May 25: National Wine Day

Originally written on May 25, 2021 – updated 2023

Sweet or dry, red or white, fizzy or flat, let’s raise a glass to one of the most loved and historical alcoholic tipples there is – the traditional glass of wine!
For centuries and centuries, wine has been a firm favorite of cultures across the world, and there’s no doubt that this fruity fixture of the alcoholic drink repertoire well deserves its own day of observance!
On the 25th of May, it’s time to celebrate everything that makes a wine great.
And everything that makes a wine great is, of course, everything about it!
You may think every day has the potential to be a National Wine Day, but when people hasn’t been getting on your nerves there’s National Wine Day.
Unlike “Drink National Wine Day”, celebrated in February, National Wine Day is more about celebrating the beverage itself rather than the act of drinking it – although of course, that isn’t stopping you from enjoying a glass (or two).

Wine has been around from time immemorial.
The oldest evidence that we have dates way back to 7000 BC China, and many ancient civilizations celebrated the effects of wine and often used it for religious observance.
And today wine is one of the most widely produced and consumed drinks in the world.
There are so many types to choose from, including Chardonnay, Merlot, Riesling, Syrah or Chianti.
And it’s not just grapes which make up the bottles, as you can also get hold of fruit, flower and even vegetable wines!
Made from fermented grapes or other fruits, during the fermentation processes, yeast consumes the sugars in the grapes converting it into alcohol.
Of course, different grapes produce different wines.
Winemakers will combine different wines to create more complex flavors, and wines made from fruit or honey are often named according to the variety of fruit used.
Red wine varietals produce deep ruby reds as well as subtle ambers and browns.
Winemakers produce white wines from grapes with light yellow-green skins or light red skins.
However, it’s not the color of the grapes that give the wine its color: It’s the tannins in the grape skins that color wine red and also the flavor.
White wines are generally sweeter than red wines and are best served chilled, while most red wines are served at room temperature.

Did you know that, in the past, women could be killed for drinking wine?
Yes, in the early Roman times, a husband was at liberty to kill his wife if he found her drinking wine, because It was a forbidden drink for women!
The oldest bottle of wine in the world is in Speyer, Germany, and It’s on display at the historical museum in the town. It dates back to an impressive AD 325!
On the other hand, the oldest known wine cellar is actually on the famous ship, Titanic. We know what you’re thinking; the Titanic sunk! However, when divers when down to the wreckage, they were surprised to see that most of the wine bottles were still intact.

Have you ever toasted to everyone’s health?
Well, probably you didn’t know that this is something that comes from Ancient Greek tradition: the host of the dinner would have the first sip of wine to assure his guests that the drink was not poisoned.

And, in order to get the exact quantity of antioxidants you get in wine, you would have to drink seven glass of orange juice or if you prefer apple juice, you would need 20 glasses!

Despite everything, there are some people who are actually scared of wine, and It is known as oenophobia.

How to celebrate?
This seems an obvious one: celebrate this day by pouring yourself and your friends a glass (or two).
You can also invite family and friends over for a meal with perfectly paired wine for each course. The internet has a wealth of information regarding what wines go best with what dish!
For example, bitter wines are best balanced with fat, while white wines are best paired with meats that have light-intensity, for example, chicken or fish.
Red wines are best paired with bold-flavored meats, for example, red meat.
But, If you want to get a bit more creative than just drinking it, you could look into producing your wine.
Winemaking kits are not hard to come by in larger department stores, and who knows, you could end up making something really good!
With a wine kit, you are not going to have to wait long in order to get some wine into the bottle, and It is possible to have wine in a bottle around four to six weeks from the beginning of the process.
How long a wine needs to age depends on the sort of wine you are making.
For example, if you want to make a good Cabernet Sauvignon, you would be the best aging it for at least seven years, or as long as ten years.
However, a 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. Do a little bit of digging online so that you can make sure you get your timings right.

So what’s your favorite? Red, white, or rose? Whatever your choice, be sure to raise a glass today (responsibly, of course…).