Difficulty Level:

1 bottle

What is the most planted white grape in California?

Chardonnay grape bunch Manuel Venturini, Unsplash
It smells like apples, pears, and sometimes butterscotch
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Correct! Wrong!

Correct. Chardonnay is actually the most planted grape of either color!

Name the wine region directly to the east of Sonoma County

Napa valley, Cakebread vineyards
It has the most expensive wines in California.
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Correct! Wrong!

Correct! Napa Valley might be small (about 31 miles long and 3 miles wide), but it produces a variety of world-class styles, from champenoise method sparkling wines to concentrated, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon; and fine Merlot, Zinfandel, and Syrah to a range of Chardonnay types…and more!

Name the sub-AVA that is located 50% in Sonoma and 50% in Napa

It is the home to the best sparkling wine in California.
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Correct! Wrong!

Correct. This AVA is known for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that make still wines as well as high quality sparkling (traditional method).

Name the four main wine-making counties that make up the North Coast of California

Sequoia Grove vineyard
Two of them are Mendocino County and Lake County (and you have heard the names of the other two!).
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Correct! Wrong!

Correct! All of these counties sit north of the San Francisco Bay, which is responsible for the heavy fogs that can last all morning in the vineyards.

Which settlers brought the Zinfandel grape into California?

Naotake Murayama, Flickr
They also brought pizza.
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Correct! Wrong!

Correct! Today, Zinfandel is regarded as California’s “own” grape. Its berries have the tendency to ripen at different times which lends it a variety of styles, from concentrated and full-bodied if the grapes raisin, to herbaceous, if some of the grapes are still underripe.

In 1920, the 18th Amendment did what to the wine industry, nearly destroying California’s wine future?

The COM Library
It wasn't good...
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Correct! Wrong!

Correct! While the Eighteenth Amendment banned the sale of alcohol, it still allowed for individual households to make up to 200 gallons of wine per year. Congress also allowed wineries to produce sacramental wines for religious purposes and wine for medicinal use.

California Wine Country Trivia
Keep studying!
California is a big winemaking region, and there's lots to learn. Thankfully, the best way to learn is "fieldwork," so grab some California wine and read up on each one you taste! In addition to that, consider subscribing to the Daily Drop for a daily wine fact that will gradually build your knowledge.
California-savvy
Great job, you know quite a lot about California wine country! Keep up the good work, always be curious, and stay open to trying new wines and learning about Cali.
California King/Queen!
Are you from California, or do you just wish you were a West Coast-er? Open a bottle of sparkling wine from Los Carneros AVA to congratulate yourself on your top score! Then, challenge yourself to more Wine365 quizzes to see if your knowledge is up for the test.

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Author

Nick Poletto, DipWSET,CSS,CSW has an extensive wine background that began in 2002 and includes studying abroad in both Italy and Argentina, working a harvest season at a winery in Martinborough, New Zealand, and teaching the WSET at Johnson and Wales University. Currently the Director of Wine and Spirit Education for Kobrand Corporation, Nick is a "practical only" MW student, meaning he has passed the theory portion of the Master of Wine exam.

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