Much more than a simple luxury drink, wine is a rather complex product that combines agriculture, history, culture, geology and even genetics. In any case, it is an elegant drink that is very popular all over the world. Here are 20 interesting facts you may not yet know about wine.
- To get an idea of the most popular types of wine, you just need to discover 18 different grape varieties, commonly referred to as international varieties. They include light sweet white wines like Moscato and Riesling to dark red wines like Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. They are all available on millesima-usa.com.
- It takes 1 kilo (about 2,2 lbs) of grapes to produce a bottle of wine
- France, Italy and Spain are the origin of all the most popular wine varieties in the world.
- Italy produces the most wine, but Spain has the most vines.
- If California were a country on its own, it would be ranked as the 4th largest wine producer in the world.
- White wine is good for the heart and the lungs. Red wine is great for your blood vessels, for controlling blood pressure and cholesterol. It also helps to strengthen immunity thanks to the presence of resveratrol and polyphenol. To be consumed in moderation anyway.
- The Bordeaux vineyard is the French wine region with the largest production area (118,000 hectares for more than 9,000 wine producers).
- Wine grapes are up to 2 times smaller than regular grapes.
- The primary aromas come from the grape variety and the terroirs. They are essentially the aromas of the first nose with floral, fruity and/or mineral notes.
- The secondary aromas come from the different vinification processes. They are spicy, woody and/or milky notes.
- The tertiary aromas are due to the aging of the wine. They can be notes of coffee, leather, flint, tobacco…
- Each grape variety has its own characteristics and nuances. Other elements such as the terroir also have a direct impact on the aromas.
- A wine is said to be suitable for laying down (Vin de Garde) when it has a solid, stable and powerful structure.
- Certified organic wines are subject to specific specifications which stipulate that the wines must be made with grapes from organic farming.
- The so-called Natural wines are wines that have been handled with care, often reduced to the only mention of sulphur-freewine.
- Cork has been used to stop bottles for 500 years with J.-C.
- It is in the Vatican that we find the greatest wine drinkers. According to the French Wine Institute, each inhabitant consumes 74 liters of wine per year.
- The smallest vineyard in the world is Farinet. It is located in Switzerland on an area of 1618 square meters.
- Champagne was invented by mistake. Dom Pierre Pérignon is said to have accidentally produced the first sparkling wine in the 17th century.
- The Rosé is just a mixture of white wine and red wine.
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