Top 10 Facts About Wine
We all know what the label of our favorite wine looks like, but we know little about the drink itself. Time to change that! Today we’ve compiled 10 of the most interesting facts about wine that will surprise you, and sometimes even make you smile. Let’s get started!
Fact Number 1
Rare wines today have screw-top caps: to taste the drink, you need a corkscrew. This accessory, however, only appeared in 1795—long after humanity had truly developed a taste for wine. Here’s the thing: before that, wine was stored in barrels and served in special jugs.
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Fact Number 2
Wine isn’t just a fan: some people are terrified of it. We’re talking about people who suffer from oinophobia—the fear of wine. They attribute their fear to a fear of germs that enter the bottle through the cork or during the grape harvest. Of course, this is just a phobia—all wine in the store meets sanitary standards.
Fact #3
The tradition of clinking glasses is much older than you think. It comes to us from Ancient Rome. Its inhabitants used toasts as an excuse to pour a drink from one glass to another. This way, they ensured that a guest wasn’t trying to poison them. This also gave rise to the tradition of drinking to health: the host always took the first sip before the feast to demonstrate the purity of his intentions.
Clinking-glasses.jpg
Fact #4
Wine will get not only your colleagues moving at the office party, but also… cars! A special fuel called bioethanol is made from the drink. It is considered 85% more environmentally friendly than regular fuel. For example, Prince Charles’s Aston Martin is powered by this fuel. Fact #5
Today, wine is made on every continent except icy Antarctica. Each bottle requires approximately 1,200 grams of grapes. Can you imagine how many berries are harvested annually?
Fact #6
Good wine has always been valued, even at the beginning of the Common Era. The Bible mentions the drink a whopping 450 times! Most often, it’s referred to as one of the finest natural gifts given to man.
Fact #7
The world’s largest wine bottle is 180 centimeters tall and weighs over 580 kilograms. How about that size? It holds enough wine to fill 387 standard bottles, and the cork had to be custom-made for 3,500 euros.
Fact #8
Have you ever dreamed of becoming a sommelier? Contrary to popular belief, sommeliers do not create or taste wine. Sommeliers are responsible for purchasing and storing the wine, and providing the wine list to the customer. The specialists who evaluate wine and the process of its production are called oenologists.
Fact #9
Wine isn’t just enjoyed on land! We’re serious: for example, the daily ration of a submarine crew includes 200 ml of red wine. Furthermore, small portions of the drink were even sent… to the Moon! NASA was trying to make spaceflight more comfortable for astronauts.
Fact #10
Scientists regularly debate the health benefits of wine. Whatever one may say, statistics are undeniable: during the plague epidemic in Austria, the disease didn’t affect people who drank local wines. No wonder they were renowned for their antibacterial properties! And in the 19th century, wine was even considered the best cure for cholera.
Perhaps it can help you cope with any illness today? We suggest you uncork a bottle, pour yourself a glass, and find out! Besides, there’s something to celebrate: you’ve learned a lot today!