(Little tidbits about Wine and Local Paso
Wine Facts)
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If you own land in Paso Robles,
which of the following is not in the "Chain of Title" for
your property?
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a) |
Pedro Narvaez |
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b) |
US Government |
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c) |
Petronillo Rios |
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d) |
None of the Above |
Answer: a) This is somewhat a trick
question testing the knowledge of Paso Robles history and
land ownership.
The Mexican Government granted Pedro Narvaez
approximately 25,000 acres which included what is now Paso Robes.
After the war between the US and Mexico was resolved and the
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed the US issued Patents
to those who could prove ownership. The original Land Patent for
the Rancho El Paso Robles was issued to Petronillo Rios. "Abstract
of Title" or more commonly "Chain of Title" documents ownership to the
original Land Patent.
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What is a "Claret" wine?
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a) |
Red Wine from Bordeaux |
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b) |
Any Red Wine Blend |
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c) |
A Rose Wine |
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d) |
All of the Above |
Answer: d) All of the Above
The meaning of Claret is very dependent upon time and
location. The word originally referred to a Rose wine exported
from Bordeaux to England derived from the French word for pale,
clairet. Today, it is more specially the
English (British) term for any red wine from Bordeaux and it's usage is
strictly controlled by the European Union. The more common usage
in the US is to refer to any red wine blend made in a Bordeaux style,
but there are no formal restrictions on it's usage in the US. It's
important to note that the word Claret has no formal usage in France
except on wines designated for British export.
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So, maybe this question isn't
local other than the love of good chili. Chili has
become an American favorite. It actually has a fairly
young history for such a popular American dish. What
city is considered the Chili capital of the world, Boasting
the most chili served and most chili restaurants per capita.
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a) |
San Antonio |
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b) |
Albuquerque |
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c) |
Cincinnati |
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d) |
Memphis |
Answer: c) Cincinnati
Unless you're spent time in Cincinnati you probably
would never have know it, but Cincinnati is the Chili Capital of
the World. There are Chili Parlors on almost every street corner.
A very unique style of Chili served is what are known as "ways" A
2 way is chili over spaghetti; a 3 way is chili over spaghetti with
cheese; a 4 way has diced onions added; and the famous 5 way has kidney
beans. The largest Chili Parlor chain is Goldstar with over 100
restaurants. Additional chains include Skyline and Empress (the
original). Each chain has their own slight variations of recipe,
but the style of presentation varies little between them.
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A question of taste. Many
white wines in particular have a characteristic buttery flavor.
What is the source of this buttery flavor?
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a) |
Malic Acid |
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b) |
Lactic Acid |
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c) |
Milk used as a Fining
Agent |
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d) |
Characteristic of
Chardonnay Grape |
Answer: b) Lactic Acid
Although a common characteristic of many Chardonnay
wines, the buttery flavor is not a natural grape characteristic,
but the taste of Lactic Acid, the same acid found in Milk. Lactic acid
is not a natural component of grapes, but is formed by the
conversion of Malic acid to Lactic acid by secondary fermentation.
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Most of you have seen the movie
"Sideways". In the movie, Miles coveted a special bottle of
Wine. What was the Winery and varietal of that special
wine?
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a) |
Sea Smoke - Pinot Noir |
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b) |
Silver Oak - Cabernet
Sauvignon |
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c) |
Cheval Blanc - Merlot |
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d) |
None of the Above |
Answer: C) Cheval Blanc - Merlot
Yes, the very special bottle of wine while Miles
cherished so much was a Cheval Blanc which blends two grape varieties to
form their great wines, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Merlot is
normally the predominate grape in this wine, but varies by vintage.
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What do Paso Robles,
American Idol, and "So, You think you can Dance" have in
common?
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a) |
Reality Show, "Cork
Screwed" was based on a Local Paso Winery and
produced by the same producers |
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b) |
Villa San-Juliette
located in San Miguel is owned by the producers of
both American Idol and "So, You think you can Dance"
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c) |
Both A and B |
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d) |
No Relationship. |
Answer: C) Both A and B
Nigel Lythgoe, Formerly one of the producers of American Idol and
current Judge and Producer for "So, You think you can Dance" in
partnership with Ken Warwick, one of the American Idol producers and
Producer of "America's Got Talent" purchased acreage in San Miguel to
build a winery. Their exploits of this process were video graphed
into a reality TV show, Corkscrewed.
The label for the new winery is Villa San-Juliette.
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What does Black Wine or
Ink Wine refer to?
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a) |
Wine Produced in
Cohors region of France |
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b) |
Wine
made from Grapes with Red flesh such as Alicante
Bouschet |
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c) |
Wine that is left
too long on the skins can take on such a deep color
that it can be used as Ink. Ernest Hemingway
wrote many of his great works using this ink.
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d) |
None of Above |
Answer: A) Wine from the Cahors region of
France.
The wines produced in the Cahors region has a
characteristic of being very deep in color and almost black. They
are almost totally opaque wines are made predominately from the Malbec
grape and must contain at least 70% Malbec.
Cahors has been reported to be one of Ernest
Hemingways' favorite wines. So he may have penned some of his
great work with it, but not in the literal sense.
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What does the term
"Toasted Head" refer to?
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a) |
A Rock Band |
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b) |
A
brand of Wine |
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c) |
Scorched ends of
Wine Barrels |
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d) |
All of the Above |
Answer: D) All of the Above
There was a hot band in the LA area known as the
Toasted Heads. RH Phillips has a second wine brand which has
gotten a lot of popularity known as Toasted Head.
As it truly applies to wine, toasted head refers to
the fact that the ends or heads of a wine barrel are toasted.
Winemakers have a lot of choices in barrels to impart that special
flavor. Various types of Oak (Appalachian, American, French,
Hungarian) and the amount of scorching or toasting done to the oak.
One of the choices is if the Heads are toasted or not.
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What is the difference between
Port and Late Harvest wine?
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a) |
None, Port is a
late harvest wine from Portugal |
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b) |
Port
is a mixture of Brandy and wine. |
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c) |
Late Harvest in
another name for Ice Wine, much different than Port. |
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d) |
None, They are
both fortified wines |
Answer: B) Port is a mixture of Brandy and
wine. Port is a fortified wine from Portugal.
Fortified wines and Late harvest wines are both very sweet
and contain higher alcohol levels than table wines, but the
sugar levels are obtained by very different methods.
Late Harvest wines have a very high sugar level because the
fruit is allowed to stay on the vine longer and reach very
high sugar levels. Too much sugar to be fully
fermented. Port as a Fortified wine has distilled wine
(Brandy) added to halt the fermentation before all the sugar
has been consumed. Leaving a very sweet wine, high in
alcohol.
If you had picked D you could be correct
by some viewpoints. The US considers wine to be Table
Wine (up to 14% alcohol), sparkling wines , or Fortified
Wine. Although Fortified doesn't have a strict
definition it could be implied that any wine which is
greater than 14% alcohol and not sparkling would be
considered fortified.
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Who was Ignacy Paderewski?
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a) |
Early Paso Robles
Vineyard owner and Vintner. |
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b) |
First
Prime Minster of Independent Poland |
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c) |
World Famous pianist
and composer |
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d) |
All of the Above |
Answer: d) Igancy
Padereski was an early vineyard owner and vintner in Paso
Robles. Padereski had purchased 2000 acres in the
early 1920s in the Adelaide area and planted Petite Syrah
and Zinfandel grapes. His wine was made at the York Mountain
Winery. He had discovered Paso Robles after he had
resigned his position as Independent Poland's first Prime
Minister. Paderski already a famous Pianist resumed
his music career and was touring the world. He fell in
love with Paso Robles and is now considered a native son
after his short residency.
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Paso Robles is quickly becoming
well known as an excellent Rhone wine producing area. Tablas
Creek is a partnership with the famous French Rhone producer
Chateau de Beaucastel. To Americans, Syrah is probably the
most common Rhone wine. In the Northern Rhone Valley of
France Syrah is the predominate red wine grape and Viognier
is the predominate white wine grape. What is the most common
blending grape for Syrah in the Northern Rhone Valley
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a) |
Grenache |
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b) |
Mourvedre |
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c) |
Viognier |
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d) |
None of the Above |
Answer: c, d. The primary blending
grape with Syrah in the Northern Rhone Valley is the white
wine grape Viognier. Some regions of Northern Rhone do
not allow any blending so that would make d an acceptable
answer. Grenache and Mouvedre are allowed in Southern
Rhone wines.
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Zinfandel is often referred to
as America's Grape due to its long history. Paso Robles
shares that long history of producing Zinfandel grapes. In
the 1920's and 30's Paso Zinfandel grape production expanded
considerably. What year was the first commercial
winery established in Paso Robles producing Zinfandel wine
and who was responsible?
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a) |
1918, Dusi |
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b) |
1933,Nerelli |
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c) |
1885, York |
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d) |
1962, Hoffman |
Answer: c, York. Andrew York first
produced Zinfandel wine for sale in San Luis Obispo and as
far away as San Francisco in the mid 1880's. It is the
oldest continuously operating winery in the area. Dusi
is known for significant contribution as a Zinfandel grower
in the area from the 1920's. Nerelli was the first to
bond a winery locally after Prohibition was ended.
Hoffman was an early pioneer in Pinot Noir production in the
1960's and 70's.
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Paso Robles produces excellent
red wine, but white wine grapes are the most planted in the
world. What is the most planted wine grape in the
world?
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a) |
Chardonnay |
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b) |
Airén |
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c) |
Colombard |
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d) |
Chablis |
Answer : b) Yes,
Airén is the most planted
grape in the world, and if you have never heard of it join
the group. Spain has millions of acres of Airén
planted. Much is used to product cheap white wine but
mainly Brandy. Chardonnay is the most planted white
grape of California, Colombard (French Colombard) is second.
Chablis is a sub-region of France's Burgundy know for it's
Chardonnay.
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Since it's New Year's most
everyone think of Champagne for that festive celebration.
Don Perignon is often credited with inventing Sparkling Wine
we now know as Champagne, but an Englishman,
Christopher Merrett actually invented sparkling wine.
What contribution did Dom Perignon actually make to the
development of Champagne.
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a) |
First to Use
Black Grapes (Pinot Noir) |
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b) |
Invented Wire
Basket for Cork |
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c) |
Dom Perignon was a
Marketing Name, He didn't actually exist |
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d) |
None of the Above |
Answer; b) Christopher Merrett was
an English physician and scientist who actually invented
Champagne. Dom Perginon, about 30 years later added
his contribution of inventing the Wire Basket and Cork we
are familiar with on Champagne bottles.
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What famous Wild West
Outlaw had roots in Paso Robles?
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a) |
Frank & Jesse
James |
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b) |
Billy the Kid |
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c) |
Doc Holiday |
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d) |
None of the Above |
Answer: a) Frank and Jesse James.
Frank and Jesse's Uncle Dury James lived on a ranch on the
Paso Westside. Dury's cabin is still there today about
1/2 mile east of Norman Winery. Frank and Jesse
visited their uncle often. They would hangout
frequently at the Old Paso Inn.
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A very common term on wine
labels is the simple expression "Table Wine". In
Europe this expression would mean wine which was not of
sufficient quality to receive the appellation or even
regional designation. In the US there is a legal
definition for "Table Wine". What is the meaning of Table
Wine on a US Wine Label?
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a) |
Same as Europe,
Poorer quality Wine |
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b) |
Still, Non
Fortified Wines |
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c) |
Non-Vintage Wine |
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d) |
None of the Above |
Answer: B. Wine in the US falls into
one of 3 categories, Table Wine: Wine less than 14%
alcohol; Fortified Wine: Wines greater than 14%
alcohol; and Sparkling Wine: In-Bottle Fermentation Wines.
Table Wine has no designation of Quality, only alcohol
content.
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Last month we learned that the
dimple in the bottom of a wine bottle is known as either a
Punt or a Kick. So, What is the purpose of the Punt?
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a) |
No Modern Purpose,
A Tradition from when bottles were hand blown |
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b) |
A place for
settlement to accumulate with red wine |
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c) |
Bottle Strength
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d) |
All of the Above |
Answer: Either A. or D There is no clear
consensus on why the Punt still exist in bottles.
Modern glass bottle making processes do not require it as
hand blown techniques did. When bottles were blown by
hand it also was thought that it was more sturdy. This
has also lead to the strength hypothesis. Some
strongly believe it's to hold the settlement of red wines,
but then again it's common on sparkling wine bottles.
It's also theorized that it allows sparkling wine bottles to
stack easier for riddling, why is it on red wine
bottles. It has become somewhat a symbol of wine
quality. Red Wine produces in particular will order
bottles with the most pronounced Punt for their premium
wines.
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Football season is quickly
approaching so this question is very appropriate.
Remember, it's wine related. What is a Punt and a Kick?
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a) |
Wine Labels
sponsored by the NFL and Napa Growers to encourage
wine consumption |
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b) |
Punt is another
name for Must and Kick is another name for Lees |
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c) |
Dimple in Bottom
of Wine Bottle |
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d) |
None of the Above. |
Answer: c. Dimple in Bottom
of Wine Bottles. The Dimple in the bottom if Wine
Bottles is called a Punt and also has been referred to as a
Kick or Kick-up. Next month will explore it's purpose.
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Every one has their favorite
wine, so what is the most widely planted grape variety is the world and
what is it's origin?
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a) |
Cabernet
Sauvignon, France |
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b) |
Grenache, Spain |
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c) |
Shiraz, Australia
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d) |
Chianti, Italy |
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Answer: b. Grenache is considered the most widely
planted wine grape variety in the world. Although most common for
it's Rhone France usage, it's origin is Spain where it is heavily
planted. Cabernet Sauvignon of France is one of the most widely
planted. Shiraz of Australia is the Syrah grape of France.
And, Chianti is not a grape variety, but a region of Italy where
Sangiovese is the predominate grape. |
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We're all familiar with the
Standard wine bottle of 750 ml. Which of the following is also a
wine bottle size?
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a) |
Magnum |
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b) |
Jeroboam |
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c) |
Methuselah
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d) |
Nebuchadnezzar |
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e) |
All of the Above |
Answer: e. All of the Above.
The Wine bottle definitions are as follows:
| Split |
1/4 Bottle |
187 ml |
| Half |
1/2 Bottle |
375 ml |
| Bottle (Standard) |
1 Bottle |
750 ml |
| Magnum |
2 Bottles |
1.5 l |
| Jeroboam |
4 Bottles |
3 l |
| Methuselah |
8 Bottles |
6 |
| Salmanazar |
12 Bottle |
9 l |
| Balthazar |
16 Bottles |
12 l |
| Nabuchadnezzar |
20 Bottles |
15 l |
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What
famous couple spent their honeymoon in Paso Robles?
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a) |
Clark Gable and
Carole Lombard |
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b) |
Marilyn Monroe and
Joe DiMaggio |
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c) |
Humphy Bogart and
Lauren Bacall |
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d) |
None of the Above |
Answer: B. Marilyn Monroe and Joe
DiMaggio. Yes, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio spent
the first night of their honeymoon in the Clifton motel on
the south side of Paso. Joe and Marilyn were married
in San Francisco in January of 1954 and were in route to
Palm Springs. Matter of fact, although no longer a
motel, the building is still on the corner of 1st and
Spring.
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What is Chai?
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a) |
Tea, Indian Tea, or
Spiced Tea |
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b) |
Hebrew for Living |
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c) |
Wine Barrel Storage
Room |
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d) |
All of the Above |
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Answer: D. All of the Above The word Chai has
a lot of different meanings based upon the area of the world. In
Asia, Chai means Tea. It is more commonly used to describe spiced
tea or in India, a sweet, spiced tea and milk drink. In Hebrew it
means living. In the wine industry, the French usage for Barrel
Storage room.
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A rather common designation on
American wine labels is the word "Reserve". What does
this mean?
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a) |
Same as Estate |
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b) |
Only the top 10% of
Estate Grapes are used |
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c) |
"Reserve" this wine
for special occasions |
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d) |
Nothing |
Answer: D. Nothing. Although
in Europe the word Reserve has very strict legal definition,
in the US it can mean anything. Some wineries use it
to designate their best wines, Some to designate more
oak, and some slap the word on their worse junk
wine.
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White Zinfandel is referred to as the 3rd largest varietal
produced in the US. Most know it's not a different
grape, but the question is; what Napa winery created
the wine style we know as White Zinfandel today?
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a) |
Berringer |
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b) |
Meridian |
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c) |
Sutter Home |
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d) |
Charles Shaw
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Answer: C. Sutter Home.
White Zinfandel has been produced in California since the
1880's, but previously produced in a dry Rose style.
In the 1970's Sutter was a major producer of traditional
Zinfandel. Common in that process is the draining off
of a portion of the juice before fermentation to create a
richer more flavorful Zin. Often the byproduct excess
juice was fermented also. One time a fermentation got
"stuck" leaving a high residual sugar content wine.
White Zinfandel as we know today (either love or hate) was
created.
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The Champagne glass have undergone dramatic
changes in shape over the years. The Champagne flute is most
common today, but the historical champagne glass was a much wider,
shallower glass. The shape is said to be molded from the breasts
of a famous lady:
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a |
Queen Elizabeth |
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b |
Marie Antoinette |
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c |
Helen of Troy |
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d |
Cleopatra |
Answer: b or c, The original
Champagne glass was said to have been molded from the breasts of the
beautiful Helen of Troy. Later in historical time, Marie
Antoinette ordered that the champagne glass be remolded in the shape of
her own breasts. Larger.
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Paso Robles produces some
excellent Zinfandel. Now the question I'm sure
all have been wanting to know. What is the origin of
the Zinfandel grape?
a) Italy
b) Croatia
c) Spain
d) CreteAnswer:
(b) Croatia. Zinfandel was at one time thought to be indigenous to
California due to it's extensive plantings here. DNA analysis has
linked Zin to the primitivo grape Italy's Puglia region. Most
recent DNA analysis has determined that Zinfandel is a DNA match of the
Crljenak Kastelanski grape from Croatia. Primitivo is now
considered a clone of the Zinfandel/Crljenak Kastelanski grape.
I'm not aware of any Primitivo grown in the Paso area, but Mosby in
Santa Barbara County produces an excellent Primitivo from San Luis
Obispo fruit.
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The Paso Robles Region is well know for both
it's Bordeaux and Rhone wines. Bordeaux varietals account
for 60% of the Paso grape acreage. Which of the following is
NOT a Bordeaux varietal:
a) Malbec
b) Petit Verdot
c) Chardonnay
d) Sauvignon Blanc
Answer: (c) There are 8 grape varietals allowed to be used in
Bordeaux wine. Those are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet
Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Sauvigonon Blanc, Semillon, Muscadelle.
Chardonnay is a Burgundy grape
variety.
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Wine Glass = 6 oz
Bottle = 4 Glasses
Case = 12 bottles = 2.4 gallons
Barrel = 25 cases = 60 gallons
one ton of grapes yields 140 to 160 gallons
one acre of land yields 4 to 6 tons of grapes
So next time you
look at a vineyard think that each acre of grapes will become 45,000
glasses of wine.
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What is the state grape varietal of
California?
- Zinfandel
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Syrah
- Merlot
- Non of the Above
Answer: Non of the Above. California does not have a state
grape varietal. There was legislation recently proposed to make
Zinfandel the State Grape of California, but this was not approved.
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Who is the owner of the largest winery in
Paso Robles Wine Country?
- Fosters
- Jim Bean
- Delicato
- J LohrAnswer: Fosters.
Meridian is the largest winery operation in the Paso Area with 800,000
cases per year. Meridian is owned by Beringer-Blass who is then
owned by Fosters. Delicato buys a lot of fruit from the Paso area,
but I'm not aware of any winery ownership. Delicato has annual
production of 1.6M cases. Jim Bean is the owner
of Wildhorse. J Lohr is growing quickly and currently producing 740,000
cases per year. So if you answered J Lohr you may be
correct soon. Case production based upon information from Paso
Wine. Delicato production from Wine Business Monthly.
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What AVA (American Virticultural Area) is
York Mountain Winery Located?
- Paso Robles
- San Luis Obispo
- York Mountain
- Central CoastAnswer:
There are two correct answers, York Mountain and Central Coast. Most
people think of York Mountain as a Paso Robles wine,
technically, York Mountain is a separate AVA (one of the smallest).
The are two wineries located in the York Mountain AVA (York Mountain and
Stephens). San Luis Obispo is
not an AVA, wines can be identified by AVA, County, or State of grape
source. Central Coast AVA includes all counties from San Francisco Bay
to Santa Barbara.
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