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Number of European nations that make up the Union of European National Football (aka soccer in the U.S.) teams of Winemakers (UENFW). VINOEURO, their bi-annual tournament featuring two halves of soccer and third “half” of wine tasting, was scheduled for May in the Czech Republic but has been rescheduled for 2021 due to COVID-19. The UENFW’s mission is to present wine, soccer, and education as common cultural assets in Europe.

Which of the famous people below was offered a vineyard as payment for a service he rendered?

A. The Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci

B. The Italian explorer Christopher Columbus

C. The Roman poet Virgil

D. The French writer Voltaire

The artist/scientist/inventor Leonardo da Vinci was a great lover of wine. In 1498, he accepted a small vineyard from Ludivoco Sforza, the Duke of Milan, as payment for “The Last Supper” which da Vinci painted for the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. (The vineyard was destroyed by a fire that resulted from bombing during World War II). And what grapes grew in da Vinci’s vineyard? In 2009, Italian viticulturists and geneticists excavated the site, and based on the DNA of extant roots, determined that it was malvasia di candia, an aromatic white variety, which of course is still grown in Italy today.

Diacetyl

Diacetyl is a buttery-tasting compound that is a by-product of malolactic fermentation, the process in which beneficial bacteria turn sharp-tasting malic acid in wine to softer lactic acid. Chardonnays that have gone through malolactic fermentation… Continue reading

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