4000

Number of cheeses that will be tasted this year during the World Cheese Awards. The cheeses come from 45 countries, including some not associated with “milk’s higher calling” including Guatemala, Japan, and India. The judging will take place next week in Oviedo, Spain. The 230 judges who come from 35 countries will be joined by 10,000 visitors at the event.

Washington State’s vineyards exist in near-desert-like conditions.

Answer: True.

While many of us think “rain” when we think of Washington (hence its famous coffeehouse culture, for what else would you do when it’s pouring?), this is not the case east of the Cascade Mountains. Were it not for a few mountain rivers, Eastern Washington, where nearly all of the state’s AVAs are located, would be a desert. Even so, average annual rainfall can be as low as 6 inches in some areas, like Washington’s largest AVA, Columbia Valley.

“Many drinkers think of white wine as foreplay and feel somehow unsatisfied with a meal that doesn’t lead eventually to red.”

—Jay McInerney, Bacchus & Me

4000

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