Wine Trivia for Festive Fun

It's that festive time of year when we're getting together with family and friends with often the challenge of a Christmas quiz.  I thought you might enjoy some fun wine related trivia which could prove as inspiration or just make you smile.

1.  Could wine save your life?

Centuries ago, people only drank wine to quench their thirst. During that time, water wasn’t clean all the time, and natural fermentation, when the wine is made, could kill germs caused by typhi (salmonella) and cholera. And so, they drank wine instead of water.

2.  When could drinking wine get you killed?

During the early Roman times, it was forbidden for women to drink wine. Wives who were caught drinking wine by their husbands could get killed! How many wine loving ladies would die for their wine?

3.  Can women keep up with men when drinking party juice?

Biologically speaking, no. Of course there are plenty of exceptions! Women are more susceptible to the effects of alcohol than men. And this is due to female biology since women have fewer enzymes in the stomach lining required to break down alcohol, than men. Are there any medics amongst us who can suggest how women can produce more enzymes?

4.  Do you know the root of the phrase “drink to one’s health”?

This originated in ancient Greece, where the host of a dinner would be the first one to sip the wine in case it was poisoned. Thus, drinking to their guests’ health.

5.  Is wine healthy?

You need to drink 7 glasses of orange juice or 20 glasses of apple juice in order to get the same amount of antioxidants in a glass of wine. So yes, wine is healthy!

6.  Why is a wine bottle 750ml?

Because that’s how much a human lung can blow. Early bottle making used the hand-blown glassmaking technique and it was easier and quicker to use a ‘lungful’. It could raise a question why a bottle of whisky is only 700ml!

7.  How many grapes do you need to make a glass of wine?

A bunch – well actually about 75 bunches

8.  How many grape varieties exist in the world?

10,000 although we are still discovering more so to be precise it’s over 10,000.

9.  What do James Bond and King Charles have in common?

They both have Aston Martins but King Charles’ runs on wine based biofuel.

10.  Where is the highest per capita rate of wine consumption in the world?

The Vatican City

11.  What do Tempranillo and Primitivo have in common?

They are both early ripening grapes. The Spanish for early is ‘temprano’ hence the name Tempranillo. Primitivo in Italian means ‘the early one’, so the connection is that both grapes get their name from their respective languages for being ‘early’.

12.  How many US States produce wine?

50 - there is a winery in every single US State.

Many thanks go to Andrew Gordon, Kirsty Wilson and numerous other characters in the trade who have helped with this quiz or fed this information to Wikipedia and Google or personally to Diana.  Whilst we have checked the facts above, Wine Events Scotland cannot be held legally responsible for any disputes arising amongst families or friends due to any of these answers which might be questionable!  Also thank you to those who have been captured laughing in the images used for this piece!