25 Random Things About Wine

"Wild About Wine" Columnist Holly Howell recently published 25 random things about wine in the March 3, 2009 Democrat and Chronicle newspaper. I found some of this random information to be interesting, some useful and some... just plain quirky. Enjoy reading this with a glass of your favorite red, white or pink (see #4).

1. Syrah and Shiraz are the exact same grape. This grape grows all over the world. But it is the Aussies that are particular to the Shiraz name. Just because.
2. Red wine can go with fish (e.g. Pinot Noir with grilled tuna).
3. White wine can go with meat (e.g. German Riesling and sauerbraten).
4. Very few people know that rose wine (the pink one), goes with just about anything.
5. Extra dry Champagne is actually a bit sweet. It's the Brut Chanpagnes that are the dry ones. Go figure.
6. Most of the world's vineyards fall between the 30 degree and the 50 degree parallels. Under 30 is too close to the Equator and too hot. Over 50 is too close to the Arctic poles and too cold. Forty is just right.
7. One 750 milliliter bottle of wine contains about 2.8 pounds of grapes, chemically reconstructed.
8. An adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood was withdrawn from a recommended reading list by the school board in Culver City, California, because the heroine had a bottle of wine in the basket she brought to her grandmother. Oops. Little Red had a little red.
9. The longest recorded Champagne cork flight was 177 feet and 9 inches, 4 feet from level ground at Woodbury Vineyards in New York state, on June 5, 1988.
10. White wine gets darker as it ages, while red wine gets lighter.
11. According to scientist Bill Lembeck, there are about 49 million bubbles in every bottle of Champagne. Give or take a few...
12. The largest cork in the world is known as The Whistler Tree. This tree is located in the Alentejo region of Portugal and averages more than one ton of raw cork per harvest. That is enough cork for 100,000 bottles of wine!
13. A case of 1982 Le Pin (Bordeaux red) cost $327 upon release. Years later, at a Hong Kong auction, a case was sold for $106,000.
14. America's oldest Zinfandel vineyard is believed to be the Grandfather vineyard in Amador County, California. It was planted in the 1850's and consists of 20 acres of very wise vines.
15. The corkscrew was invented in 1860.
16. Bag-in-the-box wines were invented in 1960.