WSET Level 3 Southern France: practice questions with answers

These are real questions from The Wine Goat bank on Southern France, written to the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines syllabus. Answer them, read the explanation, then practise the full set of 48 questions in the free app, where your mistakes come back until you know them.

Sample questions with answers

1 What are Southern France's three broad areas?

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Answer: Languedoc, Roussillon and Provence

Why: Languedoc and Roussillon lie west of the Rhône, Provence east.

2 What is the biggest grape-growing challenge in Southern France?

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Answer: Summer drought

Why: Fungal disease is less of a problem than elsewhere in France; occasional summer floods occur.

3 Which wind blows between the Massif Central and the Pyrenees?

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Answer: Tramontane

Why: The Mistral blows down the Rhône; both are cool, dry northerly winds.

4 Why are inland foothill vineyards often better for quality?

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Answer: They are cooler, with poor, well-drained soils

Why: The coastal plain is hotter and more fertile, suited to volume.

5 What are Carignan's characteristics?

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Answer: High tannin, acidity and colour, but little fruit or finesse

Why: It was popular for huge yields; old vines on poor soils can make quality wine. All ACs permit it.

6 Which statement about Southern France is true?

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Answer: IGP Pays d'Oc allows varietal wines from many grapes

Why: Pays d'Oc: flexible varietal IGP; Languedoc Mediterranean; Provence = rosé.

Practise all of it in the free app

Your answers are saved to your profile, the app builds your day-by-day study plan up to the exam and brings back your weak points until you master them.

48 questions on this topic in the app

Frequently asked questions

How many questions on Southern France are in The Wine Goat?

The app has 48 multiple-choice questions on Southern France, each with an explanation, plus short written answer questions and flashcards on the same topic.

Is Southern France important for the WSET Level 3 exam?

Yes. The 50 multiple-choice questions cover the whole syllabus and the 4 short written answers often focus on one region or process, so every topic, including Southern France, can come up.

More WSET Level 3 resources

WSET 3 questions by region and topic