Wine can intimidate
and confuse and there is no real need for this. Drinking wine has been around
for a long time (see below) and can be too steeped in tradition and formalities
at times. As with most traditions in our society, they are based in
superstition more so than fact and the perceived “snootiness” of wine does not
help to attract new wine drinkers.
That said, there are lots of confusing and/or interesting facts
that might be fun to learn. Maybe we can remove the shroud of mystery that
envelops wine and learn some interesting facts about the best thing you can put
in your glass…wine.
Waerator
· Toasting- The Romans started the practice of dropping actual pieces of toast in their glasses of
wine. This was to help with the excessive acidity that was common in early versions of wine-making.
· Wine deteriorates when oxygen hits it, yet it is the introduction of oxygen to the wine which gets the
wine in the most enjoyable and recommended tasting profile. It is a delicate balance between too much
air and not enough air. That is why everyone should aerate their wines properly with a good,
quality wineaerator.
· Vegan: While a lot
of wine is Vegan, it would surprise you to know that a lot of wine is filtered
through
gelatin and other animal products. So, if you are a vegan, remember to
read the label first.
· · Italy- There is a
fountain that dispenses wine, and yes, it is free. This is Italy after all.
· · The oldest bottle
of wine has been traced back to 325 A.D. You can go see (not taste) the bottle
which is
on display in a museum in Germany.
· · Sense of smell-
Sommeliers like myself can tell you that the sense of smell is the most
important
process involved in tasting and evaluating wine. What is interesting
is physically, women are better at
tasting and evaluating wine than men. This
is due to their heightened sense of smell.
· · Bubbles- In ancient
Greece, it was thought that the bubbles in wine were from the phases of the
moon
reacting to the wine, and was also blamed on evil spirits.
· · Wine Barrels- Why
are they so expensive? The average age of a French oak tree that is used in
making
the most common wine barrel in Europe is 170 years old.
· · There are around
10,000 varieties of wine grapes. A Grand Master Sommelier must know and
understand each of them as well as where the grapes would grow.
· · The Declaration of
Independence was toasted with some Madeira wine that was imported for the
King’s
presumed visit. When he canceled his trip, the founding fathers thought
it appropriate to use the wine
that was meant for the King of England as a worthy
wine to toast with.
· · Napa was known for
prunes before being known for wine.
· · Resveritol is a
chemical found in red wine that is shown to reduce heart attacks and acts as a
free-
radical remover.
· · A new planting of
wine will take 3-5 years to produce the fruit needed to harvest for wine. This
is an
expensive wait for the prospective winery owner and is another reason
that wine startup companies are
expensive to own.
· · Prohibition- some
wineries were able to survive prohibition by making sacrament wine for
churches. Of
course, the output for this sacrament wine exceeded 1200% of
needed production for churches. I wonder
what they could have possibly done
with all that excess wine?
· · One Glass of wine
needs a cluster of grapes to produce enough juice to fill the glass. This is
about 75
grapes per glass.
· · One Bottle= 750 ml,
2.4 lbs of grapes, and will pour 4 full glasses of wine.
Bet you didn’t know THAT about wine….
Saluti’
Eric Leckey
Sommelier, WSET 3, CSW
{Read More...}
Wine can intimidate
and confuse and there is no real need for this. Drinking wine has been around
for a long time (see below) and can be too steeped in tradition and formalities
at times. As with most traditions in our society, they are based in
superstition more so than fact and the perceived “snootiness” of wine does not
help to attract new wine drinkers.
That said, there are lots of confusing and/or interesting facts
that might be fun to learn. Maybe we can remove the shroud of mystery that
envelops wine and learn some interesting facts about the best thing you can put
in your glass…wine.
Waerator
· Toasting- The Romans started the practice of dropping actual pieces of toast in their glasses of
wine. This was to help with the excessive acidity that was common in early versions of wine-making.
· Wine deteriorates when oxygen hits it, yet it is the introduction of oxygen to the wine which gets the
wine in the most enjoyable and recommended tasting profile. It is a delicate balance between too much
air and not enough air. That is why everyone should aerate their wines properly with a good,
quality wineaerator.
· Vegan: While a lot
of wine is Vegan, it would surprise you to know that a lot of wine is filtered
through
gelatin and other animal products. So, if you are a vegan, remember to
read the label first.
· · Italy- There is a
fountain that dispenses wine, and yes, it is free. This is Italy after all.
· · The oldest bottle
of wine has been traced back to 325 A.D. You can go see (not taste) the bottle
which is
on display in a museum in Germany.
· · Sense of smell-
Sommeliers like myself can tell you that the sense of smell is the most
important
process involved in tasting and evaluating wine. What is interesting
is physically, women are better at
tasting and evaluating wine than men. This
is due to their heightened sense of smell.
· · Bubbles- In ancient
Greece, it was thought that the bubbles in wine were from the phases of the
moon
reacting to the wine, and was also blamed on evil spirits.
· · Wine Barrels- Why
are they so expensive? The average age of a French oak tree that is used in
making
the most common wine barrel in Europe is 170 years old.
· · There are around
10,000 varieties of wine grapes. A Grand Master Sommelier must know and
understand each of them as well as where the grapes would grow.
· · The Declaration of
Independence was toasted with some Madeira wine that was imported for the
King’s
presumed visit. When he canceled his trip, the founding fathers thought
it appropriate to use the wine
that was meant for the King of England as a worthy
wine to toast with.
· · Napa was known for
prunes before being known for wine.
· · Resveritol is a
chemical found in red wine that is shown to reduce heart attacks and acts as a
free-
radical remover.
· · A new planting of
wine will take 3-5 years to produce the fruit needed to harvest for wine. This
is an
expensive wait for the prospective winery owner and is another reason
that wine startup companies are
expensive to own.
· · Prohibition- some
wineries were able to survive prohibition by making sacrament wine for
churches. Of
course, the output for this sacrament wine exceeded 1200% of
needed production for churches. I wonder
what they could have possibly done
with all that excess wine?
· · One Glass of wine
needs a cluster of grapes to produce enough juice to fill the glass. This is
about 75
grapes per glass.
· · One Bottle= 750 ml,
2.4 lbs of grapes, and will pour 4 full glasses of wine.
Bet you didn’t know THAT about wine….
Saluti’
Eric Leckey
Sommelier, WSET 3, CSW