Did you know that it is dirt and not carbon dioxide that make champagne and sparkling wine fizz? In a perfectly smooth and clean glass molecules of carbon dioxide would evaporate invisibly which is why for ages people thought that it was imperfections in the glass itself that caused the fizz.

Technology advancements in photography have shown however that these small imperfections in glass are in fact too small and that carbon dioxide can not adhere to them. Instead it is the small pieces of dirt, fluff and dust which act as condensation nuclei for the dissolved carbon dioxide making the bubbles.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a thirst for knowledge, but not just knowledge that kind of stuff that you would only need to know if you were ever going to be on a quiz game show. In fact that is where this piece of information that I am about to tell you comes from.

In the UK there is a television game show hosted by Stephen Fry (Blackadder, V for Vendetta) called QI. This isn’t just a quiz show however, it is a show in which the information is never what you would expect, making it perfect for those “did you know” moments at your next party.Take for example the following. This is quoted verbatim from the QI book which Stephen Fry has written called “The Book of General Ignorance” which I highly suggest everyone pick up:

“Who invented Champagne?

Not the French.

It may come as a surprise – even an outrage – to them but champagne is an English invention.

Anyone who has made their own ginger beer knows, fermentation naturally produces bubbles. The problem has always been controlling it.

The English developed a taste for fizzy wine in the sixteenth century, importing barrels of green, flat wine from Champagne and adding sugar and molasses to start it fermenting. They also developed the strong coal-fired glass bottles and corks to contain it.

As the records of the Royal Society show, what is now called methode champenoise was first written about down in England in 1662. The French added finesse and marketing flair but it wasn’t until 1876 that they perfected the modern dry or brut style (and even then it was for export to England).

The UK is France’s largest consumer for champagne. In 2004, 34 million bottles were consumed in Britain. This is almost a third of the entire export market – twice as much as the USA, three times as much as the Germans and twenty times as much as the Spanish.

The Benedictine monk Dom Perignon (1638-1715) did not invent champagne: in fact he spent most of his time trying to remove the bubbles.

His famous exclamation: ‘Come quickly, I am drinking the stars’, was devised for an advertisement in the late nineteenth century. Perignon’s real legacy to champagne was in the skilful blending of grape varieties from different vineyards and the use of a wire or hempen cage for the cork.”

Well the holiday season has arrived! I think one of my favourite things about this time of year is the mulled wine. There is nothing like sitting with friends enjoying a nice warm glass of mulled wine. Most people don’t know that mulled wine didn’t come about as a warm festive alternative to a glass of red wine, but rather that it was created as a way to make red wine taste better back when it would expire and go bad rather quickly. The addition of honey and spices made it drinkable again. Today, however, is it seen more as a lovely treat and way to warm up around Christmas time.

There are many recipes that are floating around the internet and in cook books for how to make a mulled wine. To be honest I am not going to sit here and say that one recipe is better than others. Most mulled wines consist of the same basic ingredients: orange, nutmeg, clove and of course red wine. Some people like to add brandy or cognac, while others like to add candy canes for an extra little oomph. From my experience in mulled wine I can say one thing for certain, it is not necessary to use expensive red wines. Because of all the additions to the wine, I have never used an expensive bottle of wine, perhaps the most expensive bottle I’ve used cost around $10.

What recipe is my personal favourite? Honestly, I don’t make mulled wine from scratch. I have found that the mulled wine pouches or syrups that you can purchase in retail outlets are excellent. The guess work is taken out in terms of how much spice needs to be added and the flavours are exquisite. You can always experiment with additions to your mulled wine along with your store bought spice pouches to make a unique enjoyable flavour.

Seasons Greetings!