Second Wine

The term for a secondary and usually less expensive wine made by a winery. In Bordeaux, for example, Château Latour’s second label is Les Forts de Latour. Most wineries that make a second label are highly respected for their primary label and may not want to actively market (or be known for) their second label. The wine that is sold under the second label is never as high in quality as wine of the primary label. The grapes may come from younger vines and/or lesser vineyards.

Which country below is the only major wine producing country in the world not to have been seriously affected by the lethal insect phylloxera?

A. New Zealand

B. Chile

C. South Africa

D. Portugal

Phylloxera—a tiny, yellow, insect—has spread through much of the world, destroying vineyards in its wake as the insects feed on vines’ roots, ultimately sucking the life out of the plants. However, a phylloxera epidemic has not (some would say not yet) hit Chile. Secluded on the western coast of South America, Chile is hemmed in by the Andes Mountains to the east, the Atacama Desert to the north, and Antarctica to the south. The country’s physical isolation, dry climate, sandy soils, and use of flood irrigation all have helped protect against phylloxera.

Enology

The science and study of winemaking, differentiated from viticulture, the study of grape growing. Also spelled oenology, it is derived from the Greek oinos meaning “wine.”

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