Viticulture for Kids! Trivia Quiz

Answer: The study of the growing of grapes (mainly for wine).

Viticulture is a branch of horticulture that studies how to grow grape vines and how best to harvest grapes. The word comes from Latin, and in that language means "vine" or "wine growing".

Answer: Viticulturists find that climate for their grapevines is best in these areas.

Most of the vineyards in the world are found between the latitudes of 30° and 50° in each hemisphere. This is mainly because of the climate in these areas. In the summer, the days are sunny and warm, conditions that help grapevines grow. In the winter, it gets cold, but not too cold, resulting in conditions that help grapevines to rest without damage from freezing weather.

Answer: More than 5,000 years ago.

Archeologists have found evidence of viticulture in caves that have been dated to be more than 7,000 years old. It seems that people who lived in the caves then gathered wild grapes and started domesticating the vines to be used for wine-making.

Answer: A bunch

This is a common term for many fruit - a bunch of grapes, a bunch of bananas, a bunch of palm fruit, etc. It simply means that there are many individual fruits (in this case, grapes) gathered together on a common stem.

Answer: Plant diseases

One of the most important jobs for a viticulturist is to keep the grapevines healthy. This means avoiding diseases like leaf mildew. Other things of concern for the viticulturist include weather, soil type, moisture, insects and overall maintenance of the vines.

Answer: Winter

Pruning the vines in winter allows the plant to be shaped without causing damage to growing vines because they are resting and not growing in the winter. Pruning helps to control the vines, and allows for more of the plant's energy to go into making grapes instead of growing more vines.

Answer: No

A true viticulturist is only concerned with the health of the grape vines and grapes. A true viticulturist does not make wine. A wine maker is known as a vintner, and is responsible for the actual wine making. That said, many who look after grapevines also make wine, so those folks would be both a viticulturist and a vintner.

Answer: To protect the vines from temperature drops at night.

In many climates, the temperature drops very low at night. This can be dangerous for grapevines, especially if there is a risk of frost that might kill the plant. Large bodies of water absorb the sun's heat during the day, then provide an effect at night where they tend to keep the surrounding area warmer than outlying areas. This protects vineyards from cool temperature swings at night.

Answer: True

The grape is classified as a berry. It grows on a deciduous vine, which means that the leaves fall off during colder winter months and re-grow each spring.

Answer: The angle of the land.

Climate is the weather, and soil is the dirt the vines grow in. The slope refers to the angle of the land. Viticulturists want to grow their grapes on hillsides because the sun is better for the vines when it comes in at an angle. Water tends to drain away from slopes which is good because grapevines do not grow well if they are allowed to sit in puddles of water. Viticulturists have also found that slopes are less-prone to frost which can damage the vines.