Around the World for a Glass of Wine Quiz

Answer: Australia

With more than 600 wineries, Victoria has more wine-producers than any other Australian state, although both South Australia and New South Wales produce more volume.
Heathcote, located north of the Great Dividing Range between Bendigo and Goulburn Valley is particularly noted for its Shiraz variations. Rutherglen, a small town in the northeast of Victoria near the New South Wales border is best known for its sweet, fortified wines. Alpine Valleys and Beechworth are also in the northeast of the state. Alpine Valleys' grapes are mostly used for table wine, whilst Beechworth is a historic gold rush era town (Ned Kelly spent time in prison here) that is now home to numerous wineries.
The photograph shows a building in Rutherglen that is shaped like a giant wine bottle. Only in Australia, perhaps?

Answer: Hungary

The Tokaj wine-producing region is situated in the far north of Hungary, on the border with Slovakia. The wines from the region are called Tokaji in Hungarian and Tokay in English. The grapes from the region are deliberately affected by 'noble rot', a benevolent form of a grey fungus, and the wines produced are mostly of the sweet variety. So important to the country are the wines of the Tokaj region that they are even mentioned in the Hungarian national anthem.

Answer: Chile

Situated between the foothills of the Andes and the Coastal Range, Colchagua Valley is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in Chile. A Mediterranean climate and perfect soil for growing grapes produce some of the world's best full-bodied wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignons and Carmeneres variations.
Further south, between 250 and 350 miles south of Santiago, in Itata Valley, Bio-Bio Valley and Malleco, crisp, fresh wines are produced from Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc grapes.

Answer: Bordeaux

The Bordeaux region, located on the southern Atlantic coast, is world famous particularly for its red wines although the region also produces some wonderful sweet, white whines, notably those from the Sauternes appellation.
The Médoc sub-region in the department of Gironde to the north of the city of Bordeaux, is the main wine-producing area.

Answer: Italy

In 2011, Italy produced more than 6.5 million tonnes of the 26 million tonnes of wine produced worldwide. France, with 4.6 million tonnes, was the second-largest producer, but still a long way behind their neighbors. Spain with 3.3 million, USA with 2.2 million and China with 1.6 million came next. Argentina, Australia, Chile, South Africa and Germany completed the top ten. For the record, though, Italians only rank fifth worldwide in terms of consumption of wine per capita. Many of the world's oldest wine-producing regions are in Italy.

Some of the best-known wine-producing regions in Italy include Piemonte, home to well-aged Barolo wines made from the Nebbiolo grape, Lombardia, famous for its sparkling wines, and Toscana, home to Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano which are mostly made with Sangiovese grapes.

Answer: Koshu

The Koshu grape is a variety of the 'Vitis vinifera' (common grape vine) native to the Mediterranean region. The wines produced are usually described as "clean, delicate and fresh" and are considered an ideal match for Japanese-style cuisine.
Of the alternatives, the Cienna grape is a combination of Sumoll and Cabernet Sauvignon developed in Australia in the late 20th Century. Xynomavro is a grape variety used for wine production in Greece for more than two centuries. Muscat Bailey-A is a hybrid grape developed in Japan and most widely used in sweet amakuchi wines.

Answer: Rhineland-Palatinate

Rhineland-Palatinate has an area of 7,665 square miles, which is slightly smaller than Israel, but it produces more than 60% of 1.2 billion bottles of German wine produced each year. The most widely grown grapes in the state are the famous Rieslings, with more than 35,000 acres in cultivation. The state is the world leader in sparkling wine production, with around 250 million bottles produced annually. The six wine-producing regions in Rhineland-Palatinate are Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Mosel, Nahe, Mittelrhein and Ahr.
The picture shows the state flag of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Answer: New Zealand

Waiheke Island is located in Hauraki Gulf, about 10 miles east of Auckland, New Zealand. Just 36 square miles (about two-thirds the size of Jersey in the Channel Islands) but with a population of just over 8,000, it is the third most-populated island in New Zealand (after North Island and South Island), and the country's most densely populated island. Its dry, warm climate is ideal for grape cultivation and the island is particularly known for producing numerous ripe, full-bodied red wines.
New Zealand's oldest wine-producing region is Hawkes Bay, which also produces the second-highest volume of wines from the country annually. The highest-producing area by volume is Marlborough and the Wairau Valley.
The photograph shows Waiheke Island from the air.

Answer: South Africa

The photograph shows the center of the picturesque Stellenbosch village, South Africa's second-oldest wine-producing region (after Constantia). First planted in 1679, this village about 30 miles east of Cape Town is today responsible for around 15% of the country's annual wine production.

It is best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinotage and Shiraz wines. Nearbu Paarl produces some of the world's best fortified wines.

Answer: 89%

With an annual production of around 667 million gallons, California is responsible for around 88.5% of all the wine produced in the U.S.A. The only other states to produce more than 5 million gallons annually are New York (26 million which is 3.5% of national production), Washington (24 million, 3.2%) and Oregon (6.8 million, 0.9%).
Wine production in California dates back to Spanish missionaries planting vines in the 18th Century, and there are now more than 1,200 wineries in the state. More than three-quarters of California's wine comes from the 300-mile long Central Valley, which stretches from near Sacramento to San Joaquin. Of particular note here are the Napa Valley and Sonoma Country regions.
California is known for producing vast quantities of 'box' and 'jug' wine and my personal recommendation is to keep an eye open for some of the lesser-known wines producers from the Finger Lakes region of New York, particularly their fortified wines.