International Wine Day – 10 Lesser-Known Facts You Must Know About Wines
Wine is one of the most common yet one of the most mysterious drinks that we know of. From its grape varietals to its storied history and the various etiquettes surrounding its consumption, wine can sometimes be a formidable topic to cover. On the occasion of Wine Day, we decided it would be a good idea to talk about some hitherto unknown wine facts so you understand your drink a little better the next time you sip it. Read on to know them all.
1 – Wine was revered in ancient empires with the Greeks and Romans dedicating gods to the drink. For the Greeks, Dionysus was the god of the grape-harvest while the Romans worshipped Bacchus to pay homage to wine.
2 – How many types of wine do you think there are? Red, white and rosé? Well, there’s also green, orange and blue wines out there in the world.
3 – Fortified wines like sherry and port wine were first created out of necessity to keep wines fresh on long sea voyages. They are made by adding extra alcohol at different stages of the production process.
4 – Terroir is the most important word for winemakers and is used to mean the soil type, elements found in the soil where grapes are grown and the climate in which it is grown.
Did you know wines can be blended too?5 – Just like whisky, wines can be blended too. Different juices from more than one grape varietal are used to create ‘blended’ wines.
6 – Heard of baker’s dozen? Well, a case of wine has 12 bottles in it.
7 – Vintage wines are made with grapes harvested in one year. Non-vintage, and most wines in general, use grapes from different years to make wine.
8 – The top five most planted grape varieties in the world are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, a Spanish sherry grape called Airén, Tempranillo and Chardonnay – in that order.
9 – Worried you’re drinking too much? Here’s a guideline to keep in mind. A normal 750 ml bottle of wine contains six glasses of wine or 12 smaller tasting glasses. One glass a day is usually fine to consume every day.
10 – Global warming hasn’t spared winemakers. In 2017, poor weather conditions across the world saw wine production drop to levels not seen in six decades.
How many of these facts did you know before reading this and which one’s your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.
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