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2003

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Welcome to the Decanter Bollinger Wine Mastermind of the Decade.

Answer the following 10 questions to be eligible to be entered into the prize draw to win a case of Bollinger RD 1996 or one of 10 Magnums of Bollinger Special Cuvee.




Which company was set to become the ‘Coca-Cola of winemaking’?
Gallo
Constellation
Diageo
Penfolds


Why were the Germans furious with Italy?
An Italian winery produced bottles with Hitler, Mussolini and other dictators on the label
The Italians upped duty on German wines on the basis they were ‘weak and insipid’
Silvio Berlusconi bought a vineyard in the Rheingau
The Italians demanded German labels be ‘simplified’


‘British trounce French’. At what?
A university wine quiz
English sparkling wine against Champagne
Devon cider against Normandy cider
British and French hang-gliding teams bringing Beaujolais Nouveau to Japan


What caused the cream of the wine world to swig first growths from the bottle?
The theft of nearly a million tasting glasses during the London Wine Trade Fair
Experimentation with a new tasting technique called Bouteille Direct
A catastrophic flood during En Primeur
A tornado which destroyed the marquee at a party at Chateau Gaffeliere


‘I just used to follow along in her trail picking up the dead bodies.' Who was Jason Pahlmeyer talking about?
Cult winemaker Heidi Barrett after a row about hang time
Cult winemaker Ursula Hermacinski, after a row about green harvest
Cult winemaker Beth Milliken, who claimed Napa prices were ‘too low’
Cult winemaker Helen Turley, who sued Don Bryant for breach of contract


Why did US House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert call for a ban on French wine?
He was concerned about drop in domestic consumption of American wines
He was outraged at French opposition to the US-led Iraq invasion
He claimed French wine was too low in alcohol to satisfy American tastes
He claimed French wine was adulterated with cheap South American imported must


The global wine industry was declared this year to be worth more than…
The cosmetics industry
The music industry
The illegal drugs industry
The motor industry


How Lyon Mag get into trouble?
It accused Beaujolais of being ‘vin de merde’ and was successfully sued
It accused Brunello producers of adulterating their wine
It accused Wine Spectator of handing out fake restaurant awards
It accused Robert Parker of having no sense of humour


What did a group of French bon-viveurs petition the Pope for?
To have Bordeaux declared an official Vatican wine
To have the have Sauternes declared official communion wine
To have the Gluttony removed from the Seven Deadly Sins
To have Michel Rolland canonized


Whose famed cellar was closed this year?
Supersonic airliner Concorde's
The Garrick Club's
Chateau de Beaune's
Jacques Chirac's

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