What are the two primary wine regions in Canada?
1.  Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
2. Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Where was Canada’s first estate winery founded?
Pelee Island. Started in 1871 and was named Vin Villa.

Which province’s residents consume more wine than any other in Canada?
Quebec, with an average of about 23 litres of wine per person per year.

What is Canada’s most famous type of wine?
Icewine. Canada produces more icewine than any other country in the world. 

The Titanic that sank in 1912 still has most of its wine collection, and while a few bottles have surfaced and sold, most are still underwater and intact in the ship. 

There is a condition called oenophobia, which is an irrational fear of wine.

How many grapes are used in one regular-sized (750 oz) bottle of wine? 600 to 800.

Glasses of Port are meant to be passed to your left at the table. Why? Port was made for Portuguese sailors to carry on their voyages because these sweet wines are well preserved through the fortification process so lasted longer. Also, due to their high alcohol content through fortification, a little goes a long way. One theory is that using your left hand was consistent with the left side or “port” side of a boat. Another theory is that if you were using your left hand to pass and drink Port, you would keep your right hand free to use your sword, if necessary.

The Yunessun Spa Resort in Hakone, Japan has a dedicated red wine pool for patrons to bathe in. Not only does this spa have a red wine bath, but they also offer baths of sake, green tea, and coffee.

There are 12 different-sized wine bottles ranging from one glass of wine called a Split or a Piccolo, all the way up to a Solomon which holds the equivalent of 120 glasses of wine or 24 standard (750 oz) bottles of wine. 

Which country has the largest land area dedicated to vineyards? Spain. Approximately 1,154,000 hectares.

How much wine is consumed annually? Approximately 25 billion litres!

Who is the Roman god of wine? Bacchus. There is also a grape variety with the same name.

Which country produces the most wine every year? Italy, 4,250,000 litres per year.

Which country is considered by many to produce the best wines? France.

Where is the most northerly vineyard found? Norway.

Where is the most southerly vineyard found? New Zealand.

How many wine-grape varieties are there in the world? Around 10,000, but only about 1,300 grape varieties are used commercially. 

What town in BC is called “The Wine Capital of Canada”?
Oliver. Oliver has more than 40 wineries and approximately one-half of BC’s grapevines. Oliver also has a wine village called The District Wine Village, an amphitheatre-style wine-tasting village.

How many wineries are there in British Columbia?
Over 330 and growing.

What are the top 4 wine grape varieties planted in BC?
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Merlot. 

What was the name of the first winery in BC and what year was it established?
Calona Wines in 1932. Located in Kelowna BC and is still in production to this day.

What is the name of the first winery in the Fraser Valley?
Chaberton Estate Winery. It is located in Langley (about 1 hour from Vancouver) and became an operating retail winery in 1991. Chaberton is known for its awarding-winning wines and its French restaurant named Bacchus. 

How much is one single serving of wine?
5 ounces (150 ml)

How many calories are in a glass of wine?
If it’s a dry wine with 13% alcohol, it’s about 100 – 135 per glass.

Is wine a diet drink?
Kind of, it’s keto-friendly, if you stick to dry wines.

How many glasses of wine per day is considered “healthy” for women? 
One 5 oz glass.

How many glasses of wine per day is considered “healthy” for men?
Two 5 oz glasses.

Does wine have any healthy ingredients?
Yes, resveratrol, a chemical found in red wines which have antioxidants and inflammatory effects. 

Looking back more than 30 years ago, we didn't have many Canadian or imported wines to choose from. However, there was one very available and extremely popular wine that was produced in British Columbia called Baby Duck. Baby Duck wine was fashioned after the popular Portuguese sparkling wine called Mateus. 

For those who have never experienced Baby Duck wine, it is a sweet sparkling wine made with a blend of red and white Labrusca grapes and has flavours and aromas of grape jelly, mixed berries, cherries and melons. Baby Duck was created by Andres Wines in 1971 (now Andrew Peller Ltd.) and was Canada's best-selling wine in the 1970s. 

Baby Duck is low in alcohol (7%), with the average wine being 11% to 13% abv. Over 8 million bottles of Baby Duck were sold in 1973 and it continued to be a best-seller through the 1970s and 1980s. Baby Duck is still available for sale to this day all over Canada. 

With Canada's significant increase in domestic wineries, the importation of wines from around the world, and our more sophisticated palates, Baby Duck sales have dropped considerably since the 70s and 80s. It has also lost its status of being called a "wine" and is now referred to as a "refreshment drink". 

Baby Duck was and is a great starter wine for a newbie drinker who wants to start developing their palate for wine or for someone who wants something similar to soda pop but with a little added zing of alcohol.

What does a wine's "legs" or "tears" refer to?

These terms refer to how the wine clings to the inside of a glass after swirling.

Wines with high alcohol like a bold red wine or high sugar levels like a fortified/dessert wine are viscous and adhere to the sides of the glass creating a syrupy residue which is called the "tears" or "legs" of a wine.

Wines are often described as being light-bodied, medium-bodied, or full-bodied, but what does it mean?

The body of a wine is the weight of the wine on your palette or the “mouthfeel”. The best way to describe the difference in the body of a wine is by comparing skim milk, whole milk and half and half and how each of these milk styles feels in your mouth.

The body of wine comes mainly from the alcohol and sugar levels. The higher the alcohol in a wine, the more body or viscosity it has, just as more fat in milk gives it more body.

The body of a wine is not related to the quality of the wine, but to the grape variety, style of the wine, alcohol level, and ripeness of the grapes. Add an answer here.

There are more than 40 million people of Scottish ancestry spread all over the world and today is the day to acknowledge and celebrate Scottish culture and heritage. When celebrating Scottish heritage, do you ever consider Scottish beverages, particularly wine?

The Scottish do make wines from fruit such as berries or apples, botanicals, vegetables, honey, and grapes! However, the Scottish are now trying their hands at growing cool-climate wine grape varieties. Some of the first grape varieties planted in Scotland have been Siegerrebe(white), Black Muscat(black/red) and Brant(black/red) along with a few other varietals, which have seen variable results so far. However, with climate change and some innovative growing and wine production techniques, we may see more Scottish wines being produced in the future.

While Scotland continues to explore and develop their grape growing and winemaking techniques, you can’t go wrong with Scotland’s finest alcoholic beverage, whiskey! Slàinte mhath!