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Number of acres of grapevines in California that should be pulled out in order to balance supply and demand, according to Jeff Bittner, President of Allied Grape Growers. Last year, the state’s surplus of grapes meant that hundreds of vineyards throughout the state were left unpicked. When the demand for wine is down, surplus grapes can often be sold for brandy and grape concentrate production. However, markets for those products are also saturated.

To call yourself a sommelier, you must be certified as such.

Answer: False.

While it’s true that some sommeliers are credentialed by certifying bodies such as the Master Sommelier organization, a sommelier does not have to be certified to work in restaurants or other establishments. Indeed, many well-known sommeliers are not officially certified, even though their knowledge of wine is immense.

“What we hear when we eat and drink—even the noises of food preparation, the rattling sounds of product packaging, or loud background music—plays a much more important role [in flavor perception] than any of us realizes. Sound is the forgotten flavor sense.”

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