10 interesting facts you didn't know about wine
Wine is a real passion, in fact more and more people are approaching the vast world of oenology with enthusiasm and curiosity. This is also true for us, which is why we would like to give you some interesting facts that you may not yet know.
10 interesting facts you didn't know about wine
1. Let's start with the historical background: did you know that the oldest fossils of vine shoots date back two million years and were found in Tuscany? The first wine, or rather the first drink extracted from grape juice, instead dates back to the Neolithic period.
2. Let's dispel a myth: a white wine can also be made from dark grapes.
3. Have you ever heard the saying that wine in a glass must never be finished? This is a popular belief of Hungarian origin linked to a freshly fermented grape juice that is very sweet and liqueur-like, practically an impossible-to-finish syrup.
4. If we ask you which country drinks the most wine, what do you think of? Italy? France? Wrong, the country where the most wine is drunk is the Vatican!
5. Italy boasts the largest number of grape varieties in the world, we have over 350 varieties of which the most cultivated are Sangiovese and Montepulciano.
6. The most cultivated variety in the world? Cabernet Sauvignon.
7. Have you ever wondered why wine bottles have concave bottoms? The origin probably dates back to the 4th century, when the glass of the bottles was blown and the bottom recessed to provide greater stability.
8. Have you ever been conned? Did you know that this expression originated in wine? In fact when innkeepers wanted to sell rancid wine to their customers, they served it with dishes of raw fennel which impairs the ability to recognise flavours.
9. Where is Europe's highest vineyard? In Italy, exactly 1350 metres above sea level, in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
10. Let's finish with a curiosity about champagne: did you know that a champagne cork can reach a speed of 65 km per hour?
