ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 27, 1995 TAG: 9512270113
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
During this season of the bubbly, test your sparkling-wine savvy with this "pop" quiz from the world's largest producer of methode champenoise sparkling wine, Freixenet (Fresh-eh-nette). Give yourself 5 points for each correct response; for some questions, more than one answer is right. Answers are on Page 4.
1. How did the original flat champagne glass get its shape?
a) It was believed the design preserved the bubbles
b) Legend says it was modeled after Marie Antoinette's breast!
c) It was designed to hold the juice from one large bunch of grapes
d) A popular party drink, the glass had to be wide enough for two mouths to drink at once
2. How many bottles of sparkling wine does a vine produce per season?
a) Between 1-2 bottles
b) Between 4-5 bottles
c) 10 bottles
d) 20 bottles
3. Which market has the largest per capita consumption of sparkling wine?
a) New York
b) California
c) Illinois
d) Washington, D.C.
4. Roughly how many tiny bubbles are there in a bottle of sparkling wine?
a) 2 thousand
b) 10 thousand
c) 5 million
d) 44 million
5. About what speed will a cork escape a bottle of sparkling wine?
a) 2-3 mph
b) 10-15 mph
c) 38-40 mph
d) 150-200 mph
6. How many grapes does it take to make one bottle of sparkling wine?
a) One bunch
b) 500 grapes
c) 1,150 grapes
d) 8 pounds
7. What is the driest description of a sparkling wine?
a) Extra Dry
b) Brut
c) Doux
d) Spumante
8. What is riddling?
a) The Joker's puzzling schemes to deceive Batman
b) The art of turning and tilting sparkling wine bottles daily to coax yeast sediment towards the cork for easy removal through disgorgement
c) The process by which sugar and reserve wines are added to sparkling wine to balance its flavor
d) The process in which sediment is removed from the sparkling wine bottle
9. A Nebuchadnezzar is:
a) A 9-liter sparkling wine bottle
b) A rare German dog
c) A peculiar variety of grape
d) A sparkling wine expert
10. The desired sound when opening a bottle of sparkling wine is:
a) a loud pop
b) A soft sigh
c) Cheering and laughter
d) The sound of the cork lodging into the ceiling
11. Sparkling wine should be served:
a) In chilled flutes
b) Chilled for an hour in the refrigerator or 30 minutes in a bucket of ice and cold water
c) At room temperature
d) 30-40 minutes after decanting
12. What country drinks the most sparkling wine per capita?
a) France
b) USA
c) England
d) Germany
13. Cava is:
a) Sparkling wine made in the methode champenoise from grapes produced in the cava region of Spain
b) Spanish word for the caves which house the bottles during the double fermentation process
c) A batch or blend of wine
d) Spain's most widely planted red grape
14. Cuvee is:
a) A batch or blend of wine - the blend can include up to 50 different wines and different vintages
b) The apparatus which holds the wine bottles during double fermentation process
c) Freixenet sparkling wine's sleek, black bottle
d) An old sparkling winemaker's superstition to hold one's breath while walking through the winery entrance
15. What did Benedictine Monk Dom Perignon - credited with developing in the 17th century the Champagne method of putting bubbles in the bottle - say when he tried sparkling wine for the first time?
a) This is the nectar of the gods!
b) Come quick, I am tasting stars!
c) This is the stuff dreams are made of!
d) These fizzy bubbles were unexpected, but delightful!
16. Methode champenoise is:
a) The 18th-century French tradition of chariot racing
b) Double fermentation process in which carbon dioxide is naturally released in the bottle; giving sparkling wine its legendary bubbles
c) A new fangled French shampoo
d) An invention of Dom Perignon, the Benedictine monk, for corking a bottle
17. What's the difference between champagne and sparkling wine made in the methode champenoise?
a) None! Champagne is merely methode champenoise sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France
b) Sparkling wine has more bubbles
c) Champagne is more expensive
d) Champagne has a sweeter taste - FREIXENET
Answers: 1-a and b; 2-b; 3-d; 4-d; 5-c; 6-c; 7-b; 8-b; 9-a; 10-b and c; 11-b; 12-d; 13-a and b; 14-a; 15-b; 16-b; 17-a
LENGTH: Long : 138 linesby CNB