Introductory Sommelier Questions And 100% Verified Answers
2025
1. What happens to white
They become darker and take on brown tones
wines as they age?
2. What color indicates a
"youthful" red wine? Purple (sometimes with bluish tinges)
3. What are tartrates? Tartaric acid in a crystalline form. Often found in
white wines from Germany & Austria. Can also be
found in red wines. These are not harmful and do
not indicate a flaw in the wine.
4. What is the purpose of To volatize the esters, releasing aroma & flavor
swirling a glass of wine?
elements in the wine
5. Smell accounts for what
85%
% of taste?
6. What does TCA smell like? Musty cardboard, wet basement.
7. If a wine smells like nail Volatile acidity
polish, what is the flaw?
8. What is botrytis cinerea? AKA "Noble rot", a useful mold that dehydrates the
grapes. Used in the production of the finest
dessert wines in the world, notably from
Sauternes.
1/
52
, Introductory Sommelier Questions And 100% Verified Answers
2025
9. In general, high alcohol and New World regions with warm climates.
ripe, tropical fruit indicate a
wine from where?
10. Earthy notes, higher acidity
Old World regions with cooler climates.
and minerality generally
indicates wines from where?
11. American Oak will add what
kind of notes to a wine? Vanilla, coconut and sweet baking spices.
12. What is the latitudinal range
for most quality wine 30-50 degrees
production worldwide?
13. What is a microclimate? Climate within a very restricted space of position--
as
small as a single vine.
14. What is a mesoclimate? Between the size of a microclimate and
macroclimate.
Could refer to a single vineyard or hillside.
15. What is a macroclimate? Regional climate, refers to a large, broad area.
16. What is an AVA? American Viticultural Area
17. What is the species of production (not in- cluding
grapevine used in quality rootstocks)?
2/
52
, Introductory Sommelier Questions And 100% Verified Answers
2025
Vitis vinifera
3/
52
, Introductory Sommelier Questions And 100% Verified Answers
2025
18. What vineyard pest Glassy-winged sharpshooter
carries Pierce's
Disease?
19. What is phylloxera? A grape louse that nearly wiped out the
vineyards of Europe in the 19th century. It attacks
the vine's rootstocks and kills it in 3-5 years.
There is no cure and it is easily spread.
20. What is free run juice? Juice that will drain without pressing from a mass
of
freshly crushed grapes, will have lower tannins than
pressed wine.
21. What region employs Beaujolais, whole cluster fermentation occurs
carbonic maceration and without crushing the grape in an anaerobic
what does that mean?
atmosphere. Usually only used for red wine.
22. What is a cultured yeast? A yeast that studied abroad in college...NOPE! An
inoc-
ulated yeast, or cultured yeast, has been
cultivated in a lab environment to produce a
controlled and consistent fermentation.
23. What is chaptalization? The addition of grape sugar before fermentation.
Used
in cool regions where full ripeness is not always
achieved naturally.
24. What type of fermentation Stainless steel.
vessel do most modern
wineries use to- day?
4/
52
2025
1. What happens to white
They become darker and take on brown tones
wines as they age?
2. What color indicates a
"youthful" red wine? Purple (sometimes with bluish tinges)
3. What are tartrates? Tartaric acid in a crystalline form. Often found in
white wines from Germany & Austria. Can also be
found in red wines. These are not harmful and do
not indicate a flaw in the wine.
4. What is the purpose of To volatize the esters, releasing aroma & flavor
swirling a glass of wine?
elements in the wine
5. Smell accounts for what
85%
% of taste?
6. What does TCA smell like? Musty cardboard, wet basement.
7. If a wine smells like nail Volatile acidity
polish, what is the flaw?
8. What is botrytis cinerea? AKA "Noble rot", a useful mold that dehydrates the
grapes. Used in the production of the finest
dessert wines in the world, notably from
Sauternes.
1/
52
, Introductory Sommelier Questions And 100% Verified Answers
2025
9. In general, high alcohol and New World regions with warm climates.
ripe, tropical fruit indicate a
wine from where?
10. Earthy notes, higher acidity
Old World regions with cooler climates.
and minerality generally
indicates wines from where?
11. American Oak will add what
kind of notes to a wine? Vanilla, coconut and sweet baking spices.
12. What is the latitudinal range
for most quality wine 30-50 degrees
production worldwide?
13. What is a microclimate? Climate within a very restricted space of position--
as
small as a single vine.
14. What is a mesoclimate? Between the size of a microclimate and
macroclimate.
Could refer to a single vineyard or hillside.
15. What is a macroclimate? Regional climate, refers to a large, broad area.
16. What is an AVA? American Viticultural Area
17. What is the species of production (not in- cluding
grapevine used in quality rootstocks)?
2/
52
, Introductory Sommelier Questions And 100% Verified Answers
2025
Vitis vinifera
3/
52
, Introductory Sommelier Questions And 100% Verified Answers
2025
18. What vineyard pest Glassy-winged sharpshooter
carries Pierce's
Disease?
19. What is phylloxera? A grape louse that nearly wiped out the
vineyards of Europe in the 19th century. It attacks
the vine's rootstocks and kills it in 3-5 years.
There is no cure and it is easily spread.
20. What is free run juice? Juice that will drain without pressing from a mass
of
freshly crushed grapes, will have lower tannins than
pressed wine.
21. What region employs Beaujolais, whole cluster fermentation occurs
carbonic maceration and without crushing the grape in an anaerobic
what does that mean?
atmosphere. Usually only used for red wine.
22. What is a cultured yeast? A yeast that studied abroad in college...NOPE! An
inoc-
ulated yeast, or cultured yeast, has been
cultivated in a lab environment to produce a
controlled and consistent fermentation.
23. What is chaptalization? The addition of grape sugar before fermentation.
Used
in cool regions where full ripeness is not always
achieved naturally.
24. What type of fermentation Stainless steel.
vessel do most modern
wineries use to- day?
4/
52
