CMS - Certified Sommelier Exam / WSET
Advanced | Questions And Answers
2023/2024
What is the formula of alcoholic fermentation? ✅ Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + Carbon
Dioxide
(C6H12O6 -> 2C2H5OH + 2CO2)
What are the three main acids naturally occurring in the grapes? ✅ Tartaric Acid,
Malic Acid,
and Citric Acid.
What are the three main acids occurring as a result of fermentation? ✅ Succinic Acid,
Acetic Acid, and Lactic Acid.
What are the two main acids occurring in botrytised wines? ✅ Gluconic Acid, and
Galacturonic Acid.
Who discovered the effect of fermentation by yeast? ✅ Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac
What is the French term for Sparkling Wine? ✅ Vin Mousseux, or Crémant
What is the French term for effervescent, or lightly sparkling wine? ✅ Vin Pétillant
What is the German term for
Sparkling Wine? ✅ Schaumwein
It is a blanket term encompassing all types of sparkling wine whether the gas naturally
occurs as a result of fermentation or otherwise.
What is the German term for effervescent, or lightly sparkling wine? ✅ Sekt
(secondary fermentation must occur in the bottle), Perlwein (CO2 can be added.)
What is the Italian term for
Sparkling Wine? ✅ Vino Spumante
What is the Italian term for effervescent, or lightly sparkling wine? ✅ Vino Frizzante
What is the Spanish term for
Sparkling Wine? ✅ Vino Espumosso
What is the Spanish term for effervescent, or lightly sparkling wine? ✅ Vino de Aguja
,What is the method of sparkling wine making in which the secondary fermentation takes
place in the bottle? ✅ Méthode Traditionelle, or
Traditional Method in English
("Méthode Champenoise" is now outlawed in EU)
What is the method of sparkling wine making in which the secondary fermentation and
soutillage (racking) takes place in a large air-tight fermentation tank? ✅ Méthode
Charmat, or
Méthode de la Cuvée Close
What is the method of sparkling wine making in which the wine that has gone through
the secondary fermentation is transferred to the pressurized tank, then cooled, and
racked before bottled? ✅ Méthode par Transversage, or
Transfer Method in English
What is the method of sparkling wine making in which the wine going through the
fermentation is bottled and the remaining fermentation takes place in the bottle? ✅
Méthode Rurale, or Rural Method in English
What are the two levels of EU wine classification according to the 1962 Treaty of
Rome? ✅ Quality Wines Produced in Specified Regions (QWpsr) or Vin de Qualité
Produits dans une Région Déterminé (VQPRD) and Table Wine (TW) or Vins de Table
What are the three (or four) levels of wine classification in France? ✅ Appellation
d'Origine Protégée (AOP) - Also known as AOC until 2012
<Appellation d'Origine Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (AOVDQS) - Abolished in
2012>
Vin de Pays
Vin de Table
What are the four levels of wine classification in Germany? ✅ Prädikatswein
Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA)
Landwein
Tafelwein
What are the four levels of wine classification in Italy? ✅ Denominazione di Origine
Controlata e Garantita (DOCG)
Denominazione di Origine Controlata (DOC)
Vino da Tavola Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT)
Vino da Tavola
What are the seven levels of wine classification in Spain? ✅ Denominación de Origen
Vino de Pago (VP)
Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOC)
Denominación de Origen (DO)
,Vino de Calidad con Indicación Geográfica (VCIG)
Vinñedos de España
Vino de la Tierra
Vino de Mesa
What are the four levels of wine classification in Portugal? ✅ Denominação de Origem
Controlada (DOC)
Indicação Proveniência Regulmentada (IPR)
Vinho Regional
Vinho de Mesa
What are the four levels of wine classification in Austria? ✅ Prädikatswein
Qualitätswein
Landwein
Tafelwein
What are the four levels of wine classification in Greece? ✅ Onomasia Proelefsis
Anoteras Piotitas (OPAP)
Onomasia Proelefsis Elechomeni (OPE)
Topikos Oinos
Epitrapezios Oinos
What is the specie of grapes that is generally used for making wine? ✅ Vitis Vinifera
What is the specie of grapes that is regarded as table grapes and when made into wine
impart a "foxy flavor" profile? ✅ Vitis Labrusca
What is the specie of grapes that is generally used as a base vine for grafting vitis
vinifera to avoid the harm of phylloxera? ✅ Vitis Rupestris, Vitis Riparia, and Vitis
Berlandieri
What is the ideal annual average temperature for growing vitis vinifera? ✅ 10C° to
16C° (50F° to 61F°)
What is the ideal latitude for growing vitis vinifera in Northern Hemisphere? ✅ 30°-50°
North
What is the ideal latitude for growing vitis vinifera in Southern Hemisphere? ✅ 20°-40°
South
What is the ideal annual sunlight hours for growing vitis vinifera? ✅ 1300 to 1500
hours per year.
What is the name of the disease in which the leaves are covered in white powdery
residue? ✅ Oidium, or Powdery Mildew.
, It arrived in Europe around 1855-1856.
What is the name of the disease in which the whole plant gets covered in white mold,
and it causes leaves, flowers, and fruits to fall off? ✅ Mildiou, or Mildew.
It was found in Europe around 1878-1880.
What is the name of the disease in which the leaves, flower, and fruits are covered in
grey mold? It also causes fruits to shribble and concentrate the flavour component
resulting in sweet desert wine. ✅ Pourriture Grise, or Grey Rot.
Caused by Botrytis Cinerea.
What is the name of the tiny insects that suck out the sup of the vine especially the root
that causes vines to die? ✅ Phylloxera
What is the name of the wine making technique in which the skin is immersed in the
juice prior to fermentation? ✅ Maceration, or Skin Contact
What is the name of the wine making technique in which the juice is put in a holding
tank at below -7C° (19F°) to concentrate the sugar and flavour component? ✅ Crio-
Extraction
What is the name of the wine making technique in which the wine is deliberately not
racked after the fermentation is complete, and aged with the sediment to extract more
flavour? ✅ Sur Lie
What is the name of the wine making technique in which the red grape is fermented with
skin intact, but pressed mid-fermentation to extract lighter coloured juice, then continued
the fermentation with the juice alone? ✅ Saignée
Define Malolactic Fermentation. ✅ Fermentation that converts harsher Malic Acid into
milder Lactic Acid.
What are the synonyms of Cabernet Franc? ✅ Breton (Loire)
Bouchet (Bordeaux)
What are the synonyms of Carignan? ✅ Cariñena (Spain)
Mazuelo (Rioja)
What are the synonyms of Cinsaut? ✅ Hermitage (South Africa)
What are the synonyms of Malbec? ✅ Côt (France)
Auxerrois (Cahors)
What are the synonyms of Mouvèdre? ✅ Monastrell (Spain)
Advanced | Questions And Answers
2023/2024
What is the formula of alcoholic fermentation? ✅ Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + Carbon
Dioxide
(C6H12O6 -> 2C2H5OH + 2CO2)
What are the three main acids naturally occurring in the grapes? ✅ Tartaric Acid,
Malic Acid,
and Citric Acid.
What are the three main acids occurring as a result of fermentation? ✅ Succinic Acid,
Acetic Acid, and Lactic Acid.
What are the two main acids occurring in botrytised wines? ✅ Gluconic Acid, and
Galacturonic Acid.
Who discovered the effect of fermentation by yeast? ✅ Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac
What is the French term for Sparkling Wine? ✅ Vin Mousseux, or Crémant
What is the French term for effervescent, or lightly sparkling wine? ✅ Vin Pétillant
What is the German term for
Sparkling Wine? ✅ Schaumwein
It is a blanket term encompassing all types of sparkling wine whether the gas naturally
occurs as a result of fermentation or otherwise.
What is the German term for effervescent, or lightly sparkling wine? ✅ Sekt
(secondary fermentation must occur in the bottle), Perlwein (CO2 can be added.)
What is the Italian term for
Sparkling Wine? ✅ Vino Spumante
What is the Italian term for effervescent, or lightly sparkling wine? ✅ Vino Frizzante
What is the Spanish term for
Sparkling Wine? ✅ Vino Espumosso
What is the Spanish term for effervescent, or lightly sparkling wine? ✅ Vino de Aguja
,What is the method of sparkling wine making in which the secondary fermentation takes
place in the bottle? ✅ Méthode Traditionelle, or
Traditional Method in English
("Méthode Champenoise" is now outlawed in EU)
What is the method of sparkling wine making in which the secondary fermentation and
soutillage (racking) takes place in a large air-tight fermentation tank? ✅ Méthode
Charmat, or
Méthode de la Cuvée Close
What is the method of sparkling wine making in which the wine that has gone through
the secondary fermentation is transferred to the pressurized tank, then cooled, and
racked before bottled? ✅ Méthode par Transversage, or
Transfer Method in English
What is the method of sparkling wine making in which the wine going through the
fermentation is bottled and the remaining fermentation takes place in the bottle? ✅
Méthode Rurale, or Rural Method in English
What are the two levels of EU wine classification according to the 1962 Treaty of
Rome? ✅ Quality Wines Produced in Specified Regions (QWpsr) or Vin de Qualité
Produits dans une Région Déterminé (VQPRD) and Table Wine (TW) or Vins de Table
What are the three (or four) levels of wine classification in France? ✅ Appellation
d'Origine Protégée (AOP) - Also known as AOC until 2012
<Appellation d'Origine Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (AOVDQS) - Abolished in
2012>
Vin de Pays
Vin de Table
What are the four levels of wine classification in Germany? ✅ Prädikatswein
Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA)
Landwein
Tafelwein
What are the four levels of wine classification in Italy? ✅ Denominazione di Origine
Controlata e Garantita (DOCG)
Denominazione di Origine Controlata (DOC)
Vino da Tavola Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT)
Vino da Tavola
What are the seven levels of wine classification in Spain? ✅ Denominación de Origen
Vino de Pago (VP)
Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOC)
Denominación de Origen (DO)
,Vino de Calidad con Indicación Geográfica (VCIG)
Vinñedos de España
Vino de la Tierra
Vino de Mesa
What are the four levels of wine classification in Portugal? ✅ Denominação de Origem
Controlada (DOC)
Indicação Proveniência Regulmentada (IPR)
Vinho Regional
Vinho de Mesa
What are the four levels of wine classification in Austria? ✅ Prädikatswein
Qualitätswein
Landwein
Tafelwein
What are the four levels of wine classification in Greece? ✅ Onomasia Proelefsis
Anoteras Piotitas (OPAP)
Onomasia Proelefsis Elechomeni (OPE)
Topikos Oinos
Epitrapezios Oinos
What is the specie of grapes that is generally used for making wine? ✅ Vitis Vinifera
What is the specie of grapes that is regarded as table grapes and when made into wine
impart a "foxy flavor" profile? ✅ Vitis Labrusca
What is the specie of grapes that is generally used as a base vine for grafting vitis
vinifera to avoid the harm of phylloxera? ✅ Vitis Rupestris, Vitis Riparia, and Vitis
Berlandieri
What is the ideal annual average temperature for growing vitis vinifera? ✅ 10C° to
16C° (50F° to 61F°)
What is the ideal latitude for growing vitis vinifera in Northern Hemisphere? ✅ 30°-50°
North
What is the ideal latitude for growing vitis vinifera in Southern Hemisphere? ✅ 20°-40°
South
What is the ideal annual sunlight hours for growing vitis vinifera? ✅ 1300 to 1500
hours per year.
What is the name of the disease in which the leaves are covered in white powdery
residue? ✅ Oidium, or Powdery Mildew.
, It arrived in Europe around 1855-1856.
What is the name of the disease in which the whole plant gets covered in white mold,
and it causes leaves, flowers, and fruits to fall off? ✅ Mildiou, or Mildew.
It was found in Europe around 1878-1880.
What is the name of the disease in which the leaves, flower, and fruits are covered in
grey mold? It also causes fruits to shribble and concentrate the flavour component
resulting in sweet desert wine. ✅ Pourriture Grise, or Grey Rot.
Caused by Botrytis Cinerea.
What is the name of the tiny insects that suck out the sup of the vine especially the root
that causes vines to die? ✅ Phylloxera
What is the name of the wine making technique in which the skin is immersed in the
juice prior to fermentation? ✅ Maceration, or Skin Contact
What is the name of the wine making technique in which the juice is put in a holding
tank at below -7C° (19F°) to concentrate the sugar and flavour component? ✅ Crio-
Extraction
What is the name of the wine making technique in which the wine is deliberately not
racked after the fermentation is complete, and aged with the sediment to extract more
flavour? ✅ Sur Lie
What is the name of the wine making technique in which the red grape is fermented with
skin intact, but pressed mid-fermentation to extract lighter coloured juice, then continued
the fermentation with the juice alone? ✅ Saignée
Define Malolactic Fermentation. ✅ Fermentation that converts harsher Malic Acid into
milder Lactic Acid.
What are the synonyms of Cabernet Franc? ✅ Breton (Loire)
Bouchet (Bordeaux)
What are the synonyms of Carignan? ✅ Cariñena (Spain)
Mazuelo (Rioja)
What are the synonyms of Cinsaut? ✅ Hermitage (South Africa)
What are the synonyms of Malbec? ✅ Côt (France)
Auxerrois (Cahors)
What are the synonyms of Mouvèdre? ✅ Monastrell (Spain)
