Wine is a beloved and historical alcoholic drink that has been a favorite of cultures worldwide for centuries. On May 25th, it’s National Wine Day! Celebrate everything that makes wine great, from its fruity flavors to its sophisticated and often sassy nature.
History of National Wine Day
Unlike Drink National Wine Day in February, National Wine Day is about celebrating the beverage itself rather than the act of drinking it. Wine has been around for millennia, and many ancient civilizations celebrated its effects and used it for religious observance. Today, wine is one of the most widely produced and consumed drinks globally, with a range of grape and fruit, flower, and vegetable wines to choose from.
Fun and Fascinating Facts about Wine
Women could be killed for drinking wine in the early Roman times. If a husband found his wife drinking wine, he was at liberty to kill her because it was a forbidden drink for women. The oldest bottle of wine in the world, dating back to AD 325, is on display at the historical museum in Speyer, Germany. Ancient Greek tradition initiated the popular toast to everyone’s health, where the host would take the first sip of wine to assure his guests that the drink was safe. You would have to drink seven glasses of orange juice to get the exact quantity of antioxidants in one glass of wine. The oldest known wine cellar is on the famous ship Titanic, and most of the wine bottles remain intact to this day. Some people are afraid of wine, known as oenophobia.
How to Celebrate Wine Day
Celebrate National Wine Day by pouring yourself and your friends a glass or two, and pair it with perfectly matched food. Bitter wines pair best with fat, white wines pair best with meats that have light intensity, and red wines pair best with bold-flavored meats. The wine and food should have the same flavor intensity, and the wine should be sweeter and more acidic than the food. Red wines create congruent pairings, while rose, sparkling, and white wines create contrasting pairings. Instead of matching the wine with the meat, match the wine with the sauce. For those who want to get creative, wine-making kits are readily available in most larger department stores.
Whether you use a wine kit or make wine from scratch, there are pros and cons to both. With a wine kit, you can have wine in a bottle within four to six weeks. Ageing wine properly is beneficial, so many people start with a wine kit and then try out their own recipes. The length of time a wine needs to age depends on the type of wine you are making. Cabernet Sauvignon should age for at least seven years, while Sauvignon Blanc only needs to be aged for 18 months to two years, and a Pinot Gris will only take a year or two for the wine to be aged to perfection.
So what’s your preferred wine – red, white, or rose? Whatever your choice, remember to enjoy responsibly!