Merry Quizmas from WineDown

Merry Quizmas from WineDown

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Beloved Wine-Head,

Brace yourself. Your favourite wine column will NOT appear in your inbox next week - or the week following. Difficult though it undoubtedly will be to face these Tuesdays WineDownless, it’s good to know that entertaining, illuminating, and pithy wine articles are only a coupla clicks away, here at CellarDoor.co, or as we prefer to call it, The Complete Works of WineDown.

Thank you for the pleasure of your company in 2021. Special thanks to those members who were moved to send the odd message of appreciation – your support buoys us more than you can possibly know. And your cheque’s in the mail. We’ll be back with bells on in ’22! In the meantime, here’s a little something to test your wine wits. No swotting required – the only thing you may need to cram is another piece of shortbread into your mouth...

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE QUIZMAS

1. Queensland is home to 2 recognised wine regions: the Granite Belt and...?

a. Orion's Belt

b. South Burnett

c. East Burnett

d. Carol Burnett

2. When Wynns Coonawarra Estate senior winemaker, Sue Hodder, studied at Roseworthy College, was she...

a. A Plonky?

b. An Aggy?

c. A Pinko?

c. A Vego?

3. What is the name of Australia’s luscious deep golden fortified wine, with complex syrupy/malty/honeyed notes – and a distinctive flash of cold tea?

a. Tokay

b. Topaque

c. Tobago

d. Tabasco

4. Immigrants from where are credited with shaping the Barossa – both culturally and viticulturally??

a. Sardinia

b. Silesia

c. Somalia

d. The Gold Coast

5. St Hubert's in the Yarra Valley is named after...

a. Hubert de Castella, the great great grandfather of Aussie marathon man, Robert de Castella

b. Hubertus, the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, and metalworkers

c. Hubert de Givenchy, who designed the label

d. Pioneering Yarra Valley brothers, Hugh and Bert Holliday

6. What profession did Coldstream Hills founder, James Halliday, practice before becoming a full-time winemaker and writer?

a. Architect

b. Corporate lawyer and banker

c. Finger surgeon

d. Call centre manager

7. The five Victorian wine regions that start with the letter G are: Grampians, Goulburn Valley, Geelong, Glenrowan, and...?

a. Gundagai

b. Gippsland

c. Geographe

d. Strathbogie Ranges

8. What did WineDown describe as a seething hotbed of sexual deviation, chimerism, and clonal mutation ?

a. Queensland

b. Your average vineyard

c. The CellarDoor.co call centre

d. All of the above

9. The distinctive minty flavour found in many Australian red wines comes from...?

a. A dash of peppermint essence in the final blend

b. Eucalyptol – derived from a vineyard’s proximity to Eucalyptus trees

c. Maturation in American Oak

d. Humbugs buried between rows of vines

10. What did WineDown recommend as an ideal wine match for your Christmas Baked Ham?

a. Honeybomb Rosé from Devil’s Lair

b. Tribute Pinot Gris from T’Gallant

c. Show Sparkling Limited Release Shiraz 2008 from Seppelt

d. All of the above

WHERE AM I? (Name that vineyard!)

I am in south-western Victoria – near the now-dormant Budj Bim - on the traditional lands of the Gunditjmara people (5 pts)

I am located 22 kilometres from the coast, on a prominent windswept hillside, where skin-piercing draughts barrel up from the Antarctic (4 pts)

I was settled in the 1830s by the Henty brothers, but developed for viticulture in the 1960s, by Karl Seppelt (3 pts)

I am Seppelt’s premium cool-climate vineyard, famous for my elegant Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinots Noir and Meunier (2 pts)

My name begins with the letter D (1 pt)

Still no?? Then deduct 5 points and read this!

THE ANSWERS

1) B – South Burnett

2) B – An Aggy

3) B – Topaque

4) B – Silesia

5) B – Hubertus, patron saint of hunters etc

6) B – Corporate lawyer and banker

7) B – Gippsland

8) B – Your average vineyard

9) B – Eucalyptol, from proximity to Eucalyptus trees

10) D – All of the above

11) Where am I? DRUMBORG!

HOW’D YOU GO?

15: Wine genius! Or possibly: serial cheater. Either way, props to you!

10 – 14: Attentive, intelligent, and probably deeply attractive WineDown reader.

5 – 9: Have a glass of homework, and attempt again.

Fewer than 5: Quick – the cricket’s on!