We're still ahead

Although we may lament that wine consumption has plummeted in the United States, we’re drinking more it than any other country.

In fact, consumers in the U.S. drink 3.33 billion liters of wine, which is about 15.6 percent of the market. France is next at 10.7 percent; Italy at 10.4 percent, Germany at 8.3 percent and the UK at 5.9 percent. Together, these countries consume 50 percent of the wine sold in the world.

This is data from the International Organization Wine and Vine as compiled by the Visual Capitalist.

In the pink

I always considered “pink champagne” to be another name, albeit an old one, for rose champagne. But now it’s officially recognized as an ancient grape variety in Champagne. A natural mutation of white chardonnay, this summer it joined the seven main varieties that can be used in champagne.

Pink champagne was identified in the early 1900s in both Champagne and Burgundy.

Among the other minor grapes in the lineup are arbane, petit meslier, pinot black and pinot gris.