Bottle Opening Fillers!

As we head full speed towards Christmas here are a few fun facts for you to share with friends whilst you’re wrestling with a corkscrew.

1. Centuries ago, people drank wine because the water was unsafe to drink.

2. Don’t underestimate the enjoyment of “nosing” a wine. Your palate can only pick up 5 elements – salt, sweet, sour, bitter and umami, but your nose can smell up to 2,000 different aromas.

3. During early Roman times, women were banned from drinking wine. If a woman’s husband found her drinking wine he was permitted to kill her.

4. The term “Drink to one’s health” began in ancient Greece. The host would be the first to sip the wine to reassure their guests it hadn’t been poisoned.

5. Continuing this tradition in ancient Rome, the Romans introduced “Toasting”.  This was done by dropping a piece of toasted bread into a glass of wine to disguise bad wine and soften the acidity.

6. A glass of wine has approximately the same number of antioxidants as 7 glasses of orange juice or 20 glasses of apple juice. Disclaimer – we’re not suggesting a glass of wine every day for breakfast!

7. In 1880 over 80% of people in Italy were involved in the wine industry and were dependent on it for their livelihood.

8. The man Hippocrates was famous for being the “father of medicine” and used wine in many of his remedies.

9. One bunch of grapes equates to very approximately one glass of wine.

10. Oenophobia is a confirmed “fear of wine” medical condition and an Oenophile is a wine enthusiast which I trust all those reading this are!

Thanks go to Google AI, In a Matchbox, Schnebly Winery and wine enthusiast friends for their inspiration for many of these fun facts!