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Grape Varieties and Viticulture Flashcards

6 cards from real SOMM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. Nebbiolo is the primary grape variety used to produce which two prestigious Italian wines?

    Answer: Barolo and Barbaresco

    Nebbiolo produces both Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont, Italy — two of the country's most age-worthy red wines.

  2. Which white grape variety is the sole permitted variety in Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre appellations?

    Answer: Sauvignon Blanc

    Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre in the Loire Valley's Upper Loire both use 100% Sauvignon Blanc, known for grassy, citrus, and mineral profiles.

  3. The term 'Spätburgunder' refers to which grape variety when grown in Germany?

    Answer: Pinot Noir

    Spätburgunder is the German name for Pinot Noir, and Germany is actually the third-largest producer of this variety globally.

  4. Carménère, now considered Chile's flagship red grape, was originally thought to be which variety?

    Answer: Merlot

    Carménère was long misidentified as Merlot in Chilean vineyards; DNA profiling in 1994 confirmed it as a separate Bordeaux variety.

  5. Which viticulture practice involves cutting back the vine to a permanent woody structure with short spurs to control yield?

    Answer: Spur pruning (Gobelet)

    Spur pruning, often used in the Gobelet (bush vine) system, retains short spurs on a permanent trunk to regulate shoot growth and yield.

  6. Botrytis cinerea, when it affects wine grapes under favorable conditions, is known as what?

    Answer: Noble rot

    Under warm, humid mornings followed by dry afternoons, Botrytis cinerea becomes 'noble rot,' concentrating sugars and acids for sweet wine production.