Running out of Things to Talk About? Try Wine Trivia.

Happy hour conversation growing stale? Switch it up by playing wine trivia!

If you’re starting to worry that you may be rapidly approaching the end of things to talk about, fear not. Playing a little wine trivia is a fun way to get the conversation going again. Win or lose, you’re likely to learn a thing or two about wine. 

Test your wine knowledge with these trivia questions. If you’re feeling competitive, you could make it a drinking game – whether it’s just you and your partner, or whether you’re playing with friends at a virtual happy hour. 

How many of these wine trivia questions do you know the answer to?

Vino Varietals

#1: What type of French wine is typically made from Pinot Noir grapes? 

A: Burgundy, specifically red Burgundy, or Bourgogne Rouge as it’s known in France.

#2: What is the most widely planted grape in the world?

A: Cabernet Sauvignon, with more than 700,000 acres worldwide.

#3: What is Australia’s most important wine grape? 

A: Shiraz, also known as Syrah. In Australia, Shiraz is known for its rich, chocolatey flavor.

#4: What is the dominant grape in Chianti?

A: Sangiovese, Italy’s most planted wine grape.

Wine Trivia Facts & Figures

#5: How much wine is in a standard bottle? 

A: A standard bottle of wine is 750 milliliters (or about 25 fluid ounces).

#6: What’s the biggest kind of wine bottle? 

A: It’s called the Nebuchadnezzar and it holds 15 liters of wine. That’s the equivalent of 20 regular bottles in a single huge bottle.

#7: How many grapes does it take to make a standard bottle of wine? 

A: About 200 grapes, or 2.5 pounds of grapes.

#8: On average, how much wine does one acre of grapevines produce? 

A: About 800 gallons of wine.

#9: How much wine is in a barrel? 

A: There are 60 gallons in a barrel. Fun fact: there are 126 gallons in a buttload of wine.

#10: How long after planting is a grapevine ready to make wine?

A: It takes about 3-5 years for a grapevine to start bearing fruit that can be made into wine. After that, grapevines can usually bear fruit for another 40 years. 

A Toast to Wine-Loving Historical Figures

#11: Which wine was used to toast both the signing of the Declaration of Independence and George Washington’s inauguration?

A: Madeira. This fortified island wine was a fan favorite among the founding fathers likely because it was easier – compared to table wines – to transport across the Atlantic.

#12: What was Jackie Kennedy’s favorite kind of Champagne?

A: Veuve Clicquot. Très chic.

#13: How many bottles of Pol Roger Champagne did Winston Churchill drink in his lifetime?

A: About 42,000 bottles, according to Churchill himself. That’s over a bottle and a half a day for his entire adult life, for anyone keeping score.

#14: Which two U.S. presidents attempted to grow grapevines?

A: George Washington and Thomas Jefferson attempted – and failed — to grow grapevines in Virginia. Luckily for them, they had other careers they could fall back on.

Vino Vocab

#15: What does non-vintage (or NV) mean?

A: Non-vintage wines are blends made of grapes from several different years.

#16: Which species of grape is responsible for most of the wine made throughout the world? 

A: Vitis vinifera, which is sometimes called the European wine grape.

#17: What does a vertical wine tasting entail?

A: It means tasting wines from the same vineyard or winemaker from different years. As you might imagine, it can be difficult to spot the differences.

#18: What does appellation mean? 

A: An appellation is the growing region a wine comes from.

Testing Your Champagne Savoir Faire

#19: How fast can the cork fly out of a Champagne bottle?

A: As fast as 50 miles per hour – which is why you should cover the cork with your hand after you twist off the cage. 

#20: At what point in the winemaking process does Champagne get its bubbles?

A: Champagne gets its bubbles while it’s in the bottle.

#21: How many bubbles are there in a bottle of Champagne?

A: About 49,000,000 bubbles.

Wine Trivia Fun Facts:

#22: How old is the oldest winery in the world?

A: The oldest winery uncovered so far dates back to 4100 BC. It’s located in Armenia.

#23: What colors can wine be?

A: Red, white, pink (or rose), orange, and blue. 

#24: Which Greek goddess is used to signify that a wine bottle has been certified as biodynamic? 

A: Demeter.

Wine From Around the World:

#25: Which country has the largest area of vineyards?

A:  Spain: There are about 1,154,000 hectares of vineyards throughout the country.

#26: What is the only winemaking region in the world that wasn’t affected by the phylloxera louse?

A: Chile. Experts don’t totally know why Chile has escaped this pest, but they believe it has to do with Chile’s geographic isolation provided by the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

#27: How much wine is consumed throughout the world each year?

A: Over 24.7 billion liters of wine. Cheers!

In Vino Finito

If you miss going to trivia night at your local bar, playing wine trivia at home is a fun way to learn some new fun facts. You can set up a virtual happy hour to see who among your friend group knows the most about wine, and pair your trivia with a virtual wine tasting. 

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