Here are some interesting and fun facts about wine and other alcoholic beverages......

Would you consider drinking a wine with one of the following olfactory descriptions :

• Dumb: Muted but promising, closed.
• Nutty : Found in mature White Burgundy and Amontillado.
• Wet Wool : When there is too much sulfur in the wine.
• Stewed : Like leaving a tea bag in your mug too long.
• Petrolly : Found in mature riesling.
• Cat Piss : Found in the varietal aroma of Sauvignon Blanc.
• Skunk : Do you need an explanation ?
  

Did you know that ?

Most wines do not improve with age.

The word Alcohol is derived from the Arabic language (al kohl or alkuhl).  Consider the fact that a large proportion of the Arabic population is forbidden from consuming alcohol for religious reasons.

Poor soil quality tends to produce better wines. The trick is to "challenge" the vines by making them "work" harder.

Although red wine can only be produced from red grapes, white wine can be produced from both red and white grapes.

Need to set your food or drink on fire ? The way to do it is to preheat the vessel holding the alcohol, as well as a portion of the alcohol itself.  Certain alcoholic beverages are exempt of this rule however and are readily combustible (i.e Sambouka).

What is proof ?  It is alcohol content in half the proportion of the proof degree specified. A 200% proof vodka would taste as alcohol, as its alcoholic content would be 100% (doh). However no such content has been yet recorded on commercial products. In the early days of alcohol trading, whiskey was mixed with gunpowder in order to determine if the alcohol content was high enough to set the gunpowder aflame. (It is inadvisable to attempt to test this fact, consequences could be dire).

Try to pronounce this correctly : brandewijn. It is the original word for Brandy (Dutch in Origin).

The wreck of the TITANIC, holds the oldest wine cellar in the world and despite the depth and wreckage, the bottles are still intact. Happy divings. (Although if you are American you will probably be required to produce a valid ID that you are 21 years of age, before diving.)

Did you know the names of the different bottle sizes :

Champagne Bottles:

• Magnum : 1.5 lt (this magnum does not kill,  except perhaps if you aim the cork well enough).
• Jeroboam : 3.0 lt
• Rehoboam : 4.5 lt
• Methuselah : 6.0 lt
• Salmanazar : 9.0 lt
• Balthazar : 12 lt (Rightly named after one of the three magicians who carried the holy gifts)
• Nebuchadnezzar : WOW 15 lt (Try drinking this on your own, and then perhaps you will be able to pronounce it correctly.)

Bordeaux bottles among others also include:

• Double Magnum : 3 lt (for double the effect).

Coming Soon :

    Highest prices ever paid for wine.

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