We drink it. We buy it. But, how much do you really know about wine? Amaze your friends with these fun wine facts:

Sherry is produced in the Andalucia region of sun-baked southwestern Spain. It is named after the town of Jerez de la Frontera, an old Moorish town.

Sauternes are among the greatest dessert wines in the world. True Sauternes comes from a district of the same name in France near the Bordeaux wine region.

Classic wine and food pairings include oysters with Chablis, Lamb with red Bordeaux, Port with walnuts and Stilton cheese, and Pinot Noir with Salmon. (yes, red wine with fish.)

Grapes with a high degree of acidity include Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and the Italian, Trebbiano. They made crisp, aromatic, light wines.

Wines made from Chardonnay grapes that go by other names include White Burgundy, St Veran, Pouilly-Fuisse, and Puligny-Montrachet.

Sweet wines can make salty foods more appealing. They taste less sweet when paired with such foods. Sweet wines also go well, as one would expect, with desserts.

Food can exaggerate a characteristic in a wine. For instance, if you drink a big red wine with spicy food, the tannins are disagreeably increased.

To best enjoy a variety of wines, drink white wine before red wine, light wine before heavy wine, and simple wine before complex wine.

A four-ounce glass of wine contains about 110 calories and no fat. Dry wine is made up of about 85 percent water and 12 percent alcohol.

When planning for a dinner party, expect to serve one bottle of wine for every two persons. If serving four different wines, allow one bottle for four persons.

By: Sandy Mitchelly