Did You Know…? Surprising Facts About Wine

Did You Know…? Surprising Facts About Wine

Now, it’s no secret that I’m someone who enjoys the odd glass of wine (or two!). To me, there’s nothing quite like enjoying a glass of rose wine on a summer’s evening. Come wintertime, I love to snuggle up on the sofa with a glass of red and my favourite book. But considering my love of the drink, I know very little about it. So, with this in mind, we’ve compiled some fascinating facts about this delightful drink. Some will make you chuckle, some will make you gasp and some are just plain bizarre. So, without further ado…

– It’s believed that monks were the first people to learn the skill of winemaking, way back in the Middle Ages. In fact, one of the most famous champagnes, Don Perignon, is named after a monk. He lived during the 17th and 18th centuries. He is believed to have been one of the earliest known advocates of organic winemaking. He managed to perfect this skill during his lifetime. And more than 300 years later, his techniques are still being used today.

– The oldest bottle of wine is currently on display at the Pfalz Museum in Germany. Historians believe it to be a staggering 1,650 years old. This means its origins stretch as far back as the times of the Roman Empire.

– Ancient Egyptian pharaohs refused to touch red wine. They believed that its appearance was too much like blood. They saw the effect that alcohol could have when drank in excess. They believed that it made people crazy and that they were incurring the wrath of the gods.

– Strangely enough, there are people who actually suffer from a phobia of wine. It’s a condition recognised by medical professionals all over the world. It’s called oenophobia.

– Back in the 1920s, alcohol was banned and made illegal (god forbid!). So, those who wanted to flout the law had to find ingenious ways of drinking alcohol without getting caught. One rather creative method involved a bottle of grape juice mix. The label gave clear instructions on how to use it to make alcohol. But it was written as a warning against taking such steps! Thankfully we have no such problem today. There are countless legal ways of buying your favourite tipple. Online retailer, The Fine Wine Company, is just one such example.

– The Prince of Wales reportedly uses red wine in place of petrol to power his Aston Martin. (Am I the only one who thinks that’s a waste of perfectly good wine?!)

– We’ve all heard about the high antioxidant content in red wine. But did you know that soy sauce contains an astonishing ten times more of this essential health-promoting nutrient?

– In Japan, it’s possible to actually swim in specialised pools filled with either coffee, tea or red wine! Those at Yunessun Spa believe that in doing this they are utilising the health-promoting properties of some of our favourite tipples!

We bet you’ve learnt lots about wine that you didn’t know before. We just hope you’ve enjoyed reading them as much as we did putting this list together!

Red Wine and Your Teeth

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