ORLANDO, Fla. — Drinking wine can make you smarter. Well, that's if you actually learn the science behind it.
- Learn about wine at Science of Wine event
- Nighttime fundraiser features 150 kinds, plus food
- Takes place at Orlando Science Center on April 28
"There's so much going on inside a glass of wine," said Shaun Wright of Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits. "We're just scraping the surface of understanding it."
The upcoming Science of Wine nighttime event features 150 kinds of wine and bites from 30 Central Florida restaurants. The Orlando Science Center's annual fundraiser is an "oenological odyssey" with demos and presentations on a bunch of aspects of wine growing and wine tasting.
During the event, Wright's job is to help to put a few (good) wrinkles in your brain. For instance, would you ever have thought that there's a similarity between burning sugar (think creme brulee) and aged wine?
"It's called the Maillard reaction," he said. "The Maillard reaction is a reaction that we see in caramelization in foods, of sugars. It gives us that roasty, toasty sweet smell... You'll find similar aromas in this tawny Port."
We also wanted to know why people swirl their wine glasses.
"We're doing that to look cool," Wright laughed. "Wine geeks will call this 'volatilizing the esters.' Basically, you're agitating the wine to expose the wine to oxygen... The esters are hitching a ride on the evaporating alcohol. We're smelling alcohol. That's the vehicle for these esters."
Another fun fact: Balsamic vinegar is like a cousin to your favorite glass of vino.
"What vinegar is is the controlled spoilage of wine," he told us. "There is no alcohol, because the acetobacter feed on the alcohol."
You, too, can pick up some wine knowledge Saturday, April 28 at Science of Wine.
As you sip your wine, enjoy performances by True Legacy, a Central Florida R&B vocal group that brings together a rare blend of soul, funk and R&B.
The event runs from 7-10 p.m. at the Orlando Science Center. All-inclusive tickets are $125. Proceeds are pumped right back into the Orlando Science Center.