Things You Didn’t Know About Wine

Things you Didn’t Know About Wine

Naturally, everyone loves a good glass of vino. But how much do you really know about your favorite go-to glass of sauvignon blanc? We’re here to up your wine fun-fact game for all your wine and cheese party conversation starters or pub quiz trivia needs.

1. Cheers! To test for poison

The tradition of clinking one’s glass against another was really a method of testing whether wine was poisoned by sloshing one’s drink into another person’s cup. If the opposing person wouldn’t drink their wine, then neither would you (but what a waste!). This would be similar to the host of the party taking the first drink to assure their guests that the wine wasn’t poisoned. Thankfully we have the FDA to take care of those issues for us now.

2. Wine doesn’t really belong in the kitchen

Kitchens, with all the stovetops and ovens and microwaves and toasters are too hot for a bottle of wine left out. On the other hand, fridges are too chilly. The absolute best place to store your wine is in a cool, dark closet—or wine cellar if you’ve got one. I mean, if you have any left over to store that is.

3. Keep the wine on its side

Like humans, wine bottles are best left lying down. This is due to the necessity of the cork staying wet. If the cork shrivels up and dries out, it could shrink and allow air into your precious bottle of Pinot Grigio, giving it a premature expiration date.

4. Fear of wine?

Believe it or not, there is such a thing as fear of wine. It’s called oenophobia, and actually causes much suffering for those afflicted. Imagine not being able to indulge in the bacchanalian pleasures!

5. Blend to perfection

Many times, red wine straight from a freshly opened bottle does not taste anywhere as good as its aired-out counterparts. A quick (and cheap!) way to solve the issue is to dump the wine into a blender and blend to aerate! Trust me, this one is a life-changer.

With this newfound knowledge, try to up your wine game and impress your less cultured friends! Or just use it as an excuse to buy yourself another bottle of merlot—go on, you earned it.