WSET Level 3 White wines: practice questions with answers
These are real questions from The Wine Goat bank on White wines, written to the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines syllabus. Answer them, read the explanation, then practise the full set of 104 questions in the free app, where your mistakes come back until you know them.
Sample questions with answers
1 Why does white juice usually spend little time on the skins?
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Answer: To reduce the risk of oxidation
Why: Whole-bunch pressing limits contact further, gently, potentially giving purer, more delicate wines.
2 Why is short skin contact sometimes used for aromatic varieties?
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Answer: To increase flavour intensity and texture
Why: It usually lasts a few hours, cool enough to prevent fermentation.
3 What is the optimum fermentation temperature for whites?
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Answer: 12-22 °C
Why: Too cold gives pear drop and loses varietal fruit; warmer gives complex non-fruit aromas but loses fruit.
4 What aroma forms if a white is fermented too cold?
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Answer: Pear drop (estery)
Why: Too cold a fermentation can also fail to capture varietal fruit.
5 At what temperature do barrel fermentations usually run?
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Answer: At the higher end of the 12–22 °C range
Why: Barrels are hard to cool but, small and in cool cellars, dissipate heat well.
6 What is the main role of blending in aromatic, primary-fruit whites?
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Answer: Ensuring consistency rather than adding complexity
Why: Many whites rely on pure primary fruit, so blending focuses on consistency. For non-aromatic varieties like Chardonnay the reverse may apply: batches given different lees, MLF and oak treatment are blended for a more complex style.
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.
104 questions on this topic in the app
Frequently asked questions
How many questions on White wines are in The Wine Goat?
The app has 104 multiple-choice questions on White wines, each with an explanation, plus short written answer questions and flashcards on the same topic.
Is White wines 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 White wines, can come up.
More WSET Level 3 resources
- WSET Level 3 practice questions with answers
- WSET Level 3 mock exam: free practice test
- WSET Level 3 short written answer questions: examples and model answers
- The WSET Level 3 Systematic Approach to Tasting (SAT): how to write a tasting note
- WSET Level 3 flashcards: grapes, regions, numbers and key terms
- How to pass WSET Level 3 first time: study plan and tips
WSET 3 questions by region and topic
- Tasting and the SAT
- Food and wine pairing
- Storage and service
- Wine pricing and the trade
- The vine and grape varieties
- Climate and environment
- Vineyard management and pruning
- Winemaking and maturation
- White wines
- Red and rosé wines
- Bordeaux
- Burgundy and Beaujolais
- Alsace and the Loire
- Rhône Valley
- Southern France
- Italy
- Spain
- Portugal
- Germany
- Austria and Hungary
- Greece
- USA and Canada
- Chile and Argentina
- South Africa
- Australia and New Zealand
- Sparkling: Champagne, Prosecco, Cava
- Sherry
- Port and fortified wines