Here is some wine history for the day.
- Australia developed wine in a box in the ‘70s. The wine inside of the box is stored in a bladder that is not exposed to air. This means that the wine may last up to a few weeks compared to a few days.
- There are about 400 species of oak, though only about 20 are used in making oak barrels. Of the trees that are used, only 5% is suitable for making high grade wine barrels. The average age of a French oak tree harvested for use in wine barrels is 170 years!
- After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Church was critical in the revitalization, production, and promotion of wine. Among chaotic daily life, wine was the good element, associated with holyness (body of christ) and comfort.
- In Bali, 10-year-old Hatten Winery lists not only the year of the vintage but the month – the grapes grow so fast in the tropical environment that they have 12 or more vintages each year.
- The word “toast,” meaning a wish of good health, started in ancient Rome, where a piece of toasted bread was dropped into wine
- The wreck of the TITANIC holds the oldest wine cellar in the world and despite the depth and wreckage, the bottles are still intact.
- Over 30 million gallons of wine were lost in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
- When Mount Vesuvius buried Pompeii in volcanic lava, it buried more than 200 wine bars with it.
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