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Number of millions of bottles of Champagne shipped to the U.S. last year. The U.S is the second largest export market for Champagne in the world, second only to the U.K. Gradually on the rise in a particularly bright spot is rosé Champagne with 17% of the total Champagne sales in the U.S. last year.

What is the name pinot noir a reference to?

A. The blackness (noir) of the soil in which pinot noir grapes grow best

B. The tiny pea-like grapes

C. The pine-cone shape of pinot noir clusters

D. The fact that pinot noir grows best in cold climates, where the sky is often dark rather than sunny

The highly regarded French grape pinot noir (black pinot) takes its name from the French word pin or pine, a reference to the fact that the small clusters of pinot noir grapes are shaped like pine cones.

“Great, complex wines are wonderful, enthralling, life-affirming, soul-stirring, but it’s worth asking whether they are relaxing. Good, simple wines speak to our spirit of play and ease and repose, exactly because they don’t demand our exclusive attention.”

—Terry Theise, Wine Importer and Writer, Reading Between the Wines

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