Some Qs & As.... Part-II

Q. Which was the first law to regulate the retail trade of wine?

A. The Code of the Babylonian King Hammurabi (1750 BC).

Q. Where were the first hollow glass drinking vessels, which developed into modern-day wine glasses, developed?

A. Egypt, around 1500 BC. These drinking vessels were later widely made and used by the Romans.

Q. Name the Roman Emperor who forbade the planting of any more vines in Italy to save land for grain cultivation.

A. Emperor Domitian, in AD 92. The ban was in force till AD 280.

Q. Which legendary eighth-century emperor was responsible for codifying rules covering the planting of vines and wine-making in France and Germany?

A. Charlemagne (around 750 BC). He was reputed to have planted white wine grapes in a red wine vineyard because red wine would stain his beard.

Q. Where were the first modern wine bottles developed?

A. In Newcastle, England, in the 1630s. By the early 1700s glass was strong enough to be used for transporting, storing and aging wine.

Q. Which action of the English Parliament was the cause of the rise in popularity of port from Portugal’s Douro Valley?

A. In 1679, the English Parliament banned the import of French wine. The 1703 Treaty of Methuen between England and Portugal helped by establishing a discriminatory taxation system that favoured Portuguese wines (mainly port) over their French competition.

Q. Name the American President who was an active promoter of wine in his country.

A. Thomas Jefferson, an architect of the American Constitution, who developed a taste for fine wine during his stint as his country’s ambassador in Paris (1784-89).

Q. What’s common to the celebrated artists Salvador Dali, Henry Moore, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon?

A. All of them have painted labels of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, the prestigious and pricey Bordeaux wine. Each of them got cases of the famous wine as payment.

Q. A famous Hollywood actor and director, and talented watercolourist, painted the label for the 1982 vintage of Mouton Rothschild. Who was he?

A. John Huston (1906-87), director of classics like Maltese Falcon and African Queen.

Q. Who was the legendary Bordeaux professor who established modern wine-making practices like temperature-controlled fermentation?

A. Professor Emile Peynaud.

Q. Which famous wine-producing district in Bordeaux was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999?

A. St-Emilion. Situated on the right bank of the River Gironde, St-Emilion has 5,500 hectares under wine production. On the quality scale, the AOC St-Emilion Grand Cru wines are a notch higher than the AOC St-Emilion wines. To be eligible for the latter classification, the requirements are a higher minimum alcohol content, lower grape yields, and the approval of two tasting panels.

Q. Name the two top wine labels from Bordeaux owned by the luxury empire, LVMH?

A. Chateau Cheval Blanc, the premier grand cru wine from St-Emilion, and Chateau d’Yquem, the world’s best-known dessert wine from Sauternes.

Q. Name the three Champagne brands that are universally regarded as the icons of excellence. (One of the brands, incidentally, is the favourite of rappers.)

A. Dom Perignon, Krug Grand Cuvee and Cristal (earlier served in the court of the Tsars of Russia, it is now widely known as the favourite brand of rappers).

Q. What was Sir Winston Churchill’s favourite Champagne?

A. Pol Roger. During World War II, Churchill would work all night, sustained by a diet of Pol Roger and oysters.

Q. Name the five largest-selling non-vintage Champagne brands?

A. Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial; Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Yellow Label; Lanson Black Label; Mumm Cordon Rouge; and Piper-Heidsieck Brut.

Q. Which is the only major wine-producing region in France that labels its wines by grape variety, as they do in the New World?

A. Alsace. Located on the border with Germany, Alsace was at the centre of territorial disputes between France and Germany for 400 years. It was even occupied by Germany between 1871 and 1918, and again during World War II. Today, it’s firmly under French rule, but the German influence on its wine industry is widespread. It is the only region in France where Gewurtztraminer and Riesling – the two major grape varieties associated with Germany – are allowed to be grown.

Q. Why do top Bordeaux wines spend up to two years in a barrique – or oak barrels?

A. The slow absorption of tiny amounts of oxygen through the wood helps to soften tannins, stabilise colour and increase the wine’s aromatic complexity. The barrique normally holds 225 litres of wine and measures 95cm in height. It is made from oak staves that are 20 to 22mm thick.

Q. Why do top Bordeaux estates use new oak barrels for fermenting, maturing, or conditioning wine before bottling?

A. New oak barrels are microbiologically more stable than old ones, and give additional aroma and flavour to wines.