4 Reasons To Celebrate National Drink Wine Day

Punch Bowl Cards

Tomorrow, February 18, is National Drink Wine Day in the U.S. It’s an annual celebration that gives us a chance to tout the health benefits of wine, pay tribute to wine’s enhancement of food and lifestyle, and provides the perfect reason to enjoy a glass. Here are four reasons to get your wine happy on tomorrow.

1) Wine Provides Health Benefits

A glass of wine a day has been proven to increase heart health, help in weight reduction, boost immunity, decreases blood clots and reduce forgetfulness.

2) Wine Is Popular

Wine is very popular in the U.S. with two-thirds of the population reporting that they drink occasionally, and 40% say they take at least one drink a week. The top five wine drinking states are the District of Columbia, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

3) You Have a Special Bottle Waiting

You probably already have some wine stashed away for a special occasion. Well, today’s the day. Grab that bottle you’ve been waiting to try and enjoy it tonight.

4) It’s Time To Spread the Love

Wine has played a part in our lives for more than 6,000 years. We’ve used it to mark those occasions of historical and life significance; we toast christenings, baptisms, and other religious events with it, and we share a bottle for special days like anniversaries, birthdays and holidays.

You can celebrate the day with a glass of red or white, sweet or dry. The main point is to simply enjoy a glass of vino! If you’re located a larger city, check out Local Wine Events to see what’s planned, or keep up with events on the Drink Wine Day FaceBook site.

There are over a dozen days designated for wine celebrations this year, including Mulled Wine Day on March 3, Malbec World Day on April 19, National Moscato Day on May 9, National Chardonnay Day on May 23, National Wine Day on May 25, National Cabernet Day on August 29, and National Champagne Day is December 31.  

So raise your glass in a toast to National Drink Wine Day, and to Robert Louis Stevenson who noted that “Wine is bottled poetry.” Indeed, it is!

~ Joy

16 Wine Trivia Questions in Honor of National Trivia Day

National Trivia Day was Monday, January 4, but I just couldn’t pass up the chance to delve into some wine trivia as a way to celebrate the New Year.

Test your wine knowledge and see how many of the answers you know.

Amphora

1. When were the first wines produced?       

       

Around 6600 B.C.

2. In the ancient world, what type of vessel held wine?         

An amphora

3. How long does it take for a grapevine to produce grapes?

Three to five years 

4. How many grapevines make up an acre?  

Around 400

Grapevines

5. One ton of grapes will make how many cases of wine?    

 

Around 60 cases or 720 bottles

6. How many grapes are in a bottle of wine?

600 – 800 grapes

7. How much wine is in a single barrel?   

              

60 gallons, 25 cases or 300 bottles

Grapes

8. How many pounds of grapes does one bottle contain?     

About 2.8 lbs

9. A vintage wine is crafted from how many year’s harvests? 

One year

10. A non-vintage wine includes grapes from how many harvests? 

Two or more years blended together

Corkscrew Patent

11. When was the corkscrew first patented?

1795 in England

12. What temperature should white wine be served at? 

49-55º Fahrenheit

13. What temperature should red wine be served at?  

60-68º Fahrenheit

14. How many calories are in a 5 ounce glass of dry red wine?

About 110

15. What is the difference between a sparkling wine and Champagne?

Sparkling wine is any effervescent wine not grown in the Champagne region of France.

16. What are the top three U.S. states for wine consumption?        

California, New York, and Florida

Alright, you've earned a glass of wine.  Cheers to the New Year!

~ Joy

9 Festive Wines to Make Your July 4th Celebration Fine

This weekend in the U.S, we will celebrate Independence Day.  This holiday commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 which declared our independence from Great Britain. It is a national holiday celebrated with fireworks, parades, cookouts, concerts and ceremonies across the nation.

 

In honor of this distinctly American holiday, I searched for a few wines to pour as you celebrate “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness …” along with those fireworks, and some red, white and blue thrown in there, too.

Life

Ripe Life Wines www.ripelifewines.com is as close as we get to “Life.”  This is not a winery or vineyard but a private label founded by culinary school grad and New York City sommelier, Mary McAuley. Ripe Life started business last year and offers one wine: Clambake Chardonnay. Tailgate Red is expected to be released in the autumn of 2015.

Liberty

Liberty Creek Vineyards www.libertycreekwine.com based in Modesto, California plays off the July 4^th motif with about a dozen offerings. Their web page features the liberty bell and phrases from the Declaration of Independence. Wine offerings include Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Pink Moscato and White Zin, along with a few Tetra Pak offerings.

Liberty School offers several wines. Started in 1990, Hope Family Wines www.hopefamilywines.com produces reliable vinos under the Liberty School banner including Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cuvee and Chardonnay. The winery is located in Paso Robles, California.

Liberty Vineyards and Winery www.libertywinery.com is a family-owned winery located in western New York state in the heart of Lake Erie's wine country.  Almost two-dozen wines make up their portfolio including an appropriately named Reds, Whites and Blues, which is a sweet blend of red, white and blue grape varieties. This wine won a gold at the 2014 Florida State Fair International Wine Competition, two Chairman’s Awards from the Riverside International Wine Competition, and a "Highly Recommended, Best Buy" from Beverage Testing Institute. (Shame they didn't have a better photo ...)

Pursuit of Happiness

Pursuit of Happiness is a dessert wine crafted from Norton grapes and blackberries. Produced by Wide River Winery www.wideriverwinery.com of Clinton, Iowa, this wine won a gold medal at the 2012 Mid American Wine Competition.

And we also associate fireworks, firecrackers and lots of big booms with the Fourth, so here’s a few more wines to consider.

All That Bang

Fireworks Red Merlot should get your weekend off with a sparkle. Crafted by Adirondack Winery www.adirondackwinery.com in Lake George, New York, this wine garnered silver from Florida State Fair International Wine Competition in 2011 and a bronze in the 2009 World Value Wine Challenge.

There is a Firecracker Wine www.firecrackerwine.com out there but again this is not crafted by a winery or vineyard. Instead the parent company is listed as Intercontinental Packaging. The Firecracker Wine website offers only two wines: a Firecracker Red Blend and a Firecracker Fusion White. According to the webpage, the wines are “crafted with innovative techniques” to “create intensely flavored wines that will make your mouth say ‘WOW!’” 

No boom but there is a Boom Boom wine available, thanks to Charles Smith  www.charlessmithwines.com. Crafted from Syrah grapes grown in the Columbia Valley of Washington State, this wine is called “The Bomb” by the winemaker, and was crafted to be consumed immediately. (Take that as you please ...)

Oh Say Can You See

Tassel Ridge Winery www.tasselridge.com in Leighton, Iowa produces two festive wines for the Fourth. Star Spangled White is a sweet wine made from Edelweiss grapes grown in their Iowa vineyard. Red, White & Blue is a sweet red crafted from Concord grapes.

Apparently no one thought that “independence” was a good name for a winery, vineyard, or wine. As close as we get is the Texas Independence Wine Trail www.texasindependencewinetrail.com, which boasts 8 wineries on it. Definitely an independent way to spend your day.

When All Else Fails

If there’s no time to find a festively named wine for your holiday gathering, you can always fall back on the standard: White wine with lunch; red wine with dinner and a nice Blueberry dessert wine for the fireworks! Just pour a glass and join in the celebration!

Happy Independence Day, America!

~ Joy