A Couple of Facts

I came across an article recently and thought I would share a few bits of information that we usually don't think about. I'm always looking for little bits of this and that. It makes playing Jeopardy! more fun.

Did you ever notice that when you know the answers the questions are easy, and when you don't know the answers you say WOW, these questions are difficult. So here's a few facts you may not have given much thought.

Greek Parties -- The ancient Greeks poured their wine into large bowls, almost like our punch bowls and used their cups to scoop up the wine. These bowls were called krater's.

Large Bottles -- You may have noticed the extra large size wine bottles lined up as decorations in some restaurants. These bottles hold 2, 3, and 4 times the amount of wine than the 750 ml bottles we usually buy. Some of these bottles are named Jeroboam, Rehoboam, Balthazar just to name a few. All the names of the larger bottles are from an ancient book we know as the Bible.

Chianti -- Traditionally, Chianti was sold in a wide-bodied bottle covered with a straw bottom. These bottles were called Fiaschi in Italian. Eventually, the bottle was given an English word which has a very different meaning, namely a Fiasco.

Corks -- Screw Caps on wine bottles is becoming increasingly popular. Though many wine bottles are still being sealed with natural corks. Cork is a renewable resource and is widely grown and mainly imported from the country of Portugal.

Give Thanks -- Since we are nearing Thanksgiving here's an interesting fact. The Mayflower was built originally for the purpose of shipping wine. Who Knew!!!


Salute!
Winelady Cooks