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National Drink Wine Day

Drink · February 18

A day for pouring a glass of wine and paying attention to it: the grape, the color, the smell, and what it tastes like with dinner.

National Drink Wine Day falls on Thursday, February 18, 2027. That is 114 days away.

Wine is fermented grape juice, and it comes in a wider range than the shelf labels suggest. Yeast turns the sugar in crushed grapes into alcohol, and the grape variety, the place it grew and the winemaker's choices shape everything else.

Red wine gets its color from grape skins left in contact with the juice. White wine is usually made from juice pressed off the skins early, and rosé sits somewhere between, with only a short time on the skins. Sparkling wine holds bubbles of carbon dioxide trapped during fermentation. Each style tends to taste different with food, which is half the reason people keep opening bottles to compare.

Most people mark the day simply. A glass with dinner, a bottle shared among friends, or a small tasting at home with two or three styles side by side. Tasting slowly helps. Look at the color against something white, give the glass a swirl, smell it, then sip and notice whether it feels light or heavy, sweet or dry.

None of this requires special vocabulary. Saying a wine tastes like cherries or wet stones is as useful as any expert note, and plenty of good descriptions start with "it reminds me of." For anyone skipping alcohol, grape juice or a nonalcoholic wine works fine for the same side by side comparing.

Wine glasses are shaped the way they are for a reason. The bowl narrows at the top to hold the aroma in, which is why a glass is only filled partway.

Ways to celebrate

• Taste a red, a white and a rosé side by side.
• Try describing a wine's smell in your own words.
• Pair a glass with a home-cooked dinner.
• Share a bottle with friends and compare notes.
• Look up where your favorite grape variety is grown.

Dates

All national days on February 18

Also on February 18

• National Crab-Stuffed Flounder Day
• Pluto Day
• National Battery Day

Categories: Drink days