Harvest Quiz

Here is a quiz to test your knowledge of the ripening grape and of various tools a winemaker uses in converting those grapes into wine. The answer key is at the bottom of the page (don’t cheat!).

1. The stem that provides structure to the grape cluster is called the:

a. peristem

b. rachis

c. petiole

d. Bobsyouruncle

2. Other than starlings, the most destructive bird to wine grapes on Long Island is the:

a. red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

b. robin (Turdus migratorius)

c. mourning dove (Zenaida macroura)

d. osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

3. The wax on the surface of the berry that traps indigenous yeast is called:

a. paraffin

b. bloom

c. lanolin

d. brix

4. Which of these tools is used to check the brix of grape juice and wine?

a. microscope

b. hydrometer

c. hygrometer

d. spectrometer

5. What grape varieties that are genetically related owe their distinctive character to pyrazines, which are sulfurous compounds that smell like bell peppers?

a. zinfandel and pinot bianco

b. pinot grigio and pinot noir

c. sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon

d. baco noir and pinot noir

6. This variety is called the “heartbreak grape” because it rots easily and its short polyphenol chains may create unstable color with bitter flavors:

a. cabernet sauvignon

b. pinot noir

c. nebbiolo

d. tanat

7. The addition of sugar to increase the alcohol yield of grape juice is named for Napoleon’s chemist:

a. Louis Pasteur

b. Alexis Millardet

c. Jean-Antoine Chaptal

d. Joséphine de Beauharnais

8. Which two acids are most prevalent in wine grapes?

a. lactic and malic

b. malic and tartaric

c. tartaric and citric

d. citric and acetic

9. In order to lower the pH of wine for better color and stability, winemakers usually add:

a. extracts from Quercas Robur, English oak

b. tartaric acid

c. sodium hydroxide

d. potassium metabisulfite

10. At crush, Vin-Lyso may be added to fruit to:

a. clean the grapes

b. prevent the growth of lactic acid bacteria

c. enhance color extraction

d. kill wasps that settle on the fruit as their skins are ruptured

11. The most common “wild” yeast, kloeckera apiculata, often engenders aromas like:

a. chicken soup

b. nail polish

c. cinnamon

d. hazelnuts

12. DAP (diammonium phosphate) is commonly used in fermentation to:

a. kill indigenous yeast

b. kill acetobacter

c. increase nitrogen

d. increase potassium

13. To enhance natural fruit aromas, white wines are usually fermented:

a. warm

b. cold

c. in rotary fermenters

d. in entropy evacuators

14. Heat extracts color during fermentation but the winemaker must be careful since yeast are killed at temperatures of about:

a. 80 degrees Fahrenheit

b. 100 degrees Fahrenheit

c. 100 degrees Celsius

d. 80 degrees Celsius

15. English speaking winemakers call the tool used to sample wines from a barrel a “wine thief,” but the French call it a “chantepleure,” meaning:

a. laughing water

b. sing or cry

c. the nightingale

d. amuse bouche

16. Egg white is used as a fining agent to:

a. increase protein content

b. precipitate tannin

c. Increase volume

d. Reduce sulfur

17. Isinglass is a gentle, effective white wine fining agent, also used in beer. It is made from:

a. shale deposits

b. fish bladders

c. isopropyl alcohol

d. ultra-crystallized sugar

18. Erythorbic acid is the new name for the anti-oxidant:

a. erythromycin

b. ascorbic acid

c. sulfuric acid

d. citric acid

19. Which of the following foods is also used to fine wine?

a. orange juice

b. milk

c. spaghetti

d. bacon

20. In ancient Rome, if an animal fell into the fermentation pit, the winemaker would:

a. add seawater to neutralize the effect

b. burn the offending animal and toss its ashes back in

c. season the wine with myrrh to cover up the taste

d. bring vestal virgins to pray over it

21. By federal law, all U.S. wineries must have this apparatus and know how to use it to test alcohol content:

a. refractometer

b. ebulliometer

c. speculum

d. cyclotron

22. Peracetic acid is useful in wineries to:

a. stabilize wines contaminated by acetobacter

b. sanitize equipment at cold temperatures

c. adjust the pH of the wines

d. reduce foaming during fermentation

Correct answers: all “b” except #5, 7, 12, which are “c.”