You don’t have to press your own grapes–in fact, your guests would thank you not to–because whether the cuisine is Tuscan or Thai, you can probably find a fine American wine to serve with it. At this “wine forum,” hotel executives sampled about a dozen born-in-the-USA vintages, clearing their palates with Swiss cheese. Then they moved to the star of the show, an “exotic American 1945 vintage” champagne. The label? Good old korbel.
Number of wines that have been rated by critic Robert Parker Jr.: 220,000. Number that have received perfect scores: 76.
Percentage increase in fruit-bearing wine-grape acreage in California between 1988 and 2001: 43. Tons of surplus grapes that will go either unpicked or unprocessed this year in California: 75,000. Gallons of wine consumed per capita in the U.S. in 1951: 0.83. In 2000: 2.01.
Record price paid for a single bottle of wine, a first-vintage 1951 Penfold’s Grange: $23,088.
