Melbourne Wine School · Wine Quizzes
Level 2 Wine Quizzes
Grape varieties, the major regions, the vineyard, the winery, and getting the wine into the glass. Start free to see where you stand, then pick the set that covers whatever you keep getting wrong.
30 questions drawn at random from a larger bank, in a different order every time. The general quiz is free. The focused sets are premium.
30 per attempt·Randomised·Instant feedback
Set 1: General knowledge
Answer each question to advance through the exam.
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Set 1: General knowledge
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Which grape is the principal black grape of the Médoc, on the Left Bank of Bordeaux?
Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Left Bank (Médoc and Graves) blends; Merlot leads on the Right Bank and across Bordeaux overall.
Which of these is a characteristic flavour of Sauvignon Blanc from a cool climate?
Cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc shows green, herbaceous notes like gooseberry, grass and elderflower.
What gives oaked Chardonnay flavours of vanilla, toast and spice?
Vanilla, toast and baking-spice notes come from maturing or fermenting the wine in oak barrels.
Riesling is most closely associated with which country?
Germany is the classic home of Riesling, producing styles from bone dry to lusciously sweet.
Which grape is known for high tannin, high acidity and flavours of tar and roses, and is grown in Piedmont?
Nebbiolo is the grape of Barolo and Barbaresco, high in tannin and acid with classic tar-and-roses character.
Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are the same grape. True or false?
They are the same grape; 'Pinot Grigio' (Italy) tends to be lighter, 'Pinot Gris' (Alsace) richer.
Which region is the classic home of Sangiovese?
Sangiovese is the main grape of Tuscany, used in Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino.
What is the main grape of Rioja?
Tempranillo is the principal grape of Rioja, often aged in American or French oak.
Which term on a label indicates the highest minimum ageing in Rioja?
Gran Reserva requires the longest ageing in barrel and bottle before release.
Champagne is made by which method?
Champagne uses the traditional method, with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle.
Prosecco gets its bubbles from a second fermentation in what?
Prosecco is made by the tank method, where the second fermentation happens in a pressurised tank.
'Brut' on a sparkling wine label indicates which style?
Brut is a dry style, with no more than 12 g/L of residual sugar.
Which grape is the principal red grape variety in Burgundy?
Red Burgundy is made almost entirely from Pinot Noir.
Which of these is a black grape variety?
Syrah is a black grape; Chardonnay, Riesling and Albariño are white.
Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape. True or false?
They are the same grape; 'Shiraz' is the name commonly used in Australia.
Ageing a red wine in new oak barrels can add which of the following?
New oak can add flavours such as vanilla, clove, cedar and toast, and contributes a little tannin and structure.
Malbec is most associated with which country today?
Argentina, especially Mendoza, is famous for full-bodied Malbec.
Which white grape is the key variety in white Burgundy?
White Burgundy, including Chablis and Meursault, is made from Chardonnay.
What is the climate of a region that helps grapes retain high acidity?
Cooler climates help grapes retain acidity, giving fresher, higher-acid wines.
Tannin in red wine comes mainly from which source?
Tannin is extracted from grape skins, seeds and stems, with some from oak ageing.
Which process converts sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid?
Malolactic conversion softens acidity and can add buttery flavours, common in many reds and oaked whites.
Which of these foods pairs best with a high-tannin red wine?
Protein and fat in grilled red meat soften the perception of tannin, a classic pairing.
A wine described as 'full-bodied' most likely has which feature?
Body relates to weight in the mouth, with higher alcohol and concentration giving a fuller body.
Which grape is the main variety in red wines from the Northern Rhône?
The Northern Rhône (e.g. Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie) makes red wine from Syrah.
Which of these is a fortified wine?
Sherry is a fortified wine from Jerez in southern Spain.
Port is produced in which country?
Port is a fortified wine from the Douro Valley in Portugal.
Which sherry style is dry and light, aged under a film of flor yeast?
Fino is dry and light, aged under a film of flor yeast that protects it from oxidation.
Which of these grapes is white?
Albariño is a white grape from north-west Spain (Rías Baixas); the others are black.
What is the main white grape of the Loire appellations Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé?
Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are made from Sauvignon Blanc.
Which Italian white wine is made from Garganega?
Soave, from the Veneto, is made principally from Garganega.
Which of these would you expect in a warm-climate red wine?
Warmer climates ripen grapes more fully, giving riper fruit, higher alcohol and softer acidity.
Which storage condition is best for ageing wine?
Wine ages best in cool, dark conditions with a constant temperature and some humidity.
Why are sparkling wines served chilled?
Serving cold preserves the mousse and emphasises the wine's refreshing acidity.
Which grape is the main variety in Beaujolais?
Beaujolais is made from Gamay, giving light, fruity, low-tannin reds.
Which of these wines is typically sweet?
Sauternes is a sweet wine from Bordeaux, made from grapes affected by noble rot.
Noble rot is also known as what?
Botrytis cinerea (noble rot) concentrates sugar and adds honeyed flavours in sweet wines.
Which of these is NOT a sound food-and-wine matching principle?
Matching weight, pairing acid with acid, and keeping the wine sweeter than the dessert are sound principles. Always serving red with fish is not, many fish suit white or sparkling.
Which grape gives black pepper notes and is grown widely in the Rhône and Australia?
Syrah/Shiraz often shows black pepper and dark fruit, especially in cooler sites.
Which country is Marlborough, famous for Sauvignon Blanc, located in?
Marlborough on New Zealand's South Island is renowned for pungent Sauvignon Blanc.
Which of these is a method to make rosé wine?
Most rosé is made by brief skin contact with black grapes to extract a little colour.
Which grape is the main white variety of Condrieu in the Rhône, giving peach and blossom aromas?
Viognier, notably in Condrieu, gives perfumed peach, apricot and floral aromas.
What does 'vintage' refer to on a wine label?
Vintage is the year in which the grapes were grown and harvested.
Which of these regions is in Spain?
Rías Baixas is in north-west Spain; the others are in Australia, South Africa and Germany.
Which grape is grown in the Mosel and prized for high acidity and low alcohol?
The Mosel's steep slate slopes produce delicate, high-acid, often off-dry Riesling.
Which of these best describes Gewürztraminer?
Gewürztraminer is intensely aromatic, with lychee, rose and ginger notes.
Carbonic maceration, used in Beaujolais, produces what style?
Carbonic maceration gives bright, fruity, low-tannin reds with bubblegum and kirsch notes.
Which of these is a black grape grown widely in southern France and Spain (as Garnacha)?
Grenache (Garnacha) is a black grape giving ripe red-fruit, medium-tannin wines.
Which wine would best suit a spicy Thai dish?
A little sweetness and lower alcohol in an off-dry aromatic white balances chilli heat.
Which of these is NOT a sparkling wine?
Cava, Prosecco and Champagne are sparkling; Soave is a still white wine from the Veneto.
Cava is the traditional-method sparkling wine of which country?
Cava is Spain's traditional-method sparkling wine, mostly from Penedès in Catalunya.
Which factor most affects the style of a wine before it reaches the winery?
Grape variety and growing environment (climate, site) are the biggest influences on wine style.
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Ready for the next set?
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Set 2: General knowledge
Answer each question to advance through the exam.
When you are ready, start the exam. It will open in a focused window and run until you finish.
Set 2: General knowledge
Read each question carefully. The timer begins when you press Begin. Good luck!
Close the exam? Your progress won't be saved.
Which white grape is famous for aromas of lychee, rose and spice?
Gewurztraminer is unmistakable for its lychee, rose-petal and spice aromatics.
Which grape is the main variety of Pommard?
Pommard is made from Pinot Noir.
Which of these is a light-bodied red with red-fruit flavours and low tannin?
Pinot Noir is typically light-bodied with red fruit and low-to-medium tannin.
Chenin Blanc, capable of dry, sweet and sparkling styles, is a signature grape of which two places?
Chenin Blanc is central to the Loire Valley in Vouvray, and to The Western Cape in South Africa.
A wine labelled simply 'Chardonnay' from a cool region is most likely to be:
Cool-climate unoaked Chardonnay tends to be dry with fresh apple, citrus and higher acidity.
Which grape is known for very deep colour, high tannin and blackcurrant flavours?
Cabernet Sauvignon is deeply coloured with high tannin and blackcurrant character.
Which of these describes a typical dry Riesling?
Dry Riesling is high in acidity and light-bodied, with citrus and floral aromatics.
Viognier is best described as:
Viognier makes fuller-bodied, aromatic whites with stone-fruit and floral notes.
A wine described as having 'high acidity' will taste:
High acidity makes a wine taste fresh and crisp and makes the mouth water.
'Body' in a wine refers to:
Body describes how full or light a wine feels in the mouth.
Which of these regions is in Italy?
Chianti is in Tuscany, Italy; the others are in Spain, Australia and New Zealand.
Napa Valley, famous for Cabernet Sauvignon, is in which country?
Napa Valley is in California, USA.
Which country is the leading home of Malbec today?
Argentina, especially Mendoza, is the leading producer of Malbec.
The Douro Valley, source of Port, is in which country?
The Douro Valley is in northern Portugal.
Sancerre, a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, comes from which French region?
Sancerre is in the Loire Valley.
Which region is famous for Nebbiolo?
Barolo and Barbaresco are two famous regions made from Nebbiolo, in Piedmont.
Rías Baixas is in which country?
Rías Baixas is in Galicia, north-west Spain.
Which of these is a cool New Zealand region famous for Pinot Noir?
Central Otago is New Zealand's noted cool-climate home of Pinot Noir.
Coonawarra, famous for Cabernet Sauvignon on terra rossa soil, is in which country?
Coonawarra is in South Australia.
The Mosel is in which country?
The Mosel is in Germany.
Which of these is a sweet wine affected by noble rot?
Sauternes is a sweet Bordeaux white made from nobly-rotted grapes.
Which fortified wine is produced in and around Jerez in southern Spain?
Sherry is the fortified wine of Jerez in southern Spain.
Which of these sparkling wines is made by the traditional method in Spain?
Cava is Spain's traditional-method sparkling wine.
A sparkling wine labelled 'Extra Dry' is, perhaps confusingly:
In sparkling wine, 'Extra Dry' is actually a touch sweeter than 'Brut'.
Which of these is a fortified wine?
Madeira is a fortified wine from the island of Madeira; the others are unfortified.
Fermenting a white wine in stainless steel rather than oak tends to keep the wine:
Inert stainless steel preserves fresh primary fruit and adds no oak character.
Ageing a wine on its lees can add:
Lees ageing adds texture and savoury, breadlike complexity.
Which choice would make a red wine higher in tannin?
Longer skin contact extracts more tannin.
Sweetness in a finished wine that comes from unfermented grape sugar is called:
Residual sugar is the grape sugar left unfermented, giving the wine sweetness.
Which of these gives a wine its alcohol?
Alcohol is produced when yeast ferments the grape's sugar.
A crisp, high-acid white such as Sauvignon Blanc pairs especially well with:
High-acid whites cut through and complement fresh cheeses and fish.
Why does a high-acid wine work well with oily or fried food?
Acidity cuts through fat and refreshes the palate.
A very sweet dessert is best matched with a wine that is:
The wine should be at least as sweet as the dessert, or it will taste thin and sour.
At what temperature are light-bodied white wines best served?
Light whites show best well chilled.
Full-bodied red wines are generally served:
Full-bodied reds are best at room temperature.
Decanting a young, tannic red wine is mainly done to:
Aerating a young red through decanting can soften its tannins and open the aromas.
Swirling wine in the glass before nosing it helps to:
Swirling releases the wine's aromatic compounds so you can smell them.
A wine that smells of vanilla, clove and toast has most likely been:
Vanilla, clove and toast are classic signs of oak ageing.
Which of these describes 'tannin' on the palate?
Tannin gives a drying, grippy sensation, most noticeable on the gums.
A wine labelled without a year is called:
A wine without a year of production is known as a non vintage wine. e.g NV Champagne.
What does 'vintage' refer to on a wine label?
Vintage is the year in which the grapes were grown and harvested.
Which of these regions is in Spain?
Navarra is in northern Spain; the others are in Australia, South Africa and Germany.
Which of these terms indicates a French wine of a specific controlled origin?
AOC/AOP is France's designation for wines of controlled origin (Italy uses DOC/DOCG, Germany QbA).
Which term is Italy's highest classification tier?
DOCG is Italy's top quality classification, above DOC and IGT.
The alcohol level on a label is usually shown as:
Alcohol is shown as percentage alcohol by volume (% abv).
A grape variety grown in a warmer region, compared with a cooler one, will usually give a wine that is:
Warmer conditions ripen grapes more, giving riper, fuller, higher-alcohol wines.
Which of these is a black grape?
Meunier is a black grape; the others are white.
Which grape is most associated with the Barossa Valley's rich, full-bodied reds?
The Barossa Valley is famous for full-bodied Shiraz.
Which of these best describes a wine's 'finish'?
The finish is how long the wine's flavours linger after you swallow.
Garnacha is the principal grape of which Spanish region?
Garnacha is the mainstay of Priorat's red wines.
Ready to go deeper?
You’ve tested the essentials. Our focused study quizzes drill the areas that decide real exam results: matching grapes to their regions, understanding how wine is made, and knowing each variety inside out. Built for anyone serious about levelling up their knowledge.
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Level 2: Grape Varieties
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Level 2: Regions & Grapes
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Level 2: Climate & Viticulture
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Level 2: Winemaking, Sparkling & Fortified
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Level 2: Service, Food & Wine, and Storage
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