Trivia
A little information is a dangerous thing……
Did you know?
- There are 20 million acres of vines planted worldwide
- For a wine to be called by the grape varietal it only has to have 85% of that grape in the bottle.
- The world’s most planted grape varietal is Airén. It occupies over 1 million acres in central Spain where it is made into mediocre white wine, but some quite good brandy.
- The average age of a French oak tree harvested for use in wine barrels is 170 years!
- The Manhattan cocktail (whiskey and sweet vermouth) was invented by Winston Churchill's mother.
- Winston Churchill's favourite wine was the rich red wine from Melnik in Bulgaria.
- The word absinthe is derived from the Greek absinthion, meaning "undrinkable."
Times gone by…
- Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb or finger into the liquid to determine the ideal temperature, neither too hot nor too cold, for adding yeast. From this we get the phrase "rule of thumb."
- In English pubs drinks are served in pints and quarts. In old England, bartenders would advise unruly customers to mind their own pints and quarts. It's the origin of "mind your P's and Q's."
- In ancient Babylon, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead (fermented honey beverage) he could drink for a month after the wedding. Because their calendar was lunar or moon-based, this period of free mead was called the "honey month," or what we now call the "honeymoon."
- In King Tut’s Egypt (around 1300 BC), the commoners drank beer and the upper class drank wine.
- Vikings used the skulls of their enemies as drinking vessels.
Tips and tricks…
- To prevent a sparkling wine from foaming out of the glass, pour an ounce, which will settle quickly. Pouring the remainder of the serving into this starter will not foam as much.
- Bad vibrations - keep your wine away from sunlight, dramatic changes of temperature and vibration