Extra Dry

Slightly sweeter than Brut, contains extra dry Champagne or SPARKLING WINE. Do not confuse Extra Dry with Extra Brut, which is the driest dosage level.

Which one of the following wine regions is not exposed to a rain shadow effect?

A. Bordeaux, France

B. Columbia Valley, Washington, USA

C. Mendoza, Argentina

D. Central Otago, New Zealand

Bordeaux, France. Bordeaux, about an hour’s drive inland from the Atlantic Ocean, is made up of relatively flat land. A rain shadow effect is the term used to describe the situation whereby a dry, often desert-like, side of a mountain rarely receives wind and rain. This occurs when the mountain range is high enough to block a rain-producing weather system from passing over to the other side of the mountain. Because of Bordeaux’s topography, a rain shadow effect is nonexistent. The other regions—Columbia Valley, Mendoza, and Central Otago—all experience rain shadow effect because they are all located on the side of the mountain that does not receive rain. They are in the “rain shadow.”

“Wine for me had always been something larger. Wine to me is passion. It’s family and friends. It’s warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It’s culture. It’s the essence of civilization and the Art of Living.”

–Robert Mondavi (1913 – 2008)
Harvests of Joy

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