Just some little known facts, at least to me, about wine.
Twelve is the standard number of bottles in a case of wine. Surprisingly, no one seems to know why. Perhaps it’s because a dozen is thought to be one of the most primitive groupings: 12 apostles, months in the year, inches in a foot, Zodiac signs in the night sky, pairs of ribs in the human body, eggs in a carton. But the twelve-bottle wine case may soon be a memory. Several European countries have banned them as being too heavy and potentially injurious—replacing them with 6-packs. (Winespeed)
We all tend to make some generalizations about wine. Reds, whites, rose, sparkling. This is the worst, according to wine experts, but I don’t agree or even care. Referring to all sparkling wines as “Champagne” is pretty bad in our book. But it did not come up in a recent survey by The Drinks Business as one of the top ten things that drive wine enthusiasts crazy. The other three did. Not pronouncing the “t” in Moët was considered as bad as pronouncing the “t” in merlot.
Old vines: Napa Valley is undeniably one of the world’s biggest wine destinations today — it’s home to more than 300 commercial wineries — but the first to plant vines in the valley was Charles Krug in 1861. The German-born winemaker was visiting the area as an apprentice when he decided to open his namesake winery. The winery later opened a tasting room to the public in 1882, becoming the first to do so in California. In 1943, the winery was purchased by the Mondavi family and has been operated as a family business for four generations. Neighboring Beringer Vineyards takes the title for Napa’s longest continuously operating winery at the same location; the first vines date back to 1875.
Vin de Constance is a dessert wine from South Africa. The celebrated wine was produced in the nineteenth century at Constantia Winery in Cape Town. Founded in 1685, Constantia winery was one of the first wineries in the country. The luscious dessert wine, made from muscat blanc à petite grain grapes, was one of the most sought-after dessert wines in Europe―favored by emperors and kings (Napoléon Bonaparte and King Frederick the Great of Germany) and famous authors and poets. Today, the extraordinary wines are still produced at Groot Constantia and Klein Constantia wineries.
My advice, drink what you enjoy, and who cares what you call it! The “in” people quite commonly use term like “cab” for Cabernet Sauvignon, and nobody seems to care. In my little circle, we use the terms sparkling, champagne and bubbly interchangeably. Nobody cares where it came from!!
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