wine growing area in Portugal.
22. Semillon – grape.
23. Viognier – grape.
24. Gewurztraminer – grape.
25. Pommard – French village in Burgundy. There is also Chateau de Pommard, an 18th century wine estate.
26. Vosne-Romanée — a village and wine-growing region in France that produces some of the most expensive pinot noir wines in the world (made with pinot noir grapes, that is).