I am multi-tasking.
Seriously.
I am writing this Blog in between loading bins of Malbec & Cabernet Franc into the crusher. Awesome grapes! I have to keep washing the grape juice from my hands to prevent my keyboard going sticky!
However, my ‘multi-tasking’ capabilities, which are substantial (at the gym I catch up with my reading while at maximum pace on the ’step machine’ – see, getting fit AND learning at the same time) are not the subject of this Blog. My sticky hands are.
The purpose here is for my sticky hands to give you the winning edge.
These days, what with Pub Quizzes, ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ and Trivial Pursuit, there is no such thing as ‘trivia’.
It’s ALL important!
Knowing THAT answer could be the difference between actually washing dishes for the next week, and listening to it being done from the comfort of your chair while watching the news and sipping wine (see, more inadvertant multi-tasking, I just can’t help myself).
Having THAT piece of information might secure the financial future of your family for generations to come or make you a You Tube sensation for fluffing it.
Getting THAT question correct may be the edge you need to win a year’s free beer at your local establishment, while earning the lifelong respect & admiration of all of those in your team.
NOT washing dishes, financial security, free beer, admiration – these are NOT trivial things.
So, listen up. Here is the answer to a question that you probably didn’t know.
Why is wine made from grapes? (Or, a version of this question).
Grapes have higher levels of naturally occurring sugar than any other fruit. Grapes are the only fruit with sufficient sugar so that when fermented, the finished product, ‘wine’, has enough natural alcohol to prevent spoilage. Bacteria and other organisms find it very difficult to ‘live’ in a liquid with high concentrations of alcohol (especially 12% or more).
Thousands of years ago when the first winemakers roamed the earth, the only alcoholic beverage that wouldn’t go ‘off’ so easily was wine made from grapes a la Egypt, Greece, Rome, Persia, etc. Remember there was no refrigeration, pasteurization, filtration, stainless steel or analytical tools back then.
They could have (and sadly some people still do!) made ‘wine’ from Feijoa, Elderberry, Kiwifruit and God-knows-what-else. But if they had done so, they would have needed to have added a lot of sugar. Otherwise, the resultant beverage would have had very low levels of alcohol, and therefore would have spoiled very quickly.
There is your answer. Wine has been made from grapes, for thousands of years, because grapes are the only fruit with sufficient sugar to convert to a high enough alcohol content to naturally prevent spoilage.
Please remember me when this seemingly trivial piece of information saves you from dishes, makes you a millionaire or earns you a few free pints at the pub.
So why is it just Bridget at quiz night down the Bridgy and not you too? You sound like a fount of trivial knowledge. Next year find a babysitter and you get your butt down there. You could do more multitasking…answer random, trivial questions in the quest for a bar tab while supping on pizza and drinkies. And you may even learn something new that you can share with the family around the dinner table.