[PW] Bite the Wine

[swguardian-wombat at yahoo.com]

Yes, it is European. The following news story makes that clear. 
The popularity of the term in the US comes from the American 
visit by Dr. Adolf Lorenz (1854-1946), a famous Viennese surgeon 
of the time. When he returned home from the United States in 
March of 1934 an AP story was picked up by newspapers 
around the country. While the good doctor failed to go into detail 
about how exactly one bites wine, he did say the following, right 
after flicking ashes into the wine glass of an American wine drinker. 

"You must learn," he said, not to swallow your wine. Swallowing 
Is bad manners.

In Vienna we call It wine biting," he continued. "Wine must be bitten 
and not swallowed. You Americans must learn to appreciate the 
difference between the tongue and the palate." 

Source. 50 or so American newspapers carrying this story. 
Quote copied from: 2 April 1934 The Fresno Bee, Fresno, CA  

-----Original Message-----
From: project-wombat-fm-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org
[mailto:project-wombat-fm-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org] On Behalf Of
Joyce, Thomas - ETA
Sent: 30 January 2008 13:07
To: list at project-wombat.org
Subject: [PW] Bite the Wine

I have heard the expression "bite the wine" but I haven't been able to
learn where it originated or when and how to properly use the
expression.  Some say it has a European origin.
 
Any info would be appreciated.
 
email address: joycetim at hotmail.com
<snip>


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