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Myths about wine

Wine as an alcoholic beverage is made from the fermented juice of the grape. Wine was already being cultivated thousands of years ago in the advanced civilizations of the Middle East. Especially in Israel, Iran and today's Egypt. Already in 50 B.C. the Romans spread the wine culture in the conquered Germanic area, which was taken over by the Greeks and Etruscans. Roman wine monuments along the Moselle still bear witness to this today. The Roman emperor Probus (272-286 A.D.) lifted the then "wine ban" by Emperor Domitian. Probus made a name for himself as "wine emperor" because he promoted the cultivation of wine in the Palatinate and in Baden-Württemberg.

In 2013, wine consumption in Germany was 21.1 litres per head (source: "Deutsches Weininstitut"). A total of 17 million hectolitres were sold in 2013.

Only "cheap wines" have a screw cap

Wrong! In the meantime, more than 40 percent of German wines have a screw cap. Why? With this closure, the wine in the wine bottles can be stored standing up. Another advantage is that the wine has no chance to "cork", i.e. to take on the gently musty taste of the cork. Corked wine bottles must be stored lying down so that the cork does not dry out. If the cork dries out, the bottle will leak.

Blended wines are "adulterated wines

Wrong! Blended wine leaves a hard sound in the ears. That's not true. Because blend wines are actually the high art of a cellar master. It is a process in which different wine batches with their specific characteristics are combined with each other to create a new wine. In Germany this art is less developed. The French are more the professionals.

The presence of tartar in the bottle is a sign of good quality

Wrong! The small crystals that sometimes settle on the bottom of the wine bottle are potassium or calcium salt of tartaric acid. The presence of these crystals does not improve the quality of the wine, nor does it affect the taste. If the wine is stored too cold, more crystals are formed.

Beer on wine - let that be... See myths about beer

The quality of the wine depends on the vintage

Wrong! Depending on the weather conditions in Europe, the grapes are sometimes sweeter and sometimes less sweet, but then they have more acidity. This does not automatically mean that grapes from a less sweet year are worse. Here it depends on the skill of the winegrower. Can he process less sweet grapes so that the wine is still a good quality wine.

The older the red wine, the better the quality

NO and Yes! This usually applies to high-quality red wines. If the red wine is of high quality, the ingredients are also more concentrated. A quite young red wine occupies the tongue of the wine drinker. The tongue then feels as if something rough is slipping over it while drinking. In older red wines, a chemical reaction binds the tannins. These wines then drink themselves more "velvety" and taste smoother and rounder. The usual red wines from the shop should be drunk after a maximum of two years.

Red wine gets older than white wine

Right! For the longer age the more tanning agents are responsible. Likewise, the high-quality white wines can be stored for several decades. This includes Beerenauslese or also ice wines. The condition is that these wines must contain a lot of acid, sweetness and alcohol. But nevertheless the sweetness (it decreases) and thus the taste changes over the storage period.

Plenty of sun always makes a good wine

Wrong! The grapes need a balanced mix of sun and rain. A good wine year is when it is a little more humid during the growing period (in spring) and the sun has the upper hand in autumn (September to November).

The name of the winegrower appears on the label

Wrong! The wine comes from a specific winemaker if "Lock filling", "Goods bottling" or "Producer bottling" is written on the label. Because then the customer knows that the wine has matured, harvested, pressed, bottled and sold in his vineyard. If the label reads "bottler", then the wine may have been bought from one or more winegrowers and further processed in a winery.

Drink red wine only at room temperature

Wrong! This was at a time when wine was drunk in castle halls and the rooms were below the present room temperature. The drinking temperature varies from wine to wine. Connoisseurs recommend drinking heavy red wines between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius. The warmer a wine is drunk, the more the taste of the alcohol comes to the fore and the aromas evaporate.

Rosè wine is a mixture of red and white wine

Wrong! In reality the pale colour is the result of a special fermentation process. As with red wine, the skins and pulp are fermented. Because the skins contain most of the colorants, these are removed from the mash at an early stage. Less colour remains the earlier the pressing takes place.

Common salt helps against red wine stains

NO! The YES stands for the fact that the common salt helps if it is used immediately after the spill. If the stain has dried up, then the table salt will not help any more.