9500

Number of my followers on Facebook who were asked if they know why white wine glasses are smaller than red wine glasses. Among the responses: 1) There are small glasses? 2) Because the glass industry needs to sell more product. 3) Because red wine drinkers drink more. 4) Because with a smaller glass, you don’t have to drink as much of that crappy chardonnay your husband bought.

How often can cork bark be harvested from cork oak trees?

A. Every year, just like grapes

B. Once every 50 years

C. Once every 3 years

D. Once every 9 years

Cork oak trees can be harvested for the first time for cork bark after about 25 years. Thereafter, the tree bark is harvested every 9 years. A cork tree will be “stripped,” on average, sixteen times in its 150 to 200 life. There is a saying in Portugal (where most of the world’s cork oak forests exist) that: Nature got it wrong–there should be a cork harvest every year, but women should have babies just once every nine years.

“One of the interesting things about viticulture is that everybody needs each other. There’s great respect among vintners and winemakers. At this point in history, the wine industry is a unique culture.”

—Bill Harlan
Harlan Estate, Napa Valley

9500

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