17.8

Amount (in billions of U.S. dollars) spent on consumer products including wine on “Singles Day” (November 11) on the Chinese e-commerce site Alibaba. The world’s biggest on-line shopping event, Single’s Day in China (the rough equivalent of Valentine’s Day in the U.S.) took in nine times more revenue than either Black Friday or Cyber Monday are projected to gross in the U.S.

Red wine ferments at a higher temperature than white wine.

Answer: True.

During fermentation of red wine, the temperature of the must rises to between 60°F and 85°F. The winemaker usually does not want it to rise above 85°F, for at higher temperatures, the aromas and flavors of the wine may be volatilized or burned off. White wines, (except from some wines like full-bodies Chardonnays) are often fermented in temperature-controlled fermentation tanks, so they generally ferment at 50°F to 65°F. These tanks are usually double-skinned and wrapped on the outside with a jacket through which a coolant like glycol can run. Again, the goal is to preserve the wine’s aromas by fermenting at a cool temperature.

Prise de mousse

A French term meaning “formation of bubbles.” In Champagne, the term is sometimes used to describe the second fermentation.

17.8

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