Wine is a sophisticated drink that takes years to produce and perfect. This centuries-old tradition packs history and lessons to be learned in every bottle. If you fancy yourself a wine connoisseur like me, here are 14 interesting facts about wine you should know:

1. The sweetness of wine is reduced when chilled and red wine loses its fruity flavor if it becomes too warm. So keeping your wines at optimal temperature lend to more enjoyable flavors! 44ºF for most whites and 55º-65º for reds (I prefer the 55º range).
2. When it comes to pairing food with wine, heavier foods pair well with heavier wine. By now you should know that red wine and red meat are a pair and white wine is best served with chicken or fish. I like to note that while these are “standards,” I always say stick with what you like, as enjoying wine and food should be individualized. Also, in an earlier blog, I gave some great wine advice for dessert pairings. Read more on dessert pairings here.
3. 7 glasses of orange juice or 20 glasses of apple juice have the equivalent amount of antioxidants as wine.
4. There approximately 400 different Oak wood species that can be sourced for wine barrels.
5. Wine has so many organic compounds that it is more complex than blood serums.
6. Cork-capped wines should be stored lying down to prevent the cork from drying out. When wine comes into contact with the cork lying down, it prevents any air leakage into the bottle.
7. The proper way to hold a wine glass is to hold the stem so that your hand doesn’t warm the glass and increase the temperature of the wine.
8. Wine is of course made with grapes but, not just any grape you can buy at the grocery store.
9. Wine was previously stored in goatskin bags. In the 1600s Englishman Sir Kenelm Digby invented the dark green wine bottle we know today.
10. China is the fifth-largest wine-producing country across the globe and it’s the leading market for red wine. Not only because of the flavor but, the red color of wine is considered lucky in Chinese culture.
11. The largest bottle of wine is the “Nebuchadnezzar,” and it holds 20 regular-sized bottles or about 15 liters of wine.
12. When wine-tasting, it’s completely normal to spit wine out. Taking a sip of wine, holding it in your mouth for a few seconds, and then spitting it out allows people to taste many different wines without getting intoxicated.
13. “Aroma” is a term used for the fragrance.
14. There are around 10,000 varieties of wine grapes throughout the world.

Cheers,
Natalie