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10 things you don’t know about wine

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois State chapter.

Chardonnay, Riesling, Sparkling Red Wine, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel…A Franzia box… there is so much to learn about wine. We found some facts that most of you probably don’t know until now.
 

Women are better wine smellers.

Since wine tasting is all about wine smelling, women of reproductive ages are better wine testers because they have better smell sense than men.
 
Dear wine, stay out. Love, the kitchen.
The worst place to store wine is usually in the kitchen because it is typically too warm to store wine safely. Refrigerators are not satisfactory for storing wine either. Even at their warmest setting, they’re too cold.
 
It’s all about the way you hold wine.
There is a right and a wrong way to hold a wine glass. Wine glasses should always be held by the stem and not the bowl because the heat of the hand will raise the temperature of the wine.
 
Women feel wine effects stronger than men.
Women are more susceptible to the effects of wine than men partly because they have less of an enzyme in the lining of the stomach that is needed to metabolize alcohol efficiently.
 
There are cork-teasers out there.
A “cork-tease” is someone who constantly talks about the wine he or she will open but never does.
 
R.I.P. Grapes.

It takes about 600 grapes to produce a bottle of wine.
 
It’s all about the soil.
Poor soil quality tends to produce better wines. The trick is to “challenge” the vines by making them “work” harder.
 
U.S. ranks fourth in wine producing.

The United States is the 4th leading country to produce the most wine in the world.
 
Say goodbye to aged wine.
It is a common misconception that all wines improve with age. In fact, more than 90 percent of all wines should be consumed within one year.
 
Good wine ain’t cheap.
The most expensive bottle of wine that has been purchased is a 1907 Bottle of Heidsieck which was sold for $275,000. This bottle was meant to be shipped to the Russian Imperial family but got lost in a shipwreck.

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Megan Maginity

Illinois State

Megan is a sophomore Journalism major at Illinois State University, with a minor in Creative Writing. She balances her time between class, her sorority- Gamma Phi Beta, and writing for the college newspaper- The Daily Vidette. When she’s not busy, Meg likes to shop for the best sales, rollerblade, hang out with friends or watch reruns of Sex and The City. Becoming a campus correspondent/editor-in-chief was a great accomplishment for her because she is an aspiring writer, hoping to take on the world of mass media after graduation in 2013.