Intro Sommelier - Australia And New Zealand

Front 1

When did the first vines arrive to Australia?

Back 1

1788 with the First Fleet of British prisoners

Front 2

Where were the first Australian vineyards planted?

Back 2

New South Wales, Tasmania

Front 3

What are some reasons why the Australian wine industry suffered in the 19th century?

Back 3

Gold deposits depleted, many prospectors left
Restrictive state trade barriers
Economic recession
Phylloxera in Victoria and New South Wales

Front 4

What Australian state produces ove 50% of the nation's wine?

Back 4

South Australia

Front 5

From the post-phylloxera era to the 1960s, what comprised 80% of Australian wines?

Back 5

Sweet, fortified wines

Front 6

What three premium varietals spurred the switch to dry table wines in Australia after 1970?

Back 6

Chardonnay
Shiraz (Syrah)
Cabernet Sauvignon

Front 7

What two packaging methods did Australia promote to help drive value wines?

Back 7

Bag-in-the-box
Stelvin closure (screw top)

Front 8

Australia is the forth largest exporter of wine. What are the top 3?

Back 8

Italy
France
Spain

Front 9

What city is home to the Australian Wine Research Institute, the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization and an acclaimed university-level oenology program?

Back 9

Adelaide, South Australia

Front 10

What are some of the viticultural innovations embraced by Australia?

Back 10

Canopy management, soil mapping, cultured yeasts, acidification, micro-oxygenation, mechanical harvesting, irrigation, moisture management,

Front 11

What are some high end cult Australian wines?

Back 11

Penfolds Grange Shiraz
Yalumba Octavius Shiraz
Clarendon Hills Astralis
Torbreck RunRig Shiraz

Front 12

What methods do higher end Australian wines employ?

Back 12

Old vine parsels (some over 150 years old)
Switching from American oak to French barrique
Placing more emphasis on single vineyard sites

Front 13

What is the primary concern for Australian winemakers, particularly in the southeastern regions?

Back 13

Drought and water rights - lead to forest fires

Front 14

What government authority oversees Australian winemaking?

Back 14

Established in 1981, the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation switched its name to Wine Australia in 2010

Front 15

What is the Australian Label Integrity Program?

Back 15

Any wine labeled by vintage, variety or region must contain 85% of the stated grape, year or region

Front 16

Why are Australian vintages released before any other?

Back 16

Because the harvest in the Southern Hemisphere is 6 months before that in the Northern

Front 17

Do Australian Geographical Indications restrict the varietals used in the wines?

Back 17

Nope. GIs are purely geographic. There is no restriction on varietals, yields, etc.

Front 18

How are Australian Geographical Indications divided?

Back 18

Within each state, Australian appellations are subdivided into zones, regions and subregions. Regions and subregions are single tracts of land, comprised of at least 5 independently owned vineyards that are 5+ hectacres each. They must produce 500+ tons of grapes annually

Front 19

What multistate zone was defined by Wine Australia in response to changing European Union labeling laws?

Back 19

South Eastern Australia - Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, portions of South Australia and Queensland

Front 20

Describe the general geography and climate of New South Wales

Back 20

The Great Dividing Range runs north-south and splits NSW. It separates wetter caostal areas from the arid interior.

Front 21

What other important wine event occurred at the 1855 Paris Exhibition that led to the classification of Bordeaux châteaux?

Back 21

Napoleon III drank Hunter Valley sparkling wine instead of Champagne at the closing ceremonies.

Front 22

What are the top three grapes planted in the Hunter region of New South Wales? What is its greatest white grape?

Back 22

Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Verdelho
Semillion (Hunter Riesling)

Front 23

What are the GIs in New South Wales?

Back 23

Big Rivers (Murray Darling, Perricoota, Riverina, Swan Hill)
Central Ranges (Cowra, Mudgee, Orange)
Hunter Valley (Hunter - Broke Fordwich, Pokolbin, Upper Hunter Valley)
Northern Rivers (Hastings River)
Northern Slopes (New England Australia)
South Coast (Shoalhaven Coast, Southern Highlands)
Southern New South Wales (Canberra District, Tumbarumba, Hilltops, Gudagai)
Western Plains

Front 24

Describe the climate and geography of Victoria

Back 24

Cooled by sea breezes from Antartica, cool maritime climate on the coasts with low winter temperatures
2 soil types: grey-brown sandy clay, red volcanic soil
More continental inland with large diurnal temperature shifts

Front 25

What's the classification of Muscat of the Rutherglen Network?

Back 25

established in 1995 to classify wines based on age, sweetness and complexity
Muscat - 5 years - 180-240 g/L
Classic Muscat - 10 years - 200-280 g/L
Grand Muscat - 15 years - 270-400 g/L
Rare Muscat - 20+ years - 270-400 g/L

Front 26

Name the Victoria GIs

Back 26

Central Victoria (Bendigo, Goulburn Valley - Nagambie Lakes, Heathcote, Strathbogie Ranges, Upper Goulburn
Gipplsand
North East Victoria (Alpine Valleys, Beechworth, Glenrowan, King Valley, Rutherglen)
North West Victoria (Murray Darling, Swan Hill)
Port Phillip (Geelong, Macedon Ranges, Mornington Peninsula, Sunbury, Yarra Valley)
Western Victoria (Grampians - Great Western, Henty, Pyrenees)

Front 27

What two Australian GI regions are split between what two states?

Back 27

Murray Darling and Swan Hill are each in New South Wales and Victoria

Front 28

What are the South Australian GIs?

Back 28

Adelaide Superzone
Barossa - Barossa Valley, Eden Valley (High Eden)
Far North - Souther Flinders Ranges
Fleurieu - Currency Creek, Kangaroo Island, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Southern Fleurieu
Limestone Coast - Coonawarra, Mount Benson, Padthaway, Robe, Mount Gambier
Lower Murray - Riverland
Mount Lofty Ranges - Adelaide Hills (Lenswood, Picadilly Valley), Adelaide Plains, Clare Valley
The Peninsulas

Front 29

What is the best known grape in the Limestone Coast zone?

Back 29

Terra rossa topsoil is perfect for Cabernet Sauvignon

Front 30

What are some characteristics of the climate and wines of Coonawara?

Back 30

Cool, maritime-influenced climate, long growing season, frequent cloud cover, spring frost is chief hazard
Elegance, soft tannins, red fruit, telltale note of eucalyptus

Front 31

What 2 grapes dominate 40% of vineyard acreage in Padthaway?

Back 31

Riesling and Chardonnay

Front 32

What is the climate of the Lower Murray GI?

Back 32

Continental and hot, low rainfall, high soil salinity, prone to water shortages

Front 33

The Fleurieu GI climate is essentially _________?

Back 33

Mediterranean

Front 34

What is the most important region of the Langhorne Creek GI? What types of wines are produced there?

Back 34

McLaren Vale
Cabernet Sauvignon & Rhône varietals (Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvèdre)
Rich, textural, full-bodied, tend toward jam or dried fruit flavors

Front 35

What are 3 best-known wines of the McLaren Vale?

Back 35

D'Arenberg "Dead Arm" Shiraz
Drew Noon "Eclipse"
Clarendon Hills "Astralis" Shiraz

Front 36

Which varietals thrive in the cool maritime climate of Adelaide Hills GI?

Back 36

Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and sparkling

Front 37

Despite the warmer, continental climate and preponderance of red grapes, Clare Valley offers the most classic and age worthy interpretation of what grape?

Back 37

Riesling
High-altitude, western-facing slopes cooled by afternoon breezes and low nighttime temperatures

Front 38

What unofficial subregions of the Mount Lofty Ranges produces piercingly dry Rieslings with higher body and alcohol levels than the old world and notes of lime candy, petrol and tropical fruit? What soils are in these areas?

Back 38

Watervale (limestone)
Polish Hill River (broken slate)

Front 39

What is Australia's most important region for premium Shiraz? What are some of its characteristics?

Back 39

Barossa Valley (subregion of Barossa)
Opaque, dense, heavily extracted, full of dark fruit and chocolate

Front 40

What white grape is commonly blended with high end Australian Shiraz? Why? What Old World region also uses this practice?

Back 40

Viognier
Brightens and lifts the wine, fixes color
Côte-Rôtie

Front 41

What are some of the most successful grapes in the Eden Valley GI?

Back 41

Riesling, Chardonnay, Viognier, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon

Front 42

What are the Western Australia GIs?

Back 42

Central Western Australia
Eastern Plains, Inland & North of Western Australia
Greater Perth - Peel, Perth Hills, Swan District (Swan Valley)
South West Australia - Blackwood Valley, Geographe, Manjimup, Margaret River, Pemberton, Great Southern (Albany, Denmark, Frankland River, Mount Barker, Porongrup)

Front 43

What is the hottest appellation in Australia?

Back 43

Swan Valley (subregion of Swan District)

Front 44

In 2010, how many wineries were in operation in all of Western Australia?

Back 44

Nine

Front 45

What are some of the most successful wines in the Margaret River GI?

Back 45

White: Chardonnay, Semillion & Sauvignon Blanc
Red: Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux blends

Front 46

What subregion was the birthplace of the modern Western Australian win industry? What grapes excel there?

Back 46

Mount Barker (Subregion of Great Southern)
Riesling, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon

Front 47

What are the two GIs of Queensland? What unofficial region is poised to become the third?

Back 47

Granite Belt & South Burnett
Darling Downs

Front 48

The island state of Tasmania has a climate most similar to what Old World regions?

Back 48

Champagne or the Rheingau

Front 49

What are some of the most successful grapes in Tasmania?

Back 49

Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon

Front 50

Tasmania features the best Australian efforts of what style of wine?

Back 50

Traditional method sparkling wines (maintain finesse, elegance and acidity)

Front 51

What British minister's enthusiasm wrote three treatises on viticulture and the first record of wine production in New Zealand?

Back 51

James Busby

Front 52

What Austrian viticulturist combated phylloxera and identified many of New Zealand's modern wine regions?

Back 52

Romeo Bragato

Front 53

What is the "six o'clock swill"

Back 53

Early closing hour for pubs in New Zealand and Australia, which lasted until 1967 in NZ. A move by anti-alcohol forces to return men to their wives at a reasonable hour.

Front 54

Wine shops were not allowed to sell single bottle of wine in New Zealand until what year?

Back 54

1955

Front 55

Until ____, New Zealand restaurants were not allowed to sell wine.

Back 55

1960

Front 56

The last "dry" areas of New Zealand remained until what decade?

Back 56

The 1990s

Front 57

What region and grape are most synonymous with New Zealand winemaking? What are the characteristics of the wine?

Back 57

Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc
Utterly upfront, piercing and pungent, intense aromas of passion fruit, jalepeño, grapefruit and grass, racy structure

Front 58

Aside from Sauvignon Blanc, what grapes flourish in New Zealand?

Back 58

Pinot Noir
Chardonnay
Pinot Gris
Merlot
Riesling
Cabernet Sauvignon
Gewürztraminer
Also, sparkling

Front 59

What range divides the South Island of New Zealand and creates a rain shadow effect for the island's wine regions?

Back 59

The Southern Alps

Front 60

Compared to the South Island, the North Island of New Zealand is....

Back 60

Less mountainous, generally much rainier

Front 61

Though the North Island's latitude is comprable to _______, the climate is more often likened to ________.

Back 61

Jerez
Bordeaux

Front 62

What is the southernmost winemaking region in the world? What is its parallel?

Back 62

Central Otago
45th Parallel

Front 63

Most New Zealand vineyards are located within ____ miles of the eastern coastline.

Back 63

20 miles

Front 64

Why is there no modern bulk wine production in New Zealand?

Back 64

Not economically feasible: no land to spare, no consistant source of cheap manual labor
NZ wine commands the highest average price per bottle in the world

Front 65

All New Zealand producers and growers belong to this organization, formed in 2002. What two groups formed it?

Back 65

New Zealand Winegrowers
Grape Growers Council & the New Zealand Wine Institute

Front 66

What is the Screwcap Initiative? When was it pioneered?

Back 66

International association committed to using screwcaps, even on ultra-premium bottles

Front 67

What was the first New Zealand wine to be released with a screwcap? What percentage of NZ wine uses it today?

Back 67

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
85%+

Front 68

What are the major winegrowing regions on the North & South Island of New Zealand?

Back 68

North Island: Northland, Auckland, Waikato/Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa
South Island: Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury, Central Otago

Front 69

Though the wine regions of New Zealand are largely informal, in order to meet European Union standards, what percentage of varietal and vintage must a bottle contain in order to be listed on the label?

Back 69

85%
This number will extend to region once a more formal system is in place

Front 70

The bulk of New Zealand wine productions comes from what areas?

Back 70

Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa

Front 71

Premium reds from the subregions of Kumeu, Waiheke Island and Matakana are highly regarded. What is the climate like in these areas?

Back 71

Moderate, rainy maritime climate, rot & frost are chief concerns
Waiheke Island: sunny and dry, especially on lower western side

Front 72

Though _________ is the most widely planted varietal, Hawkes Bay is New Zealand's largest producer of _________.

Back 72

Chardonnay
Red wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir & Cabernet Franc
(Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Gris are widely planted as well)

Front 73

What grapes lead total in total acreage planted in the New Zealand region of Auckland?

Back 73

Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

Front 74

What are some soils found in the Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand?

Back 74

Greywacke gravel, heavy silt, sandy loam, deep shingle

Front 75

The Hawkes Bay subregion of Gimbett Gravels is rapidly establishing a reputation as a source of good quality ______ & ________.

Back 75

Syrah
Bordeaux-style blends

Front 76

What are the notable subregions of Hawkes Bay?

Back 76

Gimbett Gravels
Ngatarawa
Esk Valley
Dartmoor Valley

Front 77

What New Zealand region is the easternmost winegrowing region in the world, where the grapes are first to see light each day? What wines grow well there?

Back 77

Gisborne
Whites (esp Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer), reds struggle to ripen

Front 78

These two grapes grow particularly well in Wairarapa, especially in the subregion of _________.

Back 78

Pinot Noir & Sauvignon Blanc
Martinborough

Front 79

Though the Nelson region of New Zealand is the ________ in the country, it is also the _________.

Back 79

Sunniest
Rainiest
(It's also the smallest)

Front 80

What 4 grapes compose 80% of the acreage in Nelson in New Zealand?

Back 80

Chardonnay
Sauvignon Blanc
Riesling
Pinot Noir

Front 81

What region produces over half of the entire wine grown in New Zealand? What are the top 5 planted grapes?

Back 81

Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc (more than the next 4 combined), Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling

Front 82

Who is the largest producer of Marlborough wine?

Back 82

Montana (parent company of Brancott and Fairhall)

Front 83

These 3 producers mad Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc a household name, but they also have gained reputation for their traditional method sparkling wines.

Back 83

Cloudy Bay, Kim Crawford, Hunter's

Front 84

What are some aspects of the climate and soil in Marlborough?

Back 84

Maximum summer temperatures of 75 degrees with cool nights
Dry, lengthy growing season (grapes ripen but retain fresh, crisp character)
Sandy, alluvial loam topsoil over gravel provides excellent drainage and limits vine vigor
Water-retentive sites induce herbaceous character

Front 85

Due in large part to the ______________ subregion, ________ is New Zealand's fastest growing winemaking region.

Back 85

Waipara Valley
Canterbury

Front 86

What grapes are particularly successful in Waipara Valley?

Back 86

Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chardonnay

Front 87

The southernmost region in the world, _____________ is best known for ______________.

Back 87

Central Otago
Pinot Noir

Front 88

What are the subregions of Central Otago?

Back 88

Wanaka, Gibbston, Alexandra, Cromwell Basin

Front 89

Describe the climate of Central Otago.

Back 89

Continental
Greatest seasonal temperature extremes in NZ
Significant diurnal temperature swings
Northern hillside exposure
Low humidity prevents rot
Spring frosts are issue