12 Days of Wine Facts—To Keep the Season Bright 🥂

 Hi Wine Friends,

As we head into the holidays, I thought it would be fun to take a spin on a classic holiday tune and give you a little wine knowledge along the way. So, here we go—The 12 Days of Wine Knowledge—a fun, wine-filled twist on the well-known song to help you impress your friends and family at your holiday gatherings.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

Twelve Grams Dosaging – 12 grams is the maximum amount of residual sugar allowed in a sparkling wine labeled "brut." This scale goes from 0g to 12g, with variations like Extra Brut (0-6g) and Brut Nature (0g). As the climate warms, producers have less and less reason to dosage (originally used to balance the very high acid produced in Champagne’s cold climate) so we’re seeing more and more Brut Nature styles.

Eleven Places Pinot-ing – The Willamette Valley is now home to 11 AVA’s (American Viticultural Areas), all producing world-class Pinot Noir. In addition to the iconic originals Dundee Hills, Chehalem Mountains, Ribbon Ridge, Yamhil-Carlton and Eola-Amity Hills, there’s now McMinnville, Van Duzer Corridor, Laurelwood District, Tualatin Hills, Lower Long Tom and Mt. Pisgah!

Ten Tawnies Sleeping – Ten Year Tawny Ports are made from a blend of multiple vintages, with the youngest being aged at least 10 years. These rich, complex wines are aged in barrels exposed to oxygen, turning their red hues into the deep, tawny color that gives off flavors of caramel, toffee, and toasted almonds. Perfect for sipping slowly on a chilly winter evening.

Nine Liters Dancing – A Salmanazar is a large-format bottle that holds 9 liters of wine, which is the equivalent of 12 standard bottles–aka a full case of wine! And if you think that’s a lot, there’s also Nebuchadnezzars that hold 15 liters, Melchiors that hold 18 and Melchziedeks that hold 30! 😳

Eight Grapes a-Bubbling – While Champagne is known for its three primary grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier), did you know there are actually 8 permitted varietals in the production of Champagne? Along with the usual suspects of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, you’ll also find Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Petit Meslier, Arbane, and even the rare Voltis, a hybrid grape developed to combat fungal pressures.

Seven Wines a-Sparkling – When it comes to sparkling wine, there’s more than just Champagne. You should also know about Cava (Spain’s traditional-method sparkling), Prosecco (Italy’s refreshing and affordable option), Franciacorta (Italy’s Champagne equivalent), Pet Nat (an ancient, naturally sparkling wine made with only one fermentation), Lambrusco (a unique red sparkling wine from northern Italy), and Crémant (French sparkling wine made outside Champagne). Have you checked these seven sparklers off your list?

Six Years a-Laying – Savagnin from the Jura region in France requires a minimum of six years aging under flor (a layer of yeast) to become Vin Jaune. This special aging process gives the wine its signature nutty, oxidative character, making it the perfect pairing for rich dishes like Comté cheese, fondue and lobster bisque.

Five Golden Rules of Pairing – When it comes to wine and food, here are my five favorite rules for flawless pairings:

1. Pair to the sauce first, protein second.
2. Match the body of the wine to the weight of the dish.
3. Pair sweet wines with sweet and spicy food.
4. The wine must have at least as much acidity as the dish.
5. When in doubt, bubble it out! Sparkling wine pairs with almost everything!

Four Colored Bottles – There are four major hues of wine… 

• White (juice from white or red grapes, pressed immediately)
• Red (red grapes fermented with the skins to develop crimson color)
• Rosé (red grapes fermented only briefly on the skins for a light pink hue)
• Orange (white grapes fermented with the skins for a bold golden color) 

Three French Tiers – Burgundy wines are classified into three levels of quality: Villages (regional wines), Premier Cru (excellent single vineyards), and Grand Cru (the crème de la crème from the best vineyard sites). These classifications help guide your wine choices in one of the most renowned wine regions in the world as well as your bank balance 🙂

Two Types of Thinking – When it comes to wine, the world generally falls into two camps: Old World wines, which come from cooler European regions with lower alcohol, higher acidity and less ripe fruit flacors and New World wines, which come from warmer regions outside Europe, with higher alcohol, riper fruit flavors, and often more oak influence. Of course there are many exceptions but this is a great place to start when defining your favorite styles!

And a Perfect Place to Learn It All! – If these fun facts sparked your curiosity, then you’ll love my course Seven Day Sommelier! This fully digital course is designed to give you everything you need to know to enjoy wine like a pro. 

The course is split into seven comprehensive modules:

• What Is Wine? How it’s made and the various colors and styles 
• The Major Grapes: The most prominent red, white and grey grapes
• How To Taste: A masterclass in the deductive tasting method (aka how to master blind tasting in an hour!)
• Old World Wines Part 1: Italy and France
• Old World Wines Part 2: Spain, Portugal, Germany and Austria
• New World Wines: United States, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand
• Wine in Your Life: How to pair wine with food, decode labels, find your favorite wines and more!

The course also includes four bonus modules on Orange Wine, Proper Bottle Service, Sparkling Wine, and Natural Wine—plus a 100+ page digital course book companion.

I hope this helps you complete your holiday shopping and I look forward to seeing what you’re all popping for the Christmas table.

Cheers and happy holidays,

Kelsey