France banned serving alcohol with school lunches in 1956, but only for kids under 14. Before the 1950s, French children were not only allowed to drink wine, beer or cider in the canteen, but they were encouraged to do so.
wine
A drink called Kalimotxo or Calimocho which…
A drink called Kalimotxo or Calimocho which consists of equal parts red wine and cola, dates back to the 1920s, originating in Spain. However, the drink didn’t become popular until around 1953 when Coca-Cola became readily available in Spain.
Workers in wine cellars used to wear…
Workers in wine cellars used to wear iron face masks because 20-90 percent of sparkling wine bottles would explode due to instability, often causing a chain reaction.
Wine mixed with coke is an actual…
Wine mixed with coke is an actual thing and it’s called Kalimotxo, it’s one part red wine and 1 part coke and it’s been around since the 1970s. It has become an icon of Basque culture and one of Spain’s most international drinks.
Shiraz wine has been produced…
Shiraz wine has been produced in Shiraz, Iran since the 9th century. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution there were 300 wineries in Iran, now there are none.
The Vatican City has the highest…
The Vatican City has the highest per capita wine consumption of any country in the world.
Thieves in Paris recently drilled…
Thieves in Paris recently drilled through a limestone wall in the Catacombs into a high end apartment building wine cellar and made away with $300,000 worth of vintage wine.
In 1989, a bottle from Thomas Jefferson’s collection…
In 1989, a bottle from Thomas Jefferson’s collection, was valued at an astronomical $500,000 by its owner, William Sokolin. When Sokolin took the wine with him to a Margaux dinner at the Four Season Hotel, a waiter knocked the bottle over, breaking it. Insurers paid out $225,000.
The Austrian wine market collapsed…
The Austrian wine market collapsed in 1985 when it was discovered winemakers were adding antifreeze to artificially sweeten the wine.
A man in NJ was charged $3750 for a bottle of wine…
A man in NJ was charged $3750 for a bottle of wine, ordering it after a waitress told him that it was “thirty seven fifty”.