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Bordeaux quiz: 20 questions for sommelier students

Twenty Bordeaux practice questions on the map, the grapes, the climate, the classifications and the wines, each with the answer and a one-line reason.

Updated October 2026

Rewritten by Alper Billik, Advanced Sommelier

4 min read

Bordeaux comes up in every sommelier and WSET exam. These twenty questions cover the essentials, from the rivers to the 1855 classification. Answer each one before you look, and read the reason even when you are right: that is where the learning sticks.

New to Bordeaux? Read Bordeaux basics first, then the Bordeaux guide for the Certified Sommelier exam.

The map

Question 1

Which area lies between the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers?

  1. a)Entre-Deux-Mers
  2. b)The Médoc
  3. c)Fronsac
  4. d)Blaye
Show answer

a) Entre-Deux-Mers. Entre-Deux-Mers means “between two seas”: here, between the two rivers.

Question 2

Which of these appellations is on the Right Bank?

  1. a)Margaux
  2. b)Pessac-Léognan
  3. c)Pomerol
  4. d)Barsac
Show answer

c) Pomerol. Pomerol, next to Saint-Émilion. Margaux, Pessac-Léognan and Barsac are all Left Bank.

Question 3

Which order of the four great Médoc villages runs from north to south?

  1. a)Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe
  2. b)Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux
  3. c)Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe, Margaux, Saint-Julien
  4. d)Saint-Julien, Margaux, Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac
Show answer

b) Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux. Saint-Estèphe is furthest north, Margaux closest to the city of Bordeaux.

Question 4

Sauternes and Barsac lie on the left bank of which river?

  1. a)The Dordogne
  2. b)The Garonne
  3. c)The Isle
  4. d)The Charente
Show answer

b) The Garonne. The Garonne, south-east of the city, where the small Ciron river joins it.

The grapes

Question 5

Which of these grapes ripens latest?

  1. a)Merlot
  2. b)Cabernet Franc
  3. c)Petit Verdot
  4. d)Sauvignon Blanc
Show answer

c) Petit Verdot. Petit Verdot ripens very late, which is why it is only a small part of most blends.

Question 6

Which Bordeaux red grape typically shows raspberry, violet and a leafy note?

  1. a)Merlot
  2. b)Cabernet Franc
  3. c)Malbec
  4. d)Petit Verdot
Show answer

b) Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Franc: red fruit, florals and a green, leafy edge, with medium tannins.

Question 7

Which white grape leads most Sauternes blends?

  1. a)Sauvignon Blanc
  2. b)Muscadelle
  3. c)Sémillon
  4. d)Colombard
Show answer

c) Sémillon. Sémillon: thin skins that welcome noble rot, and the body the wine needs.

Question 8

Which grape almost disappeared from Bordeaux after phylloxera and is now best known in Chile?

  1. a)Malbec
  2. b)Carménère
  3. c)Petit Verdot
  4. d)Merlot
Show answer

b) Carménère. Carménère. It is still permitted in Bordeaux but now rare there.

Climate and vineyard

Question 9

How is Bordeaux's climate best described?

  1. a)Moderate maritime
  2. b)Continental
  3. c)Mediterranean
  4. d)Hot and dry
Show answer

a) Moderate maritime. Moderate maritime: mild and influenced by the Atlantic, with rain as the main risk.

Question 10

Which forest shelters Bordeaux's vineyards from Atlantic winds?

  1. a)The Vosges
  2. b)The Landes pine forest
  3. c)The Black Forest
  4. d)The forest of Fontainebleau
Show answer

b) The Landes pine forest. The Landes pine forest, along the coast to the south-west.

Question 11

Which of these is a fungal disease and a major threat in Bordeaux's damp climate?

  1. a)Downy mildew
  2. b)Phylloxera
  3. c)Pierce's disease
  4. d)Flavescence dorée
Show answer

a) Downy mildew. Downy mildew. Phylloxera is an insect, Pierce's disease is bacterial and flavescence dorée is a phytoplasma disease.

The classifications

Question 12

For which event was the 1855 classification drawn up?

  1. a)The coronation of Napoleon III
  2. b)The Universal Exhibition in Paris
  3. c)The opening of the port of Bordeaux
  4. d)A treaty with Britain
Show answer

b) The Universal Exhibition in Paris. Napoleon III wanted the best French wines shown at the 1855 Universal Exhibition in Paris.

Question 13

How many First Growths are there in the 1855 red classification today?

  1. a)Four
  2. b)Five
  3. c)Six
  4. d)Seven
Show answer

b) Five. Five: Lafite Rothschild, Latour, Mouton Rothschild, Margaux and Haut-Brion.

Question 14

Which estate is the only Premier Cru Supérieur?

  1. a)Château Climens
  2. b)Château d'Yquem
  3. c)Château Suduiraut
  4. d)Château Coutet
Show answer

b) Château d'Yquem. Château d'Yquem in Sauternes stands alone above the Premiers Crus of Sauternes and Barsac.

Question 15

Which château was added to the 1855 classification in 1856?

  1. a)Château Mouton Rothschild
  2. b)Château Palmer
  3. c)Château Cantemerle
  4. d)Château Haut-Brion
Show answer

c) Château Cantemerle. Cantemerle was added as a Fifth Growth in 1856. Mouton Rothschild was promoted in 1973; it had been in the list since 1855.

Question 16

Which château is classified in both the 1855 classification and the Graves classification?

  1. a)Château Pape Clément
  2. b)Château Smith Haut Lafitte
  3. c)Château Haut-Brion
  4. d)Château La Mission Haut-Brion
Show answer

c) Château Haut-Brion. Haut-Brion, the only red outside the Médoc in the 1855 list.

The wines

Question 17

A dry white wine made at a château in Pauillac is sold under which appellation?

  1. a)Pauillac
  2. b)Haut-Médoc
  3. c)Médoc
  4. d)Bordeaux
Show answer

d) Bordeaux. The Médoc appellations are for red wine only, so the white is sold as Bordeaux.

Question 18

What is Bordeaux Clairet?

  1. a)A sweet white wine
  2. b)A darker, fuller style of rosé
  3. c)A sparkling wine
  4. d)A fortified wine
Show answer

b) A darker, fuller style of rosé. Clairet sits between rosé and light red, from a longer skin contact than rosé.

Question 19

What is Bordeaux's traditional-method sparkling wine called?

  1. a)Blanquette
  2. b)Crémant de Bordeaux
  3. c)Clairette
  4. d)Crémant de Loire
Show answer

b) Crémant de Bordeaux. Crémant de Bordeaux, made with a second fermentation in the bottle.

Question 20

What is Les Forts de Latour?

  1. a)A Pauillac village
  2. b)The second wine of Château Latour
  3. c)A Sauternes château
  4. d)A Crus Bourgeois estate
Show answer

b) The second wine of Château Latour. The second wine of First Growth Château Latour.

How did you do?

  • 17 to 20: exam-ready on the basics. Move on to producers and Saint-Émilion.
  • 12 to 16: solid. Reread the sections you missed, then try again tomorrow.
  • Under 12: start with Bordeaux basics and come back in a week.

Want more? Try white Bordeaux and Saint-Estèphe, or the Level 1 practice test. SOMM DIGI AI has 3,000+ exam-prep questions and can quiz you on Bordeaux every day.

More questions on SOMM DIGI AILevel 1 practice test

Questions people ask

What should I know about Bordeaux for a sommelier exam?

The rivers and the two banks, the grapes and where each leads, the climate, the 1855 classification with its First Growths, the other classifications, and Sauternes.

What is the main grape of Bordeaux?

Merlot is the most planted. Cabernet Sauvignon leads the blends of the Left Bank, Merlot those of the Right Bank.

How many châteaux are in the 1855 classification?

61 reds in five growths, and 27 sweet wines from Sauternes and Barsac.

For sommeliers · next steps

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