Question 1
What is liqueur de tirage?
Correct Answer:
Cocktail of wine, sugar and yeast added to base wine in Champagne production to kick off secondary fermentation in the bottle.
Explanation:
Liqueur de tirage is the mixture used to start the second fermentation inside the bottle in Champagne production. It’s typically a small amount of wine blended with sugar and yeast. When this mixture is added to the base wine and bottled, the yeast consumes the sugar, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. The CO2 is trapped in the bottle, creating the bubbles and pressure that make sparkling wine. This secondary fermentation also leaves behind lees, which will be removed later during riddling and disgorging. The sweetness of the final wine is controlled later, after disgorgement, by adding dosage. That’s why the correct description is a cocktail of wine, sugar, and yeast added to base wine to kick off secondary fermentation in the bottle. The other options describe different steps or elements: dosage added after disgorgement, yeast breaking down during ageing, or removing the lees.
Question 2
Noble rot is produced by which mold?
Correct Answer:
Botrytis cinerea
Explanation:
Noble rot is caused by Botrytis cinerea. This mold infects ripe grapes under specific cool, humid conditions, penetrating the grape skins and drying out the berries. As the water evaporates, sugars, acids, and compounds that develop flavor become highly concentrated, producing the rich, intensely sweet wines associated with noble rot, such as Sauternes. Other organisms listed aren’t responsible for noble rot. Aspergillus niger is a mold that can spoil fruit and isn’t the mold behind noble rot; Penicillium roqueforti is used to age blue cheeses; Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a yeast that ferments sugars into alcohol and isn’t the mold that rot forms on grapes.
Question 3
What is riddling?
Correct Answer:
Gradual movement of expired yeast cells to the neck of the bottle
Explanation:
Riddling is the process of slowly turning and tilting a sparkling wine bottle so the spent yeast cells (lees) move and settle near the bottle neck. By gradually gathering the lees in that spot, winemakers can remove them cleanly during disgorgement while keeping the wine clear and preserving the bubble structure. This slow, deliberate movement is what distinguishes riddling from other methods; it is not rapid agitation, a centrifuge removal, or aging in oak.
Question 4
Hanepoot is a synonym for which grape in South Africa?
Correct Answer:
Muscat
Explanation:
Hanepoot denotes a grape in the Muscat family, an aromatic white variety famous for perfumed, floral aromas and often used to make sweet or late-harvest wines. In South Africa, Hanepoot is the local name for Muscat grapes, so the best match is Muscat. The other options—Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc—are distinct grape varieties with different flavor profiles and are not referred to as Hanepoot.
Question 5
How many grape varieties are permitted in the production of Châteauneuf-du-Pape?
Correct Answer:
13
Explanation:
The question is testing knowledge of how many grape varieties are legally allowed to be used in Châteauneuf-du-Pape blends. The appellation sets a fixed list of varieties that may be used in its wines, and the maximum number on that list is thirteen. This broad palette is a hallmark of the region, contributing to the wine’s complexity by allowing producers to blend from several different grape varieties, with Grenache often forming the backbone alongside others such as Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Counoise, and additional permitted varieties. The key idea is that the regulation specifies a cap of thirteen varieties, not a smaller or larger number, which is why thirteen is the correct answer. Other totals don’t match the official regulation.
Question 1
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Prepare with the Introductory Sommelier Practice Test practice quiz. This question bank includes 10 questions covering grape, production, region, introductory, and sommelier. Use it to review important concepts, identify knowledge gaps, and build confidence for the related exam, course, or assessment.

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Introductory Sommelier Practice Test

This practice set contains 10 questions from the matching question bank and focuses on grape, production, region, introductory, and sommelier. Work through each question carefully, review the provided solutions, and revisit topics that need more study before your next attempt.

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