Dégorgement

Disgorgement (see DISGORGING)—the process of removing the yeasty sediments from a Champagne bottle after the second, bubble-forming FERMENTATION.

Where in the world did apples originate?

A. Peru

B. Kazakhstan

C. China

D. Nova Scotia

All of those Fujis, Romes, Deliciouses, and Granny Smiths in your market can be traced back to one place where apples still grow wild—Kazakhstan. According to Gastro Obscura, the ancestor of the domestic apple is the Malus sieversii, which grows wild in the Tian Shan Mountains. Scientists believe that Tian Shan apple seeds were transported out of Kazakhstan by birds and bears long before humans ever cultivated them. By the time humans did begin to grow apples the Malus sieversii was growing in Syria. The Romans discovered it there and then spread the fruit around the Roman Empire. Wild apple forests still exist in Kazakhstan in protected patches within National Parks.

“I defy you to go down to San Francisco and find anyone today who wants to get hot and sticky picking grapes for $30 an hour.”

—Ren Harris
Owner of Paradigm winery in the Napa Valley, talking about California’s impending labor crisis as the shortage of grape pickers worsens

Get WineSpeed