Fun Facts About Wine To Make You Look Cool at That Party

There are certain things that most people know about wine. Tastes of different wines, the foods they pair well with, grapes used in its production, and similar stuff are mostly general knowledge and certainly do not make great conversation starters at a party.

However, what many people aren’t aware of is how interesting and diverse wine can be. It is a complex drink that has been around for centuries and can take years to perfect. When you delve into the history and science that lives inside each bottle, you’ll surely find some interesting, fun facts about wine that will make you look cooler at that party.

· The Oldest Winery In The World

Let’s start at the beginning. Like many other people, are you under the impression that the Ancient Greek or the Roman Empire were the pioneers of wine? Well, you’d be surprised to learn that wine dates much further back than that. In fact, it is estimated that wine history could likely be traced back to millions of years ago, whereas as the current evidence suggests, it has been around for at least 9,000 years (Ancient Greece came into being only around 2500 years ago).

However, the officially oldest known winery in the world can be found in the mountains of Armenia. Discovered between 2007 and 2010, the Areni-1 winery is estimated to be 6,100 years old. A large number of fermentation jars, a cup, a press, and a bowl were found in this winery. It is presumed that it was used to produce gallons for funerals.

Today, it is also a popular tourist destination. So if you have a wine-related travel bucket list, you should definitely add this location to it.

· Oldest Surviving Bottle of Wine

The oldest surviving bottle of wine that still presumably contains liquid wine is the famous Speyer bottle. It is said to have been produced by Roman settlers between 250 and 325 AD and estimated to have been buried in 350 AD. The bottle was found in a tomb in 1867 alongside other bottles. However, the Speyer bottle was the only one that was unopened.

It is currently preserved in the Historical Museum of the Palatinate in Speyer, Germany. Another interesting place to add to your travel bucket list.

· Most Expensive Bottle of Wine Ever Sold

While talking about wine, it would be a disrespect to forget Romanée-Conti. Burgundy wines – specifically the Romanée-Conti – are some of the most sought-after collectible wine bottles in the world. However, its eponymous 1945 vintage holds even more importance due to its rarity. Only 600 bottles of this kind were produced before the vines were pulled up for two years to be replanted back then. You can consider this to be a more exquisite and much more expensive equivalent of the first edition of your favorite back for wine-enthusiasts.

One of these ultra-rare 1945 vintages broke every possible wine record in 2018. When these bottles were being auctioned at Sotheby’s, the auctioneer’s estimate for the upper limit was around $32,000. This is why it was surprising when the highest bid for this bottle went up to a whopping $558,000 – 17 times higher than the best expectations.

If this wasn’t surprising enough, a second bottle of the same vintage was sold for $496,000 just a few minutes later.

· Cheers!

Have you ever wondered why we toast before drinking wine? No, not toasting won’t bring seven years of bad luck to your sex life. In fact, there is an interesting bit of history behind this tradition that dates back to old Rome.

In order to make sure no one was trying to poison the wine, the Roman would bump glasses, as this act would make the drinks spill from one cup to the other. Of course, they couldn’t state outright that they were just paranoid. So they turned it into a tradition that had to be followed. The roots of this can be found even in Ancient Greek, where the host was expected to drink first to show his guests that he hadn’t poised the wine. And we think our generations are paranoid!

Other Fun Facts About Wine

• Although some countries have a strict prohibition on the production and consumption of alcohol (such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan), wine is virtually produced in every country in the world.
• The population that consumes the most wine per capita is the Vatican – almost double the amount consumed by French and Italians. This may be becauseVatican City is mostly populated by older residents who are highly educated and regularly serve wine in ceremonial religious functions.
• Grapes have the perfect balance of natural chemicals that allow them to ferment without the addition of acids, sugar, enzymes, water, or any other nutrients.
• Among the community of wine-enthusiasts, it has been argued that ‘winetasting’ is a somewhat inaccurate name. This is because the smell is by far considered the most important sense when it comes to enjoying wine.
• Some people have an extreme fear of wine. This fear is called oenophonbia.
• If you believe that ‘the older the wine, the better it tastes,'then you may be wrong. Experts claim that only about 10% of the wine bottles actually benefit from aging. The rest should be enjoyed within five years of production.
• The oldest wine cellar in the world is now buried underwater within the remains of the Titanic. Surprisingly, the bottles inside are still intact; despite the wreckage, depth, and impact of the collision,they survived.
• If, for some reason, you want to experience what it feels like to swim in red wine, head over to The Yunessun Spa Resort of Hakone in Japan. Aside from wine, you can also swim in tea or coffee. (but please don’t try to taste it!)
• Not so much of a fun fact, but it can make for interesting conversation: ancient Rome had strict rules against women drinking wine. If a husband found that his wife had been drinking, he was at liberty to kill her on the spot.

So next time you are at a boring party or even an awkward first date, casually mention one of these fun facts about wine to get the conversation rolling. And if the interest picks up, you’ll have a dozen other facts to keep the conversation going.