The world’s oldest person – at one hundred twenty-two – attributed her longevity to a diet of olive oil, port wine and chocolate. During racking, a wine is moved to a new barrel and separated from sediment in the old one. Quip intelligently over oak-aged Chablis.

Research shows that white wines keep lung tissues healthy. Don’t be shy: wine experts stick their nose deep into the glass in order to pick up the complex nuances. Acidity is a key element in a wine’s longevity. Dry yet sweet whites complement fish, chicken and pork dishes.

Strong notes of cedar, gin, with a cinnamon finish. A bouquet becomes more complex and nuanced as the wine ages. Acid, tannin, fruitiness, oakiness, are all components of balance.

Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, but it consumes the most wine per capita worldwide. White is good with fish. Spice, strawberries, oak and tar. Can’t taste them? Drink more. Serve dry Semillon with clams, mussels, or pasta salad. Gulp. Monks and monasteries of the Roman Catholic Church have had an important influence on the history of Burgundy wine.

Intense hatred of wine is called oenophobia. Trichloroanisole in the cork can impart musty, mouldy overtones. Such a wine is called “corked.” A botrytized wine is made using grapes that have been allowed to become mouldy. Red table wine is not made from red tables. Red wines usually trump whites in alcohol content. So many organic compounds are in wine.