Buzz
Benjamin Franklin famously remarked that wine is 'clear evidence of God's love and His wish for our happiness.' Undeniably, wine ranks among the most cherished drinks in history, appearing in Christian ceremonies, pagan festivals, upscale dining, and even films featuring Paul Giamatti. With a history spanning approximately 8,000 years, wine has gathered a wealth of peculiar facts and fascinating stories that could leave even a seasoned sommelier dizzy.
10. Red Wine May Not Be as Beneficial as You Think
Have you come across the French Paradox? This phenomenon highlights the curious fact that the French consume high amounts of fatty foods yet experience remarkably low rates of heart disease. For years, experts attributed this to red wine. A component in wine, resveratrol, a type of polyphenol, was believed to combat various health issues, including heart disease, cancer, and inflammation.
However, it’s possible that the hype around resveratrol was exaggerated. In early 2014, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine released a study indicating that resveratrol might not be as remarkable as once thought.
From 1998 to 2009, scientists observed nearly 800 residents from two Italian villages. All participants were aged 65 or older and consumed red wine in moderation. None of them experienced unusually long lifespans. In fact, 268 passed away, 174 developed heart disease, and 34 were diagnosed with cancer. The French Paradox may require deeper investigation to unravel its secrets.
9. Wasps Deserve Credit for Wine
Wasps are universally disliked. They’re essentially flying needles with a bad temper. Yet, despite their tendency to sting without provocation, we owe the existence of wine to these irritable insects.
In the summer months, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae thrives on grapes in vineyards, playing a crucial role in the production of wine, beer, and bread. While winemakers introduce additional yeast during the process, the absence of S. cerevisiae on the grapes initially would result in a completely different flavor profile. However, there’s a catch: S. cerevisiae only flourishes in the summer. The cold winter temperatures should theoretically eliminate all traces of the fungus.
This is where wasps step in. Wasps are particularly fond of grapes. As the fruit ripens in the summer, these insects feast on them and carry the chewed-up pulp back to their nests to feed their larvae.
While consuming the grapes, wasps ingest the yeast, and their digestive systems create an ideal environment for the yeast to endure the winter. Crucially, when wasps feed their offspring, they transfer the fungus to the larvae. As the larvae grow and mature, they reintroduce S. cerevisiae to the vineyards, restarting the cycle.
8. The Origin of Clinking Wine Glasses
The tradition of clinking wine glasses is something we do almost instinctively, without questioning its origins. Some say it was initially intended to ward off evil spirits, while others believe it was a way to exchange a small amount of wine with your companion—ensuring they couldn’t poison you without risking their own safety.
While these theories are intriguing, they’re not accurate. The actual reasons behind clinking glasses are far more straightforward.
Before the clinking tradition began, toasting engaged four senses: touch, taste, sight, and smell. Hearing was notably absent. However, as the craftsmanship of wine glasses evolved into an art form, people began to appreciate the delicate sounds produced by tapping them together, and thus, the clink became a staple of toasting.
Clinking also fosters a sense of unity. In ancient times, guests at gatherings would share a single bowl of wine, each taking a sip from the communal vessel. (After the bowl made its rounds, the host would consume a piece of toasted bread, literally a 'toast.') Nowadays, concerns about germs have made this practice obsolete, so instead of drinking from the same container, we clink our glasses. It’s a symbolic gesture of belonging and shared joy.
7. The Judgment of Paris
Certain countries are often linked to specific products. For instance, the word 'chocolate' instantly brings Belgium to mind, while 'watches' conjure images of Switzerland. For much of the 20th century, wine was almost exclusively associated with France. However, this perception shifted dramatically in the spring of 1976, when French and American winemakers faced off in what became the most remarkable underdog tale in the world of wine.
This event, later named 'The Judgment of Paris' after a tale from Greek mythology, was orchestrated by British wine merchant Steven Spurrier. Capitalizing on the US bicentennial, Spurrier organized a winner-takes-all competition, pitting celebrated French wines against emerging California wines. The judging panel included esteemed wine critics, such as the editor of France’s leading wine magazine and a dean of French culinary writing.
The odds were heavily stacked against the Americans. Nearly everyone anticipated a French victory, but after a blind tasting of white wines, California claimed three of the top four spots, shocking the wine world.
The results left everyone in shock, and Steven Spurrier began to worry that the French might also lose the highly esteemed red wine competition. In a move that completely broke the rules, he revealed the white wine results to the judges before the official announcement. Aware that the reputation of French vineyards was at stake, some judges made extra efforts to ensure the Americans didn’t win. Despite their attempts, the panel ultimately crowned a California Cabernet as the world’s best red wine.
The French were deeply embarrassed and hoped the incident would fade into obscurity. However, journalist George Taber reported the story in Time magazine, sending ripples through the culinary world and forever transforming the California wine industry.
6. Wine Tasters Can Be Easily Deceived
Becoming a sommelier is a significant culinary accomplishment. It requires years of dedication, sensory training, and mastering complex concepts like 'connectedness' and 'soil quality.' However, wine critics are human, and like anyone else, they can be misled.
In 2001, a researcher at the University of Bordeaux conducted an experiment involving 54 oenology students (oenology is the science of wine). The students were given two glasses of wine, one red and one white. After tasting, they were asked to describe the flavors, with each student identifying distinct grapes and tannins in the wines. However, they weren’t actually drinking red wine—the researcher had colored a white wine red, successfully deceiving every participant.
A comparable experiment was carried out at the California Institute of Technology. Researchers swapped cheap wine into expensive bottles and expensive wine into cheap bottles. Not only did participants claim the cheap wine tasted superior, but brain scans also showed heightened activity when they consumed what they believed to be the pricier wine.
These psychological tendencies can be costly for wine enthusiasts. A Brock University study found that people are willing to pay $2 more per bottle if the wine has a difficult-to-pronounce name, regardless of its actual quality. Additionally, for eight years, an Indonesian fraudster named Rudy Kurniawan made at least $1.3 million selling fake wine by simply claiming it was older than it really was.
5. Music Influences How Wine Tastes
In an experiment led by researcher Adrian North from Heriot Watt University, participants were asked to categorize various songs into specific groups. The music was labeled as 'powerful and heavy,' 'subtle and refined,' 'zingy and refreshing,' or 'mellow and fresh.'
In the second phase, North had 250 participants drink either Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay while listening to the previously categorized music. (A control group consumed wine without any background music.) Some enjoyed their wine with Tchaikovsky’s 'Waltz of the Flowers' (subtle and refined), while others paired it with Michael Brook’s 'Slow Breakdown' (mellow and soft). After tasting, participants were asked to classify the wines using the same categories.
North’s findings revealed that music significantly influences how we perceive wine. For instance, when participants drank red wine while listening to Carl Orff’s powerful 'Carmina Burana,' 60 percent described the wine as 'powerful and heavy.' Similarly, a large percentage rated the same wine as 'zingy and refreshing' when listening to Nouvelle Vague’s 'Just Can’t Get Enough.'
So, the next time you dine out and order a drink, take note of the background music. It could completely alter your perception of what’s in your glass.
4. Tiger Bone Wine
The wine world is a strange and fascinating realm, filled with unusual concoctions. Consider meteorite wine, for instance. Created in 2012, this wine was aged with a meteorite that fell to Earth approximately 6,000 years ago. It’s said that the space rock enhances the wine’s flavor, making it more vibrant.
Then there are the unconventional wines crafted from non-grape ingredients, such as rice. On the milder end, there’s Omerto, a Canadian wine made from fermented tomatoes. On the far more eccentric side, there’s the infamous three penis wine, a Chinese brew that includes the genitals of dogs, seals, and deer. Topping the list of odd wines is the obscure and highly controversial ttongsul, a rare Korean wine rumored to be made from human feces.
However, the most tragic of all is tiger bone wine, another Chinese creation that relies on endangered animals. This drink is made by steeping tiger bones in rice wine, with a single bottle fetching over $800. An entire crate can sell for around $30,000.
Despite being outlawed since 1993, tiger bone wine remains highly sought after. It’s believed to treat arthritis, alleviate chills, enhance qi, and imbue drinkers with the 'essence of a predator.' More importantly, it serves as a symbol of status and wealth, with ownership signaling prestige and affluence.
Although authorities sometimes halt auctions for tiger bone wine, sellers exploit legal loopholes by claiming the final product contains no actual tiger parts.
3. The Jefferson Bottles and the Atomic Bomb
This peculiar tale began in the late 1980s when billionaire William Koch purchased four bottles of wine for $500,000. The bottles were part of a collection owned by Hardy Rodenstock, a prominent figure in Germany’s music industry, who claimed to have found them in a hidden Paris cellar. Rodenstock asserted that most of the bottles dated back to 1787 and had once belonged to the third U.S. President.
The idea that the bottles were Thomas Jefferson’s seemed credible. Jefferson was a renowned wine enthusiast, meticulously documenting various French wines and even supplying George Washington with top-quality vintages. However, when the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston prepared to exhibit Koch’s collection, they received troubling news. Monticello officials, who had access to Jefferson’s wine records, revealed that he had never purchased that specific type of wine. Suddenly, it appeared that Hardy Rodenstock had deceived Bill Koch.
Determined to uncover the truth, Koch hired former FBI agent Jim Elroy to investigate the Jefferson bottles. Elroy assembled a team of experts, including specialists from Scotland Yard and MI5, to trace the wine’s origins. The challenge was to verify the wine’s age without opening the bottles and destroying their contents. This led them to Philippe Hubert, a French physicist who could determine the wine’s age—thanks to the atomic bomb.
The detonation of the first atomic bombs in the 1940s introduced a new radioactive isotope called cesium-137. Before 1945, cesium-137 did not exist, but today, it is present everywhere—even in the human body. If Hubert could detect cesium-137 in the wine, it would prove the bottles were sealed after 1945.
Hubert took the bottles to his laboratory beneath the Alps and placed them near a gamma ray detector, shielded by lead smelted by ancient Romans. These measures were taken to protect the detector from external radiation.
No traces of cesium-137 were detected, confirming the wine was bottled before 1945.
But the mystery didn’t end there. Jim Elroy and his team noticed something unusual about the bottles: each was engraved with the initials 'Th.J,' presumably for 'Thomas Jefferson.' Further investigation revealed the engravings were made using an electric dentistry tool.
Armed with this evidence, Bill Koch filed eight lawsuits against Hardy Rodenstock and his associates. While the legal battles cost Koch at least $25 million, he recovered some of his losses when the courts granted him $12 million in damages.
2. Wine in Space
In 1969, a tiny vial of wine ventured where no drink had gone before. Buzz Aldrin, a devout man, conducted a communion ceremony on the Moon, complete with a wafer and a sip of fermented grape juice. However, this wasn’t the final attempt to send wine beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
During the 1970s, NASA sought ways to enhance the comfort of space travel for astronauts. One of their initiatives was improving space food. Moving beyond dehydrated and unappetizing meals, they introduced frozen foods, wet-packed dishes, and perishables. Eventually, astronauts could enjoy gourmet options like spaghetti and prime rib—and even a touch of alcohol.
Enter Charles Bourland, tasked with selecting wine for the Apollo program. His challenge was to find a wine that was both flavorful and resilient enough for space travel. Since traditional glass bottles were impractical, Bourland needed a wine that retained its taste after repackaging. Collaborating with researchers at the University of California, he ultimately chose sherry. Sherry, a fortified wine, undergoes heating during production, which stabilizes it and prevents flavor changes outside the bottle.
The sherry was stored in a specially designed plastic pouch with an integrated straw. Astronauts simply had to squeeze the pouch to enjoy a sip of wine. However, the plan didn’t go as expected.
When the public caught wind of the idea, temperance advocates across the country protested vehemently, prompting NASA to abandon the sherry experiment. Additionally, it was discovered that wine in zero-gravity emitted an unpleasant aroma, and adding nausea to the astronauts’ challenges seemed unwise.
The sherry wasn’t wasted. Although it never made it to space, it became part of the SMEAT (Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test) program, where astronauts spent 56 days in a vacuum chamber. They likely enjoyed the experience.
1. The Romanee-Conti Poisoning Scandal
Romanee-Conti is one of those luxury items that can drain your wallet. A single bottle typically costs between $900 and $1,000, and a case from the 1978 vintage sold for an astonishing $476,280 in 1993. Given these exorbitant prices, the Romanee-Conti team was understandably alarmed when they received a letter threatening to poison their vineyards.
In January 2010, Aubret de Villaine, co-owner of Romanee-Conti, received a map of his Burgundy vineyards alongside a letter demanding $1.27 million. The map indicated that two of his vines had already been poisoned, with threats of further damage unless the ransom was paid. The blackmailer instructed someone to deliver the money in a suitcase to a nearby graveyard under the cover of night.
Police staked out the cemetery, and a representative from Romanee-Conti left a suitcase filled with paper. Authorities apprehended the culprit as soon as he arrived. The blackmailer, Jacques Soltys, had devised his scheme based on advice from a prison cellmate. Perhaps this experience will make him think twice about taking tips from fellow inmates.
