Green

A flavor in wine generally associated with those of grass, moss, vegetables or herbs. Also a flavor found in wines made from under-ripe grapes. A certain amount of greenness can be characteristic of, and positive in, some varietals like sauvignon blanc. With most red varietals, however, significant greenness is considered a defect.

Women and men of the same size and body weight are equally affected by the alcohol in wine.

Answer: False.

Women are more susceptible than men to the effects of wine—and of all other types of alcohol—even when weight is eliminated as a factor. Women have less aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2), the enzyme in the lining of the stomach that begins to break down and metabolize alcohol. Also, women’s bodies are 45% – 50% water, while a man’s is about 55% – 65%. As a result of both, when a man and a woman each drink the same amount of wine, more alcohol winds up in the bloodstream of the woman. According to one blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) study, 30 minutes after a 150-lb man and a 150-lb woman consume one drink with 0.6oz of alcohol, the man’s BAC is 0.018 and the woman’s is 0.027.

Cathy Corison is always one of the first winemakers to harvest in the Napa Valley. When we asked her about perfect ripeness, here’s what she said:

“Waiting to pick so long that the bright red and blue flavors are gone, along with most of the natural acidity, is not my idea of ripeness. Once those have departed, you can’t get them back. I often hear it said that ‘the flavors aren’t there yet’ when, for my style of wine, they’ve come and gone.”

—Cathy Corison, Winemaker/Owner Corison Vineyards, Napa Valley

Green

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