a wine rack full of different wines

23 Fun Facts about Wine

We’ve been producing wine for approximately 9,000 years, and the Middle East is believed to be the location of the earliest vineyards. The French, who became interested, started copying the winemaking process and is often credited for inventing wine. Here are some fun wine facts you’ll wish you knew earlier!

1.    Wine: There’s a gender debate!

Men are less inclined to the effects of wine compared to women. This is primarily because women have fewer enzymes in their stomach lining which is required to break down the alcohol.

2.    Some wine is truly ancient.

On display in a German museum, the oldest bottle of wine is nearly 1700 years old.

3.    There’s a ‘right way’ to store wine.

It is always advised to not keep your wine bottle standing up, but rather have them laying down. This is because the cork can dry, shrink and there is a potential for oxygen to get into the bottle if you have it standing up.

wine facts

4.    There are weird ways to make wine.

Better wine is actually produced by poor-quality soil.

5.    There’s such a thing as ‘wine terminology’.

While a mature wine offers a subtle “bouquet”, the smell of young wine is known as “aroma”.

6.    Wine is very, VERY fruity!

A single bottle of wine contains approximately 1.27kg or 600 grapes.

7.    Some people are scared of wine.

Oenophobia is the name given for hatred or fear of wine.

8.    Is wine healthy?

Wine is free of cholesterol and fat.

9.    There’s wine under the sea.

Despite the wreckage and depth of the Titanic, it holds the oldest wine cellar on the planet. The bottles are still intact!

fun wine facts

10. Chilling wine is an art form.

You can chill Champagne or white wine faster by putting ice or salt in the bucket.

11. Romans created many wine traditions.

“Cheers”, the custom of bumping glasses, is derived from Ancient Rome. They used this method to ensure that no one is trying to poison anyone, as bumping the glasses made the drink spill and transfer from one glass to another. This method can also be dated back to ancient Greece, where the host was required to drink the first cup of wine to prove that he does not intend to poison his guests. This is where “drinking to one’s health” derives from.

12. Check your gums!

There is more alcohol contained in a mouthwash than there is in wine.

facts about wine

13. Wine is swimmable.

There is a spa in Japan that allows you to swim in wine, tea, and coffee.

14. There’s a ‘wine triangle’.

France, Spain, and Italy are the thee largest producers of wine on Earth.

15. There’s a niche for ‘animal labels’.

“Critter wine” is the name given to wine bottles that have animals on the label.

wine fun facts

16. Is red or white wine healthier?

Red wines have been widely attributed to positive health benefits when drank in small quantities.

17. Wines can be low-calorie.

Wine, on the whole, is fairly low-calorie per glass. Red wine, for example, is likely only to contain around 125 calories in a standard glass, significantly less than you might expect from beer or cider.

However, calories in wine will differ from type to type. It may also differ from blend to blend and winery to winery, too! For example, white wine is thought to be even lower in calories than red, with around 82 calories expected from an average glass.

18. Wine can be low in sugar.

There’s surprisingly less sugar in a glass of wine than you might expect. There’s around a gram of sugar in an average serving or glass. However, again, this will vary from type to type and blend to blend.

Portugal Facts

Port Wine

19. Wine and toothpaste share attributes.

Wine is thought to be rich in a variety of nutrients you might not expect to benefit from per glass. For example, it’s a fantastic source of fluoride, which you will generally find in toothpaste.

20. Wine is a superfood!

More interesting is the fact that wine offers you 10% of your daily recommended intake of manganese. Manganese is a powerful antioxidant, which means that it’s a real boost to various bodily systems. Specifically, your brain loves manganese!

21. Too much of a good thing…

Despite wine being a low-calorie choice in alcohol, too much is still likely to be bad for you. Studies show that drinking alcohol too often could result in reliance on additional unhealthy snacks and treats throughout the day. Could wine be a gateway to unhealthy diet choices? It’s possible.

facts about chablis

22. You’ll not find calorie details on a wine bottle.

You’ll likely find that it’s rare to see any kind of nutritional information on wine bottle labels. That’s because there is no UK legislation in place to force this to take place. Some wines may list their calories as a selling point if they are particularly low. Otherwise, don’t go looking for information on a bottle of wine if you really want to know the calorific breakdown.

23. Alcohol can cause harm – wine included.

Despite wine’s relatively good points in terms of antioxidant properties and its relatively appealing stats compared to other types of alcohol, it is still alcohol – which could devastate your health if you drink too much of it. It could even cause allergic reactions in some people.

Certainly, the odd glass of wine now and again is unlikely to cause any major harm. However, do pay attention to doctors’ advice, and try to stay within recommended weekly unit levels for your gender.

Fact sheet – wine bottle sizes

NameSize (vs standard bottle)How many glassesComments
Split or Piccolo1/4 bottle - 187.5 ml 1 glass of wineUsed for sparkling wines almost exclusively.
Half or Demi1/2 bottle - 375 ml2.5 glasses of wineHalf a standard sized bottle of wine.
Half Litre or Jennie2/3 bottle - 500 ml3 glasses of wineThis bottle style is generally used for Sauternes and other pudding wines.
Standard1 bottle - 750 ml5 glasses of wineThis is the standard size bottle you'll find everywhere.
Litre1 & 1/3 bottle - 1000 ml7 glasses of wineMost typically used for budget wines.
Magnum2 bottles - 1500 ml10 glasses of wineWant to make a visual statement at the next party? Bring a magnum.
Jeroboam or Double Magnum4 bottles - 3000 ml20 glasses of wineNamed after the first king of northern Israel. Twice the size of a magnum.
Rehoboam6 bottles - 4500 ml30 glasses of wineNamed after the son of Solomon, these bottles are generally used to bottle larger quantities of Champagne.
Methuselah or Imperial8 bottles - 6000 ml40 glasses of wineMethuselah is the oldest man named in the bible.
Salmanazar12 bottles - 9000 ml60 glasses of wineShalmaneser was the king of Assyria & Babylon (727 to 722 BC)
Balthazar16 bottles - 12 litres80 glasses of wineRegarded as a saint, Balthazar was The King of Arabia and one of the three wise men that visited the new born Jesus.
Nebuchadnezzar20 bottles - 15 litres100 glasses of wineNebuchadnezzar was the longest ruling king of Babylon.
Melchior24 bottles - 18 litres120 glasses of wineThis huge bottle holds the same as 2 cases of wine!
Solomon26 bottles - 20 litres130 glasses of wineSolomon was the son of King David.
Sovereign35 bottles - 26 litres175 glasses of wineThis 'generous' bottle was made for the 1988 launch of the cruise ship, Sovereign of the Seas by Taittinger.
Primat or Goliath36 bottles - 27 litres180 glasses of wineA giant bottle, named after the giant that David defeated.
Melchizedek or Midas40 bottles - 30 litres200 glasses of wineTwice the size of the Nebuchadnezzar, the Melchizedek (or Midas) is the largest wine bottle size, ever.

wine bottle factsFAQs about Wine

What are wine experts called?

People who specialize in the tastes and smells of wine are known as sommeliers, and they usually work in vineyards or restaurants. Sommeliers have to study and perfect their craft over around six months, but the more experience they have in the field, the better!

What country is the biggest consumer of wine?

As of 2020, the US was named the biggest wine consuming country in the world, having a grand total of 33 hectolitres in 2020!

How long does it take to make a bottle of wine?

Generally speaking, the fermentation period takes about two weeks to complete, which is then followed by a minimum aging process of between two to three weeks.

Do you know any fun wine facts?  Share them in the comments below!

Further reading:
https://factcity.com/tag/wine/

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This page was last modified on July 26, 2023. Suggest an edit

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