Rosé Champagne

A pink Champagne. The rosé color, which actually ranges from translucent pink to coppery salmon, is obtained either by blending a bit of still red wine into the Champagne blend before the SECONDARY FERMENTATION or by leaving the base wines in contact with the grape skins for a brief period of time to absorb color. Because rosé Champagnes are difficult and risky to make, production is limited and the wines are generally more expensive than golden Champagnes.

Millions of grape vines were uprooted in South Africa after World War I in order to grow alfalfa.

Answer: True.

South African grape growers uprooted some 10 million vines after the war in order to plant alfalfa to feed—can you believe it?—ostriches. Ostrich feathers were highly fashionable in Europe during the Roaring '20s. The change from grapes to alfalfa was due to economic hardship. South Africa had established a cooperative system at the turn of the 20th century to keep the wine industry from going into economic depression. Although a dozen co-ops were formed, many were unsuccessful. Grape prices plummeted, causing the wine industry to enter another depression after WWI. That's when, seeing an opportunity in feathers, grape growers turned to alfalfa.

2000

Number of Walmart stores in the U.S. that now allow adult customers with an I.D. to pickup wine, beer, and spirits via their drive-up grocery pickup service. (Needless to say, after purchase, those beverages cannot… Continue reading

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