This collection is written for adults who enjoy trivia nights and food history. It covers how wine is made, the famous grapes and regions, and a few surprising facts, such as the 6,000-year-old winery found in a cave in Armenia.
Every riddle has a different answer, from corkscrews and cellars to phylloxera, the tiny insect that nearly wiped out Europe’s vineyards.
Wine Basics Riddles
- I am made by fermenting grape juice. What am I? 👉 Wine
- I am the farm where rows of grapevines grow. What am I? 👉 A vineyard
- I am the person who makes wine from the harvest. Who am I? 👉 A vintner
- I am the restaurant expert who helps guests choose a wine. Who am I? 👉 A sommelier
- I am a twisting tool that pulls a cork out of a bottle. What am I? 👉 A corkscrew
- I come from the bark of a special oak tree and I seal wine bottles. What am I? 👉 Cork
- I am the year printed on the label, showing when the grapes were picked. What am I? 👉 The vintage
- I am a wooden container that gives wine flavors of vanilla and spice as it ages. What am I? 👉 An oak barrel
- I am a cool, dark underground room where bottles are stored. What am I? 👉 A wine cellar
- I am the process where yeast turns the sugar in grape juice into alcohol. What am I? 👉 Fermentation
Wine Styles and Grapes
- I am a sparkling wine, and by law I can only come from one region in northeast France. What am I? 👉 Champagne
- I am a sparkling wine from the Veneto region of Italy. What am I? 👉 Prosecco
- I am a sparkling wine made mostly in Catalonia, Spain. What am I? 👉 Cava
- I am a sweet, fortified wine from the Douro Valley in Portugal. What am I? 👉 Port
- I am a fortified wine from the area around Jerez in southern Spain. What am I? 👉 Sherry
- I am a red grape that made Bordeaux famous. What am I? 👉 Cabernet Sauvignon
- I am the delicate red grape of Burgundy. What am I? 👉 Pinot Noir
- I am the white grape behind Chablis and many Burgundy whites. What am I? 👉 Chardonnay
- I am a red grape from France that became the star of Argentina. What am I? 👉 Malbec
- I am a sweet wine made from grapes that froze while still on the vine. What am I? 👉 Ice wine
Wine Science and History Riddles
These riddles are based on real science and history. The note after each answer explains it.
- I am the bitter, mouth-drying compounds that come from grape skins and seeds. What am I? 👉 Tannins
- The “legs” that run down the inside of a wine glass are caused by this effect. What is it? 👉 The Marangoni effect (alcohol evaporates faster than water and changes the surface tension)
- I am a cave in Armenia where archaeologists found a winery about 6,100 years old. What am I? 👉 The Areni-1 cave
- This country often makes more wine than any other, trading the top spot with France. Which one? 👉 Italy
- In the 1800s, this tiny insect destroyed most of the vineyards in Europe. What was it? 👉 Phylloxera
- Rosé gets its pink color because the juice touches the red grape skins for only this long. How long? 👉 A few hours
Wine Trivia Brain Teasers
- A standard bottle holds 750 ml. How many 150 ml glasses can you pour from it? 👉 5
- A case holds 12 bottles. How many bottles are in 3 cases? 👉 36
- A magnum bottle holds as much as this many standard bottles. How many? 👉 2
Want more riddles? Browse our blog for more collections, and if you spot a mistake in any answer, let us know on our Contact page.