Celebrate National Wine Day with these Resources!

On May 25, 2022 raise a toast to National Wine Day! No one can pinpoint exactly what year this tradition started, although some online references go back to 2009. It's been speculated that social media influenced the rise of National Wine Day. Aside from appreciating some fun #NationalWineDay memes this year, why not kick up your heels and enjoy your favorite vino while soaking up some information about one of the world's most popular (and oldest) adult beverages?

Fun Facts about National Wine Day

California makes 85% of all US wine.
Over 7,500,000 tons of grapes were produced in the US in 2018.
"Oenophobia" is the fear of wine.
The reason wine tasters "swirl" their wine in their glass is to release its aromas. Also, the glass isn't more than a third way full. This allows for sufficient space at the top of the glass for the aromas to permeate.
Red wine pairs better with heavier food like red meat, while white wine is paired with lighter food like chicken or fish. Sweet wine is best served with desserts.

Santa Clara Valley Wine History

In case you weren't already aware, Santa Clara Valley has a rich agricultural history in winemaking. In 1951 Santa Clara county wineries produced 4,016,000 gallons of wine that year! Franciscan monks first brought viticulture to Santa Clara Valley in 1802. In 1852 the first commercial winery in California opened, Almaden Vineyards. It was located in the Almaden Valley area in San Jose. Today Almaden wines are known for their boxed wines. A fun fact: San Jose Public Library's Vineland Branch is located less than half a mile away from the original Almaden Vineyards. (The Almaden Vineyards building is considered a historical landmark.)

Find your Perfect Paring with Food and Recipes

Wine Food new adventures in drinking and cooking, book cover

Cheese, Wine, and Bread Discovering the Magic of Fermentation in England, Italy, and France , book cover

Fire + Wine 75 Smoke-infused Recipes From the Grill With Perfect Wine Pairings, book cover

Tasting Georgia: A Food and Wine Journey in the Caucasus, book cover

Enhance Your Wine Knowledge

The New Wine Rules: a Genuinely Helpful Guide to Everything You Need to Know, book cover

The Oxford Companion to Wine , book cover

The New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia, book cover

Wine Folly the Essential Guide to Wine, book cover

Know-it-all Wine the 50 Essential Topics, Each Explained in Under a Minute, book cover

Local and State Wine History

Wineries of Santa Clara Valley, book cover

Crush: he Triumph of California Wine, book cover

The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty, book cover

California Vines, Wines, and Pioneers, book cover

Lineage: Life and Love and Six Generations in California Wine, book cover

On California: from Napa to Nebbiolo... wine tales from the Golden State, book cover

Entertaining Memoirs and Wine Travelogues

Adventures on the Wine Route, book cover

How to Love Wine: A Memoir and a Manifesto, book cover

Wine Girl the Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier, book cover

Godforsaken Grapes a Slightly Tipsy Journey Through the World of Strange, Obscure and Underappreciat, book cover

For the Love of Wine My Odyssey Through the World's Most Ancient Wine Culture, book cover

A Moveable Thirst Tales and Tastes From a Season in Napa Wine Country, book cover

A Vineyard in Tuscany a Wine Lover's Dream, book cover

Website Resources

References

Newspapers.com (available through sjpl.org): Los Gatos Times-Saratoga Observer, 20 Feb 1952
30 Fascinating Facts About Wine That You Never Knew, Newsweek
United States Wine and Grape Industry