L for 'Lucky Lizard'

"A to Z from Sol" – your guide to some well-known or less-known interesting and unexpected facts about wine. Maybe you will learn something new, maybe you will remember something you have forgotten, either way read on and as always feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

 

What does “Lucky Lizard” on the wine label mean? That was one of the questions we were asked during one of our regular quiz/tasting session. We were shown the picture of an Australian white wine, but were told that the wine doesn’t matter, what matters is the label. Much to our surprise a totally off the cuff answer we gave turned out to be a correct one.

There are so many lizards in the area that sometimes they get caught in the press, but the plate of the press doesn’t go all the way down leaving a little space on the bottom. That gap is enough for lizard to survive the crushing force of the press. Thus the name of the wine, “Lucky Lizard”.

I suppose only experts and operators of the press can know this for sure, so if you are one of them, let us know if there is any truth to this story.

B for "Bordeaux mixture"

"A to Z from Sol" – your guide to some well-known or less-known interesting and unexpected facts about wine. Maybe you will learn something new, maybe you will remember something you have forgotten, either way read on and as always feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

Bordeaux mixture (fr. bouillie bordelaise) 

Mix copper sulfate with slaked lime in right proportions and there it is! Famous and effective fungicide, used by winegrowers to prevent infestations of all sorts (downy mildew, black rot etc.). Invented in the Bordeaux region of France (thus the name) in the late 19th century, this bluish liquid is sprayed on grapes, but only as a preventive measure, apparently it doesn’t work if you use it after the fungus had been found.

France being France there is of course a less scientific but much more romantic story about the origin of la bouillie bordelaise. As the legend goes thieves were a nightmare for wine-makers at that time, so to prevent them from stealing grapes, winegrowers came up with this special liquid. Light blue color of the mixture made the grapes look  less appetizing for thieves. How credible this story is, that’s for you to decide.

SOLE Restaurant in Vienna

“Fantastic pizza!”

After a long day of walking and sightseeing it is important to find a lovely place for dinner to have a complete experience, so to speak. Look no further! SOLE restaurant just steps off the main shopping avenue (on the side of the Opera) is exactly what you need.

From the second you enter you have a feeling you've stepped through a portal to a restaurant in Italy. As we were shown to our table I heard staff speaking Italian which only added to the impression we had.