Facts you perhaps didn't know about Wine

Facts you perhaps didn’t know about wine

Well did you know? Beer is believed to be older than wine, but the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold brought in much more than the priciest brew. 

We’ve collated together a number of interesting facts are detailed in the bullet points below, are you aware of them all and were any surprising to read?

• A big difference between domesticated wine grapes and their wild ancestors is pollination. Wild grapes are dioecious; plants are male or female. Domesticated grapes are usually self-pollinating hermaphrodites, which improves trait consistency.

• Lovers of today’s oaky chardonnays and bold cabernets would be surprised if they sipped a vintage 5000 B.C. A paper from 2008 suggests the earliest wines were prized for their sweetness.

• Sweet or dry, while most dictionaries define wine as fermented fruit juice, others, as well as the European Union, limit the term to products derived only from grapes.

• And the EU has some clout in the wine world: In 2015, more than 60 percent of wine produced globally was made in an EU-member state.

• Grapes are the go-to wine fruit because they contain the right proportions of water, tannins, sugar and acids for yeast to multiply and for sugar to break down into alcohol and carbon dioxide. 

• While red wine gets most of the study spotlight, an analysis of more than 38,000 health professionals found it was no better than beer or spirits at reducing heart attack risk in moderate consumption.

• Climate change also poses a threat to wine. A 2006 study estimated that rising temperatures would shrink top-quality wine-growing regions in the U.S. up to 81 percent by 2100.

• Believe it or not, there are some people that have a fear of wine. It’s called “oenophobia”.

• How do you hold a wine glass? There is a right and wrong way. Wine glasses should be held by the stem, so that way it the hand does not raise the temperature of the wine. The stem is for a reason!

• The oldest known wine cellar is on the Titanic. When divers went down to the wreckage, surprisingly most of the bottles were still intact.

• Hippocrates (c.460 – c. 370 BC), also known as the ‘father of medicine’, used wine in many of his recorded remedies. He used it for lower fevers and as a general antiseptic. It was a remedy he used often for his ailing patients.

This is just a small cross selection of facts we’ve collated about Wine. Some you will know and some that you don’t. They do say you learn something new every day.

Order.Beer Wine Selections

We offer an exciting range of traditional wines from all over the world including English fruit wines and a rather special sparkling Rhubling wine that would brighten up an occasion.

English Wines

Looking for an English wine from an independent producer, well you are in the right place. Order wine online, delivered to your door.

Wines are made from real fruit and are not mixed with a grape wine. They contain no sulphites, artificial colours or preservatives and only use British sugar.

The fruit used in the wine is locally sourced where possible and the Elderflowers are picked by the producers themselves from around Burntwood and Lichfield. The wines are medium/medium sweet, the gooseberry being our only dry wine.  

Red and White Wine Mixed Selection

Whilst we do also have a range of English independent wines, both fruit and grape types available, we have had several requests for more traditional red and white wines and we have teamed up with a wine specialist who has curated us an exclusive and affordable selection for your consumption.

Find out more and view our full range here