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Hard wine quiz: 12 sommelier questions

Twelve questions from New Zealand to Israel, set at Advanced sommelier depth. Each one comes with the answer and why it matters.

Alper Billik · Advanced Sommelier

Updated October 2026 · 3 min read · Edited with AI

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On this page
  1. New World
  2. France and Spain
  3. The Eastern Mediterranean
  4. What to study next
  5. Questions people ask

This one is hard on purpose. Twelve questions jump around the world the way an Advanced theory paper can: a producer here, a soil there, a grape with three names. I wrote them from my own study notes. They are practice questions, not real exam questions, and not tied to any course.

  • Answer all 12 before you open a single answer.
  • 10 or more: you study widely. 7–9: strong, with a few blind spots. Under 7: pick the regions you missed and give each one an evening.

New World

Advanced practice test

Take it as a real test

12 questions, one at a time. The answer and why after each one, then your score and your weakest topics.

Question 1

Felton Road's Cornish Point vineyard is in which wine region?

  1. a)Marlborough
  2. b)Central Otago
  3. c)Martinborough
  4. d)Waipara
Show answer

b) Central Otago. Cornish Point is in Bannockburn, Central Otago, and is best known for Pinot Noir.

Question 2

The Gimblett Gravels is a district of which New Zealand region?

  1. a)Hawke's Bay
  2. b)Marlborough
  3. c)Nelson
  4. d)Gisborne
Show answer

a) Hawke's Bay. Stony old riverbed soils, warm by New Zealand standards: home to much of the country's best Syrah and Bordeaux blends.

Question 3

Bodega Colomé, known for very high-altitude vineyards, is in which Argentine province?

  1. a)Mendoza
  2. b)Salta
  3. c)San Juan
  4. d)Neuquén
Show answer

b) Salta. It sits in the Calchaquí Valleys of Salta, in the far north of Argentina.

Question 4

The Mesilla Valley AVA lies mostly in which US state?

  1. a)California
  2. b)Oregon
  3. c)New Mexico
  4. d)Washington
Show answer

c) New Mexico. It follows the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico and reaches into western Texas.

Question 5

Criolla Chica is the Argentine name for the grape known in California as…

  1. a)Zinfandel
  2. b)Mission
  3. c)Petite Sirah
  4. d)Carignan
Show answer

b) Mission. The same grape is País in Chile and Listán Prieto in the Canary Islands, its likely home.

France and Spain

Question 6

Château Belair-Monange is in which appellation?

  1. a)Pauillac
  2. b)Saint-Émilion
  3. c)Pomerol
  4. d)Margaux
Show answer

b) Saint-Émilion. It is on the limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion, owned by the Moueix family.

Question 7

Bugey Cerdon is best described as…

  1. a)A dry white from Altesse
  2. b)A sweet, sparkling rosé made by the ancestral method, from Gamay and Poulsard
  3. c)A red from Mondeuse aged in oak
  4. d)A traditional-method blanc de blancs
Show answer

b) A sweet, sparkling rosé made by the ancestral method, from Gamay and Poulsard. Fermentation stops in the bottle, leaving gentle bubbles and natural sweetness.

Question 8

Red Bandol must contain at least 50% of which grape?

  1. a)Grenache
  2. b)Cinsault
  3. c)Mourvèdre
  4. d)Syrah
Show answer

c) Mourvèdre. Bandol is Mourvèdre's great home in France, and the red must also spend at least 18 months in wood.

Question 9

Viña Gravonia is a white Rioja from which bodega, and which grape?

  1. a)López de Heredia; Viura
  2. b)Muga; Garnacha Blanca
  3. c)Marqués de Riscal; Verdejo
  4. d)CVNE; Malvasía
Show answer

a) López de Heredia; Viura. R. López de Heredia is famous for long ageing before release, in both its reds and its whites.

The Eastern Mediterranean

Question 10

The Naoussa vineyards lie on the slopes of which mountain?

  1. a)Mount Olympus
  2. b)Mount Vermion
  3. c)Mount Athos
  4. d)Mount Parnassus
Show answer

b) Mount Vermion. Naoussa, in Greek Macedonia, makes red wine from Xinomavro.

Question 11

On the island of Rhodes, the red grape Mandilaria is also called…

  1. a)Agiorgitiko
  2. b)Amorgiano
  3. c)Mavrodaphne
  4. d)Limnio
Show answer

b) Amorgiano. Mandilaria is grown across the Aegean islands and Crete; on Rhodes it goes by Amorgiano.

Question 12

The Galilee wine region is in which country?

  1. a)Lebanon
  2. b)Jordan
  3. c)Israel
  4. d)Cyprus
Show answer

c) Israel. It is in northern Israel. The Upper Galilee is its higher, cooler part.

What to study next

Questions like these reward wide, steady reading more than cramming. If you are on the way to the Advanced exam, read how to study for and pass the Advanced Sommelier exam, then try the Greece and Macedonia quiz.

SOMM DIGI AI has 3,000+ exam-prep questions across every level, free to start.

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Questions people ask

Are these real sommelier exam questions?

No. They are practice questions written from study notes. The Court of Master Sommeliers does not publish its exam questions.

What level is this quiz?

Advanced. Level 1 and Certified candidates will know some answers, but producers and small appellations like these are Advanced territory.

How do I get better at questions like these?

Read one region at a time, make your own notes, and test yourself often. Short, regular quizzes beat long, rare study sessions.

Your exam kit

Where to study for your exam

The Court of Master Sommeliers Learning PortalOfficial · freeThe Court's Learning PortalOpen the portal SOMM DIGI AI's free sommelier practice testPractice · freeSOMM DIGI AIPractise now
Sommelier Prep BookMy book · AmazonSommelier Prep BookQuick questions and answers for a break at work.Order on Amazon Sommelier Level 1 Prep BookMy book · AmazonSommelier Level 1 Prep BookLevel 1's key topics in one small book you can carry anywhere.Order on Amazon

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