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The country that consumes the most wine per capita is Portugal, with an annual consumption of 52 liters per person. Second is France, which checks in at 47 liters per person. Sorry, France, but you still drink the most rosé!
In the Middle Ages, some merchants who were found selling fraudulent wine were forced to drink all their inventory. Other, harsher punishments included hanging. I’ll take the former.
Every month has at least one national “wine day,” including “Syrah Day” in February, “Malbec Day” in April, “Sauvignon Blanc Day” in May, and “Pinot Noir Day” in August. Figuring out how to celebrate is pretty easy…
- In the 2004 movie Sideways, Paul Giamtti's character, Miles, speaks eloquently about his love for pinot noir, which some credit for a 16% increase in pinot noir sales in the United states over a three-year span. Whatever you do, don’t get him started on merlot.
- Pinot noir is known as “the heartbreak grape” because of how difficult it is to cultivate. That is due to its thin skin, which makes it vulnerable to outside factors like climate and soil.
- In France, the wine is known as "pinot gris." In Italy, it's "pinot grigio." Sivi pinot? That's the Slovenian version, whereas the Germans refer to it as grauburgunder. In my house? It's called "Mom Juice."
READ MORE: What’s the Difference Between Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio? - White wines are less likely to produce a hangover than red wines due to their having less tannins and lower alcohol content. Tannins are a key component of red wine structure, and are found in the skins, seeds, and stems of grapes, and can also come from oak barrels. On average, red wine has a 12 to 15% alcohol by volume, white wine averages around 10% ABV.
- Sorry sushi lovers, but most wines don't pair well with your favorite food. That's because the tannins can overpower the flavor of the fish. Sauvignon blanc is one of the few wines that pairs well with sushi because of its acidity, citrus notes, and light body. Want more food and wine pairings? Click here.
- Chardonnay's rise in Burgundy, France, is largely attributed to Luitgarde, the queen and fourth wife of Emperor Charlemagne. Luitgarde was so fed up with the red wine stains in her husband's white beard that she demanded white grapes be cultivated on their estate. Now, if only someone could grow white tomatoes for those ketchup stains…
- Viognier is pronounced "vee-own-yay;" the letter "g" is silent, much like the "g" in lasagna. However, unlike lasagna, viognier has no layers of cheese and sauce and cannot be enjoyed by a big orange cartoon cat.
READ MORE: Wine Pronunciation Guide
- Syrah is known as a “meat lover’s wine” because of its umami-rich flavors that pair well with a variety of meats, such as beef, duck, and pork. Bacon drippings even find their way into syrah's tasting notes, which is just well, awesome.
- Although Argentina is the world's largest producer of malbec, with over 75% of the world’s supply coming from the South American country, the grape originated in France. There, however, it was considered to be second class and not as noble as the other varietals.
- The fear of wine is real! It’s called oenophobia. The phobia is triggered by the intoxication and lack of self-control that often accompanies drinking as well as the overwhelming fear of choosing the right bottle at a wine shop.
- The Melchizedek, or Midas bottle, is the largest bottle of wine in the world. It is equal to 40 regular-sized bottles (750 milliliters) or 200 glasses. I’m assuming it’s meant to be shared.
- The proper way to smell your wine is giving it a good swirl, which releases aromas into the air. After about 10 seconds of swirling, put your nose into the glass and breathe normally, but don’t sniff! Smelling is the most important part of enjoying wine because your sense of smell is 10,000 times more sensitive than your sense of taste. The nose always knows!
- Wineries from California to Argentina to Quebec shoot laser beams at birds. But don’t worry — they’re harmless to our flighted friends. The lasers just scare off the birds so they don’t eat the grapes.
- Fifteen hundred bottles of wine from the Titanic were found decades later, still intact and drinkable. Several of those bottles date back to the 1880s.
- In ancient Greece, the host of dinner would take the first sip of wine to assure the guests that the wine wasn't poisoned. This always worked out for the guests. The hosts? Not so much.
- So, is a vineyard and a winery the same? Nope! A vineyard is where grapes are grown to make wine, and a winery is where wine is produced. However, in many cases, a wine business is both a wintery and a vineyard. Hot tip: When a winery says it uses "estate-grown" grapes, that means it has its own vineyard.
- Now, to maybe the most important fact on this list: how to remove a wine stain. When spillage occurs, blot the stain to absorb as much wine as possible. Then, apply a mixture of white vinegar and water or a solution of dish soap and hydrogen peroxide, and then blot again.
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AUTHOR
Nick Budabin is an Emmy Award winner who has been working in media for over 20 years. Nick has worked with numerous celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart and has produced content for Vice, Vox, MTV, A&E, TLC, Bravo, and more. Nick is the director of two feature-length documentaries: Chi-Town and Great White Summer. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two kids.