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You are not going to be surprised to hear this, but it’s time to uncork yet another special day on the calendar. In fact, I’d go so far as to say today is an incredibly grape day!
Get ready to raise your glass in celebration, because today, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, is National White Wine Day.
If you are not currently driving an automobile, flying an airplane or conducting open-heart surgery, I strongly recommend you hoist a glass of sauvignon blanc or chardonnay in honour of this somewhat under-appreciated version of fermented grape juice.
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“National White Wine Day on August 4 is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a glass of this very versatile drink. White wines make for great apéritifs before a meal, a suitable companion to fish or white meat dishes, and a great accompaniment to dessert,” according to a refreshing blurb on nationaltoday.com.
“White wine is generally considered to be lighter and more refreshing than red wine and is the preferred alcoholic beverage for millions of people throughout the world. So, whether it is a chardonnay or a sauvignon blanc, National White Wine Day is here and it’s time to relax and treat yourself to a crisp little tipple.”
Tribune Media(Dreamstime / TNS)
As regular readers already know, Uncle Doug is something of an insufferable wine snob, but on the upside he is also here to answer your challenging wine questions. Let’s try that right now…
Q: Uncle Doug, why is white wine white and red wine red?
A: That is an excellent question. You will be interested to learn that virtually all grapes produce clear juice and the secret to a wine’s colour lies not in the pulp, but in the skins. “When making white wine, the grape skins are removed before fermentation, resulting in a clear juice that ultimately yields a transparent white wine,” according to the informed folks at foodandwine.com. “Usually, those skins are white, but many white wines (including a large percentage of Champagne) are actually made from red grapes—a style known as ‘blanc de noir.’ ”
In contrast, during the production of red wines, the skins remain in contact with the juice as it ferments, thereby extracting a red wine’s colour and flavour. “Think of it like steeping a bag of tea: the longer you allow the leaves to remain in contact with the boiling water, the darker, richer, and more intensely flavoured your brew will be. The same principle applies to wine,” foodandwine.com gushes.
And while red wine, a key component of the famed Mediterranean diet, is famed for its health benefits, white wine is now starting to become recognized for more than just being the perfect accompaniment for grilled fish.
This nectar of the gods made headlines around the world late last month because of a study suggesting that a glass of white wine a day could help keep menopause at bay.
A new study from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found women who drank about 1.5 glasses of white wine per day were 20 percent less likely to go through menopause early than those who did not drink.
“The study tracked nearly 108,000 women across the U.S. Interestingly, red wine was less effective, delaying menopause by only 10 percent. Beer showed no effect. Researchers warned that one glass of white wine was all it took – downing a bottle would not prolong the delay,” according to womanandhome.com.
I don’t wish to brag, but my wife, She Who Must Not Be Named, is fond of telling me that I have a great deal in common with a bottle of white wine — I need to spend years maturing before I’m worth having dinner with.
But that’s not today’s luscious, medium-bodied, mouth-coating point. No, today’s point is that we should all raise our glasses of vin blanc and toast the following batch of uplifting news reports that will make everyone want to clink their glasses with mid-week glee. Cheers!
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