Wines of the World Trivia Quiz

Answer: Oak

Oak barrels each holding 225 litres of wine are used for aging Rioja wines for between one and three years; the longer the time in barrel, the higher quality is the wine. Although the oak-induced vanilla element is highly valued, recently some growers have been experimenting with less-oaked wines. The barrels used to be imported from France, but they are now hand-made from American oak.

Answer: Portugal

Dão is a wonderful Portuguese wine, big and with a lot of tannin. Red (80% of the area's output) and white (20% of the output) wines are made from indigenous grape varieties, and they're aged in oak. In my last year at Uni I met a wonderful girl called Pam.

Her Dad was wealthy, and he took us out for dinner at a very up-market restaurant where he ordered a bottle of Dão - at that time it was the most expensive wine I'd ever drunk. So whenever I buy a bottle now, 50 years later, I think about Pam.

Answer: Hungary

Tokay wines come from the Tokaj region of Hungary, near the Carpathian Mountains. The grapes (mainly the Furmint grape) used to make it are infected with the "noble rot" mould, which concentrates the juice. They last for years, and because of the limited amount produced they can sell for high prices - over £2,000 a bottle have been known. Before the fall of the Habsburg Empire in 1918 the best wines were reserved for the Emperor and his family. Recently a dry white wine made from the Furmint grape has become available.

Answer: New York

Over 100 wineries can be found in the Finger Lakes area of New York State. The presence of the lakes protects the grapes from late frosts in the spring and early frosts in the autumn.

Answer: Alsace

Alsace! - home to my favourite white wines! The lushness of Gewürztraminer, the steeliness of Riesling, the delightful Muscat that smells like a sweet wine but is in fact dry - all wonderful! I had my first glass of Gewürztraminer over 45 years ago and I've loved it ever since - the lovely bouquet of lychees, roses and passion fruit. And it goes brilliantly with Chinese food!

Answer: Gamay

Gamay grapes have been around since about 1360 and are abundant producers of the soft, light-bodied and fruity Beaujolais, one of the best "quaffing" wines. At one time in the late 14th and early 15th centuries the Gamay grape was banned, but common sense prevailed!

Answer: Shiraz

The Shiraz grape variety when grown is Australia makes a big red wine with this slightly odd bouquet. Hunter Valley specialises in it, and their wines are very expensive. The Shiraz grape is the same as Syrah, found in the Rhone vineyards in France.

Answer: Petrol

I'd always read that old Reislings smelt of petrol but I never believed it until I actually smelt one - it's true! The chemical responsible is called 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene. It has to be said, however, that some German growers are now considering this to be a fault in the wine.

Answer: Round boulders

When you tour these southern French vineyards you'll notice that there's very little soil visible; rather, the ground is covered with round boulders and cobbles known as galets roulés - translated as "rolled pebbles". They've been shaped by glaciation and river action, and carried downstream by the River Rhône.

They're mainly composed of quartzite, and it's said that they help the grape-growing process - they absorb heat during the day and release it during the night, thus levelling out the climate.

It seems that the Grenache grape - one of the mainstays of the region - is particularly benefited by this.

Answer: Austria

Being able to drink Grüner Veltliner is one of the joys of any visit to Austria. It's drunk young in the wine bars of Vienna, but some production is also laid down and can age for years. I always have a couple of bottles on my wine rack as it's a nice wine to open on a summer afternoon and also goes well with many foods.