Here we go again.
The topic of wine & health is no stranger to the (virtual) pages of 1WineDude.com. Basically, I like to keep on the topic, mostly because it provides such great fodder for ridicule.
Ok, that's harsh. Let's not call it ridicule. Let's call it poking fun. That sounds better, doesn't it? Ok, now that we have that cleared up...
According to ScienceDaily.com, a recent announcement by a joint team from Oxford and Norway - at least, I think it's joint Oxford / Norway team; it's listed in the article as "The team from Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and Norway", which I assume is a joint effort as it would be strange to have a Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and Norway (nothing against Norway, of course; after all, they brought us the... uhm.... err... let me get back to you on that...) - dang... lost my train of thought there...
Oh, yeah, I remember now - The joint team (as in, the collaboration between Oxford and Norway, not a team researching ganja) announced study findings that showed that chocolate, tea, and, of course, wine enhance cognitive performance.
Now, before you go out and get amped up on Starbuck's, blitzed on your favorite vino and buy stock in Ethel's chocolate, you need to know a few things.
First, the study is based on data from about 2,000 participants in their 70s. You might not be in this demographic.
Secondly, while the team suspects that polyphenols (in the form of flavonoids) are the source of the enhanced cognitive ability for the mature audience in the study, the researchers caution that "more research would be needed to prove that it was flavonoids, rather than some other aspect of the foods studied, that made the difference." In other words, the negative health impacts of imbibing too much caffiene, alcohol, and sugar/fat probably far outweigh the benefits of the flavonoids; moderate consumption, as always, is best.
Finally, Ethel's is privately owned - so you won't be buying any stock (sorry).
Cheers!
(images: creativelydifferentblinds.com)
Wine and Health (or "Here We Go Again")
3 Sure-fire Rules for Passing Sobriety Checkpoints
This past Friday, at about 2AM, I was driving back home after a long day, a great Mexican dinner with some foodie friends, and a very fun gig with my band in downtown West Chester.
I was stopped about halfway home, on backroads, by a police sobriety checkpoint.
Had I been drinking that night? Well... duh...!
Did I drink responsibly, ending my alcohol intake hours before I had planned to head home after the gig? Yep.
Did I 'pass' this sobriety checkpoint?
Of course, I 'passed' the sobriety checkpoint, thanks to my tried-and-true, never-fail, guaranteed-to-work or your-money-back 3 Rules for Passing Sobriety Checkpoints.
Today, free of charge, I'm going to share my 3 Rules with you...!The 1WineDude.com 3 Rules for Passing Sobriety Checkpoints:
There you have it! Simple, straight-forward, and guaranteed-to-work - or your money back!
For more on responsible wine-drinking, see these previous 1WineDude.com articles:
Have a happy - and responsibly safe! - Monday.
Cheers!
(images: www.flickr.com/photos/stacylynn, timeinc.net)
Wine and Dementia
Alzheimer's Disease, the most prominent form of disorders impacting the brain that we widely term as dementia, is a subject near and dear to the Dude's heart.
What many people don't know is that Alzheimer's is in the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. Currently, the disease is fatal, and there is no cure. Yet. What's particularly insidious about Alzheimer's is the toll it takes on those who care the most about its victims.
My wife's grandmother died from Alzheimer's. She was a fiery and independent woman until the disease struck her. While she remained relatively lucid (e.g., recognizing family members), she became lost in time: she would ask about her husband on multiple occasions, and had to be told (again and again) that her husband was dead. Imagine reliving that pain.
My grandmother, now in her mid-90s, has Alzheimer's. She has forgotten how to descend stairs, so she is confined to the second story of the house that she shares with my mother. When my wife and I visited her recently and tried to show her our newborn baby, my grandmother simply stared at as and softly shook her head from side to side. She had no idea who we were, and we likely were scaring the hell out of her with our behavior.
So you might imagine that I am no friend to Alzheimer's disease. I don't hate much in this world, and I consider hate a very strong word to use in any circumstances. I hate Alzheimer's. I've yet to make any peace with it (apologies to the Buddhists out there... I am trying!).
What does this have to do with wine?...
A Swedish study has found a possible link between moderate wine drinking and lower instances of dementia. The study is hardly conclusive, but it suggests that wine may help protect against certain forms of dementia, and gives credence to follow-up studies that would explore the possible link further:"These findings, in combination with the fact that women today drink more wine than 40 years ago, show that it is important to continue to do research on this correlation. In future analyses we will be studying the effect on more specific types of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease. Other research methods will be needed in order to see what role wine and other alcoholic beverages play in the development of dementia"
Of course, there is a flip-side to this coin (and as any regular readers of this blog can tell you, it's my M.O. to show to a sobering flip-side in these situations). Other unrelated studies have found a possible correlation between heavy drinking and the early onset of Alzheimer's disease. According to one such study, heavy alcohol consumption might contribute to speeding up the onset of Alzheimer's by up to 5 years.
As usual, moderation is probably best.
I hate to end on a down note, so I decided that I'd like to put my money where my mouth is.
From now through September 1st, 2008, I will donate 50% of the proceeds from the sale of my Tasting Guide to the Alzheimer's Association. If you have a wine-related website or blog, please consider becoming an Affiliate to sell my guide on your site during that time. If it's successful, I may extend it indefinitely - so stay tuned, and help spread the word.
You can also help the cause to fight Alzheimer's by displaying a ribbon from Caring.com on your website or blog. Each ribbon means a $10 caring.com donation to the Alzheimer's Association. Check out the one in the 1WineDude.com sidebar for a preview.
Cheers!
(images: soundentistry.com, blog.makezine.com)
Wine and Your Health: The Wrap-Up Resource List
Following is a compilation of my favorite 1WineDude.com posts on the topic of Wine and Your Health. I hope that you find these useful in integrating wine appreciation into your life in a healthy way. Either that, or use the info. here to wow and beguile your date at the next wine & cheese party with your smarties. Your choice.
The REALConnection Between Wine and Your Health
Does This Wine Make Me Look Fat?: How To Drink Wine While You're on a Diet
Does This Wine Make Me Look Fat? Part 2
5 Reasons Why Smoking Kills Wine Appreciation
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus - But there's No Sulfite-Free Wine
More on Low-Sulfite Wines
Can Red Wine Keep You Young at Heart?
Drinking Can Cut Risk of Heart Disease (+ Other Tidbits)
Wine Appreciation and Alcohol Abuse: How to Avoid Personal Disaster
Res-(veratrol)-ervations
Res-(veratrol)-ervations Part 2
Why Kids are Collateral Damage in the War for Your Wine Dollar (and What You Can Do About It)
Cheers!
(images: lakechelanwinevalley.com)
Does This Wine Make Me Look Fat? Part 2
Witness - if you dare! - the ongoing complexity of the relationship between wine and your health:
Back in January, I offered some advice about drinking wine when you're on a diet. In summary: wine has calories, so if you're watching your weight you need to watch your alcohol intake as well.
That article became pretty popular, and ever since posting it I've been on the lookout for a follow-up on the topic. Six months later, I've had readers (separately) send me links to two very interesting - and very different - answers to the question: Does this wine make me look fat?
Answer #1: NO
According to ScienceDaily.com, our old pal resveratrol - a substance found in red wine - might aid in the conversion of fat. From the article:
"When cells were exposed to resveratrol, our studies showed a pretty dramatic reduction in the conversion to fat cells and a lesser but still significant increase in the mobilization of existing fat..."Sounds like good news for those looking to drink wine and cut their fat. But not so fast there, Richard Simmons...
Answer #2: YES
Resveratrol might help stave off some fat, but Bodybuilding.com cites a study that showed alcohol to mess with the body's ability to process fat - and not in a positive way.
"For several hours after drinking... whole body lipid oxidation (a measure of how much fat your body is burning) dropped by 73%."Now, that study only had eight participants - hardly enough for statistical certainty. But it suggests that the relationship between alcoholic beverages and our bodies' fat burning potential isn't a simple one.
So which one is it?
Unfortunately, there is no way to tell. The only thing we know for sure is that wine has alcohol, and alcohol has calories, and consuming too many calories will probably get stored by your body as fat. Call me a sour-puss, but as far as I'm concerned there's no fat-bustin' magic bullet here. Better stick to a balanced diet, regular exercise, and enjoying your fave vino with the appropriate amount of moderation.
Cheers!
In the News: Can Red Wine Keep You Young at Heart?
No doubt that a glass or two of red vino can awaken your youthful enthusiasm, under the right circumstances of course (dining with friends, during a hot date...).
But can red wine literally make you young at heart? As in, keeping your ticker from aging?
Apparently it might, according to this article released today by BBC News.
Actually, what the article states is that our old friend Resvertatrol, a compound found in red wines, appears to be able to do this - for mice.
Actually, what the article states is that Resveratrol in substantially larger quantities than can be safely delivered to your body through normal amounts of responsible red wine drinking, might have an anti-aging effect on heart genes.
When we hit a real health breakthrough with wine compounds that has a positive impact on humans, we'll know it - because it will be much bigger news than any of these important (but inconclusive) lead-up studies.
If I sound skeptical, it's not because I think this type of research isn't valuable. It's because the media oversells this research a bit, thereby fueling a specious supplement market. And because I like to skeptical. And cynical (I know... what a jerk!).
Don't be too swayed by the media around this. When we hit a real health breakthrough with wine compounds that has a positive impact on humans, we'll know it - because it will be much bigger news than any of these important (but inconclusive) lead-up studies.
In the meantime, if you want to get some health benefit from red wine, then enjoy a glass tonight and let the joy of connecting with that wine allow your hair to come down for a few minutes. It will probably do just as much good (maybe more) than the resveratrol that you're consuming at the same time...
Cheers!
(images: thefavoriteplace.com)
The REALConnection Between Wine and Your Health
What's the REAL connection between wine and your health?
Anyone who hasn't been living the past few years on that crazy Lost island (with the ghosts and tropical polar bears and droll plot lines) has likely heard that wine is purported to have benefits to your overall health.
But the connection between better health and wine is not as straightforward as you might think. In fact, far from being a direct link, the wine/health connection is more like a Homeric journey, full of unexpected twits and turns.
A journey that is detailed in this post, with the Dude here acting as your host, as we visit the science lab, examine the (non-Karmic) laws of cause and effect, stop in Galapagos, and give a nod to Quantum Theory, while also troubleshooting my home wireless network. Also involved, unavoidably, is France (hey, we are talkin' wine here, after all), and we end unexpectedly at MSNBC (where nobody really goes!).
It will all make sense in a minute or two (okay, maybe 5). So pack your intellectual bags, and let's get rolling on the road to wine & health...
Ever since the (in)famous 60 Minutes special exploring the French Paradox (told you we couldn't avoid France), scientific studies have been trying to test if wine consumption is the de facto reason behind why France's high-fat-diet eating residents don't keel over in their 30s from heart attacks.
To even begin to answer whether or not wine is or isn't imparting various health benefits, including seemingly being the elixir of long life for the French, I've gotta explain the difference between scientific theory, and medical fact.
In science, it can be difficult to prove things as being indisputably true. In fact, whenever scientists state that something has been solved, you can bet within 10 years it will get turned totally on its ear. Which is partly why we have theories instead. Quite often, a scientific theory is never called fact, especially if it's complex. Over time, if it stands up to enough quantitative evidence then it is taken to be true, even though to actually prove it might remain improbable. Good examples of this are certain aspects of Quantum Mechanics, as well as Dawin's island turtle-inspired theory of Evolution - it's unlikely that we can ever prove this theories unequivocally, but because they so accurately predict events in our universe, and are backed up by overwhelming amounts of scientific evidence, you'd be kind of nuts not to treat them as fact.In science, it can be difficult to prove things as being indisputably true. In fact, whenever scientists state that something has been solved, you can bet within 10 years it will get turned totally on its ear.
That's a bit different than medical facts. Medicine is concerned with cause and effect relationships. I.e., identifying positively that you have a certain disease that is causing your symptoms, and treating that disease as effectively as possible.
To illustrate the difference, let's take a practical example from the House of Dude. Let's say my wife calls me and tells me that she can't get to the Internet via our home network. [Editors note: you have my permission to take a break at this point, and get yourself a glass of wine... but I swear to the heavens that this post will eventually teach you something about wine... hang in there, people!]. If when I get home I discover that the wireless router has been turned off, then I've got a pretty good case for having proved a cause-effect relationship why Mrs. Dudette didn't have Internet access. BUT... I can't then theorize that I every time my wife calls me, her Internet access will be down - that prediction would get me into a lot of trouble!
Okay, but back to wine, what does this all mean for the average wine-drinkin' Joe or Jane?
Certain compounds found within wine have been proven to have potential health benefits. Of this, there can be little doubt based on the scientific evidence carried out in statistically meaningful studies. The potential list of health-friendly (including cardiovascular and anti-oxidant) wine compounds and their effects on your health is a long one so I won't reprint it here. [ Check out these handy lists from WinePros.org and BeekmanWine.com for detailed info. on that. ]
Little evidence exists to suggest that wine itself is the de-facto cause of those health benefits. At least, not in the 'Surgeon General can endorse it' sense. It may feel obvious to normal folks that if wine has compounds that are good for you, then wine is probably the cause of the positive health benefits seen in wine consumers during scientific studies. But scientifically that conclusion cannot safely be drawn from the findings of existing studies (especially not in the medical field). For now, it's just a guess - a reasonable one, but a guess nonetheless.It may feel obvious to normal folks that if wine has compounds that are good for you, then wine is probably the cause of the positive health benefits seen in wine consumers during scientific studies. But scientifically that conclusion cannot safely be drawn from the findings of existing studies.
Plenty of evidence exists to link alcohol abuse to poor health. This one is also supported by a great deal of evidence, so it does not follow at all that if wine is good for you, more wine is better for you. In fact, exactly the opposite is true - alcohol abuse can be deadly to your health.
What's scary is that fewer and fewer people seem to be getting the message. Check out this (non-scientific) poll from MSNBC for starters - not a perfect example but it shows that more people in that survey are drinking daily than not. Add in the rise in health-care costs from rising alcohol abuse in the States and in the UK, and you have a troubling trend on your hands.
Maybe the French Paradox has less to do with what the French eat and drink, and more with how they approach life in general. One of the code ideas of Mireille Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat is that French culture teaches how to respect food and wine, leading ultimately to true enjoyment of it with all of your senses (and away from abuse). While we're probably never going to unequivocally prove that one, there just might be enough evidence to treat it as true...
Cheers!
(images: hwcoc.org, novusvinum.com, wordinfo.info, msnbc.msn.com)
5 Reasons Why Smoking Kills Wine Appreciation
(images: wiskirchengallery.com, farm3.static.flickr.com, smokingkills.com)
Guess what?
Smoking sucks donkey butt.
Hardly a news flash, right?
But what you might not know already is that, aside from the fact that smoking kills more people per year than alcohol & drug abuse, homicides, suicides, car accidents, fires, and AIDS-related deaths - combined - it also kills something else near and dear to our hearts.
Smoking totally kills your ability to truly appreciate wine.
You want to learn to appreciate wine like a pro? Then you'd better quit smoking, pronto...
1) Smoking impairs your sense of smell.
This is a well-known effect of smoking. Considering that almost all of your ability to taste wine stems from your ability to smell, this makes smoking pretty much the death knell of your wine appreciation pursuits. And it will stay that way until you quit smoking.
2) Smoking impairs your sense of taste.
According to TheScoopOnSmoking.org, "If you smoke, you won't be able to taste your food as well as nonsmokers do." That's because smoking damages your taste buds. So, what smoking doesn't kill in terms of your ability to appreciate a wine's aromas, it will kill in your ability to savor its flavors on your palate. You might as well be drinking water (or grain alcohol) instead.
3) Smoking creates off-odors that interfere with your (and others) ability to appreciate wine in the glass.
When you smoke, you stink. Your clothes, hair, and breath all suffer from off-odors when you're a smoker. The kind of strong off-putting odors associated with smoking are absolute murder for the appreciation of wines with delicate aromas. What's more, nothing will piss off other wine geeks more than your smelliness impairing their ability to appreciate the wine in their glasses!
4) Smoking is boku expensive.
The money that you spend on smoking (current estimates put this around $200 per month, on average) is money that you can't spend on good wine. I don't know about you, but I consider $2000+ a year a good deal of money; after all, that's almost 225 bottles of tasty Centine (or maybe 1.5 bottles of Chateau Petrus - in an off-vintage). Aside from the large personal expense of the smoking habit, it could also be argued that you have a civic and moral duty to quit smoking, to promote the public good. Why? Smoking increases general medical expenses, even for non-smokers. For example, treatment costs and rising insurance rates (even for non-smokers) are being driven up due to smoking-related health costs. Not really related to wine, I know, but since I had your attention I couldn't resist mentioning it.
5) Smoking will kill you.
While there has been past publicity given to medical studies that claim wine drinking can counter some of the arterial damage caused by smoking, there is no evidence to suggest that drinking wine can help counter any of the dozens of other negative health impacts of smoking. The bottom line is that smoking will kill you.
And I'm fairly certain that death seriously imparis your ability to appreciate fine wine.
Duh...
Cheers!
Why Kids are Collateral Damage in the War for Your Wine Dollar (and What You Can Do About It)
(images: tastephx.com, defendamerica.mil, green-talk.com)
For those of you plying along at home, I'm a new dad - of only a few remarkable days. As you might imagine, you could change my handle to "1DiaperDude" and it would be an apt description, since I'm far more involved in baby-related activities at the moment than I am in vino sampling.
As a new parent, I now find myself asking questions that, in my previous life (BC - Before Children), I would never have considered:
This kid is *adorable* - is she actually mine?
How much talk about poop is too much talk about poop?
Do any criminal sex offenders live in our neighborhood?
What's the best way to threaten my daughter's future teenage suitors when they eventually come to the house to take her on a date, without risking incarceration? Display a "wall of weapons"?
Because I'm a wine geek, I've also been asking another question:
How can I (eventually) introduce my family to responsible wine consumption?
As I pondered that last question, I came to realize something. It's something that struck me as very important (and maybe, I dare say after having a few glasses of vino tonight as I type this, a touch profound):
Our children are the "collateral damage" in the marketing fight for your wine dollar...
1) On the one hand, state-run liquor distribution monopolies (such as the PLCB) are exploiting our fear of keeping our children safe.
These wine distro. monopolies protect their big profits by fighting legislation that would open their state wine sales to the free market.
How do they muster support for that legislation? They scare it out of you, by telling you that your children will get their hands on alcohol illegally if states governments permit wine and other alcoholic beverages to be sold via the Internet and direct-shipped to your door.
On the surface it seems a simple choice - protect your kids., right?
But what the wine monopolies don't tell you is that their data are based on seriously flawed studies. They're betting that a) you're too dumb to scratch under the surface and get the real facts on their studies, b) you're not a smart enough parent to teach your children responsible behavior around alcohol, and c) you won;t bother because your kids will become scheming, irresponsible teens anyway.
If I was dolling out grades, that approach would get, at best, a D minus. It's the politics of fear vs. the politics of free trade - and our kids, unable to adequately defend themselves, are caught in the crossfire.
2) On the other hand, for the most part our U.S. society does little (or nothing) to introduce kids to the notion of responsible, healthy alcohol / wine consumption. Instead, we allow that introduction to take place via movies and TV, where our children get to see seriously unhealthy over-consumption portrayed as the height of coolness, synonymous "real" partying and fun.
What can we do about it? The role of parenting is essential:
1) "Teach Your Children Well" - As parents, we need to insure that we spend enough time in our children's lives. Part of that QT (eventually) is to help them understand wine's healthy place at the dinner table, in our society at large, and in world history.
We also have to make sure that our kids don't view alcohol over-consumption as something "cool" (so cool that they automatically associate it as being essential to having a good time).
2) "Teach Your Parents Well" - As parents, we need to encourage each other, and encourage the dialog of abuse prevention (instead of treatment). Why hasn't this dialog made more headway into traditional media and social programs? I've no idea - though I suspect it may have something to do with the fact that both cases mentioned above line the pockets of somebody.
Try searching on Google for family and alcohol, and you'll see what I mean - you will get results that deal with treating alcohol abuse problems in the family after they are already problems; you won't find much on responsible prevention.
One of the few places where you can find this dialog taking place is in the wine blogging community. Commendably, many wine bloggers have tried to tackle this topic, Dr. Debs and The Pour among them.
You can support the positive dialog by supporting the wine blogging community. Donate to your favorite blogs, spread the word by giving them a digg, join the Open Wine Consortium, and join the fight against wine distro. scare-tactics by writing to your state governments to let them know how you feel about their questionable practices.
3) Set an example by drinking responsibly, and not abusing alcohol in front of your children. Well... duh...!
Nobody said being a dad would be easy. Being a dad has made me even more determined to fight against wine distribution monopolies. And it's given even more respect for the value that the global blogging community can provide.
Cheers!
In the News: Drinking Can Cut Risk of Heart Disease (+ Other Tidbits)
(image: healingdaily.com)
Mark Fisher, who writes the Uncorked blog at the Dayton Daily News, has posted an interesting piece this week with his thoughts on a recent American Journal of Medicine alcohol study.
Mark's thoughts are always worth a read, and this article is no exception (and thanks to him as well for mentioning my previous post on the same overall topic of wine consumption and health).
While the study itself highlights the positive effects of alcohol on middle aged baby-boomers, Mark uses the study to point out that the issue of alcohol consumption and health is not a simple one.
I.e., trying to binge on wine in your 50s to make up for the booze that you didn't have when you were younger is not gonna help you reap any wine health benefits. That kind of thinking is more likely to fatally turn your liver into a large hunk of scar tissue.
The good news is that the liver can recover from short-term damage - it just needs a break from the likes of coffee, medication, and especially alcohol. So if you've been hitting the wine tastings with added gusto lately, consider giving yourself and your liver the gift of a few days (if not a few weeks) of abstinence. Remember, I'm a wine nut, so if I'm saying it's a good idea to lay off the vino from time to time, it's not because I just like to type!
Also, for those of you playing along at home, Wine Blogging Wednesday #44 has just been announced by Gary V. over at Wine Library TV. Yes, that Gary V. The theme this time around is French Cabernet Franc. So, if you want to join the wine blogging community in a review, go pick up a wine and transcribe your thoughts! Details are available here (including what areas of France to look for at the wine store if you want to participate).
Cheers!
Wine Appreciation and Alcohol Abuse: How to Avoid Personal Disaster
(images: brainboomer.com, jamieq.blogspot.com)
I work in two professions - Wine Consulting and Playing Rock Music - that pretty much guarantee that I am in close proximity to alcohol (and its potential abuse) a good portion of the time.
I love to drink. Specifically, I love to savor excellent wine (and beer), and admire the nuances, flavors, aromas, and overall artistic craftsmanship that a good drink can deliver. Most of all, I love sharing that experience with others. Wine connects us to a particular place and time, and connects us with each other - not just the place, time, and people that made it, but also the place, time and people with whom we enjoy it when we pop the cork.
And once in a blue moon, I like to overdo it a bit. Because getting buzzed with friends is, well, it's just plain fun.
Notice I wrote "once in a blue moon" and not "every weekend." In the rock-&-roll context of my life, I've seen first-hand what alcohol abuse can do to individuals, families, and even total strangers that come into unfortunate (and sometimes, in the case of drunk driving, catastrophic and tragic) contact with an abuser.
Genetics and personality traits are very important in determining anyone's individual predilection towards abuse of alcohol, but it doesn't help that cultural, and peer pressures (at least in the U.S. and the U.K.) tend to ridicule the appreciation of wine as snobbish, while at the same time aggrandizing inebriation as the height of fun in a social context.
That approach is completely ass-backward. I don't have any pithy humorous sayings on that topic. It's just so sad, stupid, and heartbreaking that I can't make it funny and still respect myself.
Alcohol-related liver diseases (which are notoriously difficult to diagnose until they are advanced) have been on the rise in countries like Britain for years. Whether you drink or not, the rising abuse of alcohol (in the U.S. or the U.K. for example) is expensive for taxpayers and health insurance recipients who all help to fund health care systems that are having trouble keeping up without breaking their banks.
I'm not the first person to touch on how these dangers impact those of us in the wine consulting biz (check out this great series in Men's Vogue for an example). But I thought I'd add to the on-line discussion by listing the tips that have helped me (so far) to successfully navigate the waters of wine appreciation while minimizing the damage to my liver (and my relationships)...
Abuse Is NOT 'One-Size-Fits-All.' Safe levels of drinking can only ever be approximate. While you may read that having 2 drinks per day is the safe average level of consumption for someone of your weight and gender, these generalized figures don't take into account your race, family history, or personality type. You can't treat these as hard-and-fast rules - your safe levels may differ.
All Things In Moderation. If 2 drinks per day is a safe limit for you, that doesn't mean that abstaining from drinking for one week means that you can safely consume 14 drinks over the weekend. If you are unsure if your current alcohol consumption levels are safe, consult alcoholism.about.com (or, better yet, talk to your doctor).
Treat Professional Settings Professionally. I've written before about the perils of industry tastings, so I won't repeat all of that advice here. Bear in mind that just because free alcohol is available to you doesn't mean that you are obligated to drink it. When you're at industry tastings, don't forget to spit, and don't use it as an excuse to catch up on drinking that you think you've "missed out on" in the past.
Don't Punish Yourself. If you're not an abuser, drinking too much once in a long while shouldn't upset you (unless it's caused you to do something that you regret). Nobody's perfect. Just make a mental note to improve the next time. If needed, ask your friends for support. (If you are an abuser, or concerned that you might be headed in that direction, then falling off the wagon is a big deal and might need the help of a professional).
Never, Ever, Under Any Circumstances Drink & Drive. This one should be obvious but amazingly I still know people who do this. This is never, ever safe under any circumstances. If you suspect that you're going to have more than your normally safe level of alcohol, get someone else to drive - no excuses.
Cheers!
In the Blogosphere: How Wine Sulfite Regulations Impact Winemakers
The wine sulfites battle rages on.
Some of you will recall that the Dude has been commenting on the topics of sulfites in wine, as well as biodynamic and organic wines.
Jason Haas over at Tablas Creek Vineyard has posted a great article on how the widely misunderstood fear of wine sulfite allergies (& "wine headaches") has combined with overly-cautious (and poorly-constructed) U.S. wine regulations to cause winemakers unnecessary grief...
What U.S. Sulfite / Organic Regulations Mean for Winemakers
In a nutshell, it seems that the U.S. regulations regarding sulfite use for wines that are to be labeled 'organic' have a big negative impact on potential quality of the wine. That's because some use of sulfites in higher quality wines is inevitable - otherwise the finished wine could be too unstable.
According to the Guidelines for Labeling: Wine with Organic References from the U.S. Dept. of Treasury - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms:SULFITE STATEMENT
Less than 10 ppm of sulfites... hmm... good luck! I wrote about the challenges of achieving such a low level of sulfites in wine before. Those winemakers that chase after the pot-o'-gold at the end of the marketing rainbow may make "organic" wines, but that will need to be done without much thought to the ultimate quality of the wine. Those winemakers that truly care about quality - well, they end up being discouraged from even trying to make wines that would be labeled "organic" by the U.S. government.
“100% Organic” products cannot use added sulfi tes
in production. Therefore, since no add ed sulfi tes
are present in the fi nished product, the label may
not require a sulfi te statement. In these cases, a lab
analysis is necessary to verify that the wine contains
less than 10 ppm of sulfites.
What U.S. Sulfite / Organic Regulations Mean for You
And who suffers the most - wine consumers. Because the average person is likely to a) be scared off because of the required sulfite warning labels on wines, often believing (mistakenly) that there last 'wine headache' was caused by sulfties, and b) assuming (mistakenly) that wines labeled as 'organic' are healthier and of higher quality, consumers can have a poor experience tasting a nasty unstable wine that is labeled 'organic' but sucks - and possibly get turned off to wine altogether because of that experience!
Don't Get Suckered into Following the 'Organic' Marketing Bandwagon
Unfortunately, it means that we wine lovers still need to have our wits about us when shopping for wine. Stay sharp, and don't assume that a wine labeled as 'organic' is better for you or is higher quality, or contains no sulfites. Higher quality wines will contain sulfites and probably will NOT be labeled organic - but they will taste better, and in the grand scheme of things will be better for you, will provide better value for money, and will give you a better wine tasting experience!
Cheers!
Does This Wine Make Me Look Fat?: How To Drink Wine While You're on a Diet
Dieting - how do I love thee? Let me count the ways... OK, DONE!
No one really enjoys dieting, and while we may be of the epicurean mindset, even us wine lovers need to count the calories once in a while. To get our New Year's resolutions off to the right start, I've put together some information for wine lovers who might be wondering how wine factors into their their dieting plans...
All alcoholic beverages have calories. This includes wine. Most wines contain a very small amount of sugars - a few grams - even wines that are totally "dry." Very sweet dessert wines contain a bit more, but overall this will still be less than 10 grams on average. You may even find a small amount of Sodium (about 1% the recommended daily amount) and even carbs (around 5 grams, or about 2% DV). But those all contribute a very small amount of calories to the overall wine experience.
A Wine's calories are largely a factor of alcohol content. Alcohol content accounts for 80% or more of the calories in a wine. A typical glass of wine - about 4 to 5 fl oz -
will contain about 100 calories. That's the bad news. The good news - none of the calories are from fat (hey, there's a bright side to everything!).
Wines with Less Alcohol Have Fewer Calories - but Not by Much. If you want to get more specific, a general rule of thumb (as published on Wineintro.com) is that this formula will give you the approximate calories for any specific glass of wine: 1.6 x percentage x oz in glass = total calories. So, if you pour yourself a 5oz glass of modest Italian white (say, 12% alcohol), you're looking at 1.6 x 12 x 5oz = 96 calories. A big ol' honkin' glass of powerful California Zinfandel at 15% alcohol would be 1.6 x 15 x 5oz = 120 calories. Not a huge difference, but could be significant enough for you to change your wine choice at dinner, if you're expecting to have more than one glass but are trying to watch your weight.
If You're on a Diet, Drink Wine in Moderation. This one seems obvious, since in effect wine is contributing the the dreaded "liquid calories" (like soda) that most dieters try to avoid. But it's a lot tougher than you'd think. Restaurant pours of wine seldom adhere to the 4-5oz average, and some restaurants may pour you a glass nearly double that amount. Which means that glass of big ol' honkin' CA Zinfandel is really more like 240 calories. If you're on a diet, tread carefully when eating out.
Don't Binge. Another seemingly obvious recommendation, but consider this: drinking alcoholic beverages is proven to relax your inhibitions, which in turn makes you more likely to do dumb stuff. That includes taking diet-unfriendly actions like eating more, choosing to eat foods that you should avoid while on your diet, and generally begets more drinking (thus more calories). Binging on wine while on a diet is definitely NOT diet-friendly.
If You're Drinking & Dieting, Make Lower-Calorie Wine Choices. If you love wine way too much to cut it out of your diet, go for lower calorie wine options. Dry, lighter white wines will generally provide less calories. Heavy, fortified wines, like ports, will generally have the most calories. For more information, you can view a quick table of approximate wine calorie totals here, or check out the more comprehensive wine nutritional listings at calorieking.com.
Know When to Take a Break. The bottom line: if you are dieting, you need to cut back on the wine. If you're a contestant on Biggest Loser, then it's probably a good idea to abstain entirely from drinking alcoholic beverages of any kind for a short period of time (until you reach a safe weight-loss milestone, for example). Sure it will suck to go without your favorite Cab, but a healthier you is more likely to be around to enjoy future great vintages of your favorite wine.
Cheers!
Update: More on Low-Sulfite Wines (Holiday Edition)
Happy Holidays to all, and greetings from sunny FL!
A (very) quick update on my last post regarding low-sulfite wines, just to prove I'm not totally biased against all organic / biodynamic wines!
I've come across a few other quality wines (featured in body + soul magazine, to which my wife subscribes) that I've recently learned are either organically or biodynamically made (or both), and that I've found to be of good quality...
Thought I'd take a brief moment during my holiday respite to share these wine finds with you. Hope that anyone looking for low-sulfite wines (that don't also totally suck!) will find this helpful:
Cheers!
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus - But there's No Sulfite-Free Wine
My sister (a chemist) recently sent me an e-mail requesting some wine advice:
"I've got a friend at work who has been looking for a sulfite-free wine. Do you know of any that are any good?"My answer: "Nope."
Not that a sulfite-free wine might not be any good, it's just that right now, sulfite-free wines are like governments that don't tax - they don't exist!
Why this is has a lot to do with chemistry (lucky for me my sis is a chemist!). Which is one of the many splendid things when it comes to learning about wine - wine exposes you not just to the sensory pleasures of drinking it, but to the art/magic of constructing a good one along with the chemistry, agriculture, geography, and geology that go into making good wine. Lucky for you Dude has already done his homework in these areas (otherwise he'd have failed all those pesky wine certification exams...), so you don't have to!...
But before we delve into the chemistry, let's examine a bit of background on the whole wine / sulfite thang:
My sister's coworker has reason to be concerned about sulfites, if that coworker is allergic to them. That's because for those people, having exposure to sulfites in drinks and food can cause a severe (and in very rare cases fatal)asthmatic reaction.
But before you start pouring all of your fine wine down the sink drain, you should know that only 0.01% - 01.0% of the U.S. population is estimated to be allergic to sulfites (probably fewer than 1 in 100 people).
If you're even an occasional wine drinker, chances are that you've heard the rumor that sulfites in wine cause headaches. Despite being popular in the rumor mill, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that 'wine headaches' are caused by sulfites. In face, if you do get headaches when drinking wine, chances are higher that the headache could be a reaction to any of several esters (flavor compounds) that occur naturally in wine.
Chances are greater still that you simply have a hangover (so drink more water next time, my party-loving friend, or - egads! - drink less wine).
Now back to the chemistry - sulfites are produced naturally during the fermentation process (so you probably are exposed to them in some beers, soy sauces, and other fermented liquids). The amount produced naturally is pretty small - anywhere from 6 to 40 ppm (parts per million). PPM is roughly equivalent to 1 milligram of something in 1 liter of water. Another way to think about it - 1 ppm is about 4 drops of ink in a 55 gallon barrel of water. Dangerous if you're talking about arsenic, but not so much when you're talking sulfites.
U.S. government regulations stipulate that wines containing 10 ppm or more of sulfites need to display a warning on the bottle, in order to alert consumers that are allergic to sulfites. Since more than 10 ppm are created during fermentation, and given that the labels don't have to specify the amount of sulfites the wine contains, that pretty much means every bottle of wine needs to carry the warning - effectively making the warning a bit useless and confusing consumers that may not be allergic to sulfites but want to buy wine that has minial sulfite content.
Sulfites are also added during the winemaking process, which can up the ppm of the sulfites in your wine (the U.S. government allows up to about 300+ ppm). Why do winemakers do this? They've been doing it for hundreds of years - the first historical record of its use in winemaking is from a royal German decree in 1487 - in order to kill bacteria, prevent browning of wine form oxidation, and to help stabilize the finished wine. The 1487 decree specifies use of about 19 ppm of sulfer, which according to wine writer Hugh Johnson (in his Story of Wine)is an "improbably low" amount.Some winemakers - mostly those making biodynamic / organic wines - deliberately avoid adding any additional sulfities (beyond those naturally produced during fermentation, of course). My personal thoughts on the current low quality of most organic & biodynamic wines aside, there are some quality producers out there who are trying to make great wines biodynamically, which are also 'lower-sulfite' wines (usually 100 ppm or less). A fine example is Frog's Leap - lower on sulfites, big on taste, and good for the environment to boot.
A final word of caution - when shopping for 'low-sulfite' wines, don't expect to find a long list of great-tasting options. So when you find a few that you do like, stick with 'em!
Those looking for a bit more on the topic of sulfites in wine should check out this handy reference from UC Davis.
Cheers!
In The News: Res-(veratrol)-ervations Part II
Some of you may recall that I've written earlier this month on the reported hype (and potential dangers) of the resveratrol craze.
I won't spend too much verbiage on this post, as I'm sure the developing story will be covered by dozens of talented bloggers today.
But I caught this story on NPR this morning and was captivated - it's a fascinating development in the scientific chase to find a 'miracle drug' based on compounds commonly found in wine, only this time there may be some true merit (and a potentially huge financial pay off as well):
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16727282
Cheers!
