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Here are some little-known wine facts that you will enjoy reading so grab a glass of wine and impress your friends!

  1. California has more chardonnay grapes than any other place in the world.
  2. The wreck of the Titanic houses the oldest wine cellar on the planet, within the wreckage the bottles are still intact.
  3. The color of the wine is determined by the contact between grape juice and grape skin. The floral smell of many wines is caused by Damascenon, which is found in grapes.
  4. The Phoenicians spread wine throughout the Mediterranean in the 10th century BC and introduced it to the ancient Greeks, which in turn inspired the Romans to become wine devotees and grow grapes throughout their empire.
  5. The term “drinking for your own health” comes from ancient Greece, where a host took the first sip of wine to ensure his guests that it was not poison.
  6. The Phoenicians spread wine throughout the Mediterranean in the 10th century BC and introduced it to the ancient Greeks, which in turn inspired the Romans to become wine devotees and grow grapes throughout their empire.
  7. France had a wine made from cocaine in 1863.
  8. France leads the world in wine production followed by Italy and Spain respectively. California in the USA is the world’s fourth-largest wine producer.
  9.  In the United States of America, Florida, New York, and California are the states with leading wine consumption across the country.
  10. There is a condition called Oenophobia which literally means intense hatred for or fear of wine.
  11. Time zones can play mind games when it comes to wine. In the Southern Hemisphere, grapes are plucked during a time when it is Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. So, an Australian wine of 1999 will actually be 6 months older than a wine produced in 1999 in the Northern Hemisphere.
  12. Champagne is nothing but sparkling wine. However, it is called Champagne because it is produced from grapes grown in France’s northeast region called ‘Champagne’.
  13. Wine made out of frozen grapes is known as Eiswein. That’s a German invention.
  14. You drink wine and your gums will tingle. It is caused by a substance known as tannin. You can see tannin as sediments in wine bottles. Tannin has excellent antioxidant properties.
  15. Red Burgundy wine is referred to as Holy Grail by winemakers across the globe. The reason is simple. The grape used for the wine is Pinot Noir and it is extremely difficult to make the Red Burgundy from that grape.
  16. One ton of grapes is capable of producing 60 cases of wine. Each case contains 12 bottles. So, 720 bottles of wine are produced using one ton of grapes.
  17. The oak trees that are harvested in France for making wine barrels have an average age of 170 years.
  18. Here is an awesome wine trivia: there is something called a ‘numb’ wine. This is a type of wine that has no odor and will never develop any odor in the future. Then there is something called ‘dumb’ wine. This too doesn’t have any odor, but in the future, it will potentially develop some pleasant odor.
  19. Le Donne del Vino – this was the first organization of females that was created for the promotion of the role of women in the wine industry. The organization was created by women of Italy in 1988.
  20. When it comes to all fruit crops in the world, wine grapes take the number one spot in terms of total acres of plantation.

Well, there you have it. Now go win some trivia against your friends 🙂