Wine Questions Say What?
This week I got a press release from the folks at ask.com, an online search engine. They noted that they have received thousands of questions about wine.
They sent me a Top 10 list of wine questions and answers. I’ve organized them into a quiz below. Some of the questions will be snooze-easy for regular wine drinkers. And I might even argue with an answer or two.
So make of this what you will.
QUESTIONS
1. How many calories are in a glass of wine?
2. How do I make wine?
3. What is port wine?
4. How many bottles of wine are in a case?
5. What is Marsala wine?
6. What wine goes best with chicken?
7. Who is the god of wine?
8. How long does wine last once opened?
9. How do I remove red wine spills from carpet?
10. What is the best way to open a bottle of wine?
ANSWERS
1. It all depends on the wine, but around 125 is usually a pretty safe guess.
2. With grapes and love. The basics - crush grapes and combine with yeast, sugar, and water. Once a day, the mixture is stirred. Over a month or so, the fruit ferments and creates wine.
3. Port wine is a sweet red wine that originated in the Douro Valley of Portugal. It is most often used as a desert wine and is available in several different varieties.
4. A standard case of wine contains 12 bottles.
5. Marsala wine is wine that comes from Marsala, Italy, and made with white skin or dark red skin berry grapes. Marsala is located in the western section of Sicily.
6. A chardonnay or pinot blanc are traditional, but we’re of the belief that you should drink what you like!
7. Despite popular belief, it’s not Lindsay Lohan. Dionysus holds that honor: http://www.ask.com/web?qsrc=2417&o=10429&l=dir&q=Who+is+the+god+of+wine%3F>
8. Well, it depends on who’s drinking it! Just kidding – a wine’s open shelf life depends heavily on the type of wine and container stored in, but three days is generally considered the rule of thumb.
9. Prayer. Or…blot, club soda, blot, baking soda, blot, distilled water…blot.
10. Patiently :-)
OK, so the list is pretty silly. What interested me is why so many people want to know about Marsala and port, two fortified wines that I doubt many people drink much. Maybe everybody’s making Marsala sauce for chicken or port sauce for their pork!?!?
And considering the rest of the list, I would expect the question about cleaning spills to be at the top of the list, not at No. 9.
The 125 calories is certainly useful info.
The 3-day-rule on open bottles for me is too general. Somebody who leaves a red wine on the counter for 3 days with a plain cork in it may well find that it has lost its luster.
I did like the mention of pinot blanc as a pairing with chicken, just because pinot blanc is so often overlooked in this country.
Anyway, if you have any wine questions that I might be able to answer, shoot away.
(Associated Press Photo)
