National Drink Wine Day

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National Drink Wine Day is on February 18th in the United States.

Wine is a fermented, and therefore alcoholic, drink that is primarily made from fermented grapes. Some countries will define just what is allowed to be used in order for a drink to be called wine, and what types of grapes are allowed to be used in a particular type of wine. Rice is another thing used to make wine, and there are various fruit wines such as cherry, plum, pomegranate, elderberry and currant. Mead, which is made from honey, is sometimes called honey wine. Champagne is a specific type of sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France, but there are other sparkling wines from other countries.

Wine is known to date back to at least 5000 BC, which is when the earliest signs of winemaking have been found. Wine has historically played an important role in many religions around the world, not just those dedicated to gods of wine. The primary colours of wine are red, white and rosé, but there are different subcategories within these. As well as being drunk, which is what this day celebrates, wine is a popular cooking ingredient too. Wines can be classified by region of origin, which is more commonly seen in European wines, and by grape, which is how wines of the New World are typically classified.