Wine Trivia

• Prior to the Civil War, Ohio was considered America's most important wine producing state.
• The art of wine making is believed to have been originated by the Mesopotamians around 6000 B.C.
• A case of wine holds 12 bottles.
• The use of cork as a seal for wine bottle dates back to the late 17th century – the corkscrew is a different story. This wonder of the wine-age was developed in the mid-1800s.
• Ever wonder how many grapes you have to squeeze to get a single bottle of wine – on average 800.
• The standard wine bottle holds 750ml of wine.
• If you’re planting a vineyard, use this formula: one acre of grapevines equals about 800 gallons of wine.
• Think you’ve tried every wine out there? Doubt it. There are more than 10,000 varieties of wine grapes.
• You don’t want to break a wine barrel. It’s quite a spill – each barrel holds 60 gallons of wine.
• Dom Perignon, the namesake of one of the world’s most noteworthy champagnes, was a blind monk.
• When the Viking Leif Ericcson traveled to America, the first things to catch his eye were all the grapevines. In fact, he named the place "Vinland."
• Ohio is the eighth largest wine producing state, behind California, New York, Washington and Oregon.
• Americans import more wine from Australia than any other country. It finished ahead of Italy and France.
• Drinking Concord grape juice can significantly increase good cholesterol. (Nutra USA)
• Fresh Ohio grapes are available from August to October. Choose firm, plump grapes on pliable stems. Dry brittle stems are a sign of poor quality.
• Store grapes in the refrigerator in a perforated plastic bag, or in a location with low temperatures and high humidity. Grapes should last about two weeks if stored properly.
• 1-1/2 pounds of grapes yields approximately four cups of grapes.
• Grapes are the most valuable fruit crop in the United States.
• In 121 B.C. Roman Historian Pliny the elder rated a 200 year-old wine as a "vintage of the highest quality."
• At the celebration party for the drafters of the US Constitution the fare included 50 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of Claret, and 22 bottles of Port.
• The largest wine bottle is known as a Nebuchadnezzar and holds 20 regular bottles of wine.
• Thomas Jefferson was the first wine steward of the White House and stocked the wine cellars of five U.S. presidents.
• One grapevine can produce enough grapes for ten bottles of wine.
• The average person eats eight pounds of grapes per year.
• The Armenians claim that Noah planted the first vineyard on earth in their country.
• "We could in the United States make a great variety of wines as are made in Europe, not exactly of the same kinds, but doubtless as good." Thomas Jefferson
• When Mt. Vesuvius buried Pompeii in volcanic lava in 79 A.D., it also buried more than 200 wine bars.
• "Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance." Benjamin Franklin
• The largest cork tree in the world is known as "The Whistler Tree." Located in Portugal, it produces enough cork per harvest to close 100,000 bottles of wine.
• Grapes are easier to peel when they are frozen. Rinse frozen grapes in lukewarm water and the skins will split and slip right off.
• In ancient Babylon, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead (honey wine) he could drink for a month after the wedding. The period of free mead was known as "honey month" which we now call the "honeymoon."