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.
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.