wine tip

Longevity interests a lot of people who aren't ready to give up their lives
just yet
and who look to healthy alternatives to culturally defined eating patterns and "health care."

The benefits of drinking wine have been touted for a while and are thought
by some
to be the reason why the French can get away with eating a high fat diet while enjoying a low rate of coronary disease.

A few years ago
a study by French research team also found that men who regularly drank at least two glasses of wine daily were 50 percent less likely than non-drinkers to suffer a second heart attack.

Previous studies with yeast
a small species of worm
and fruit flies have shown that resveratrol -- a polyphenol antioxidant found in grapes
especially red grapes
and particularly pinot noir grapes which are grown in northern latitudes and used in wines coming from New York
Washington
and Oregon -- is a life-extending compound.

In a new study from Italy
resveratrol has been used to increase the life span of a short-lived breed of tropical fish by more than 50%. Not only did fish given resveratrol in their food live longer than the control group
they stayed livelier as they aged and displayed better memory in stimulus/response tests. And the neurons in their brains didn't decay as quickly when they died and were dissected.

Resveratrol
an organic compound contained in the skins of grapes that protects them from disease
is extracted from grapes by the wine making process. The wine becomes a preservative for the resveratrol and prevents its oxidation.

That's why drinking grape juice or eating raisins doesn't have the same effect; the resveratrol has neither been extracted nor preserved. It's also been shown that resveratrol in food supplements oxidizes upon exposure to air and loses its effectiveness.

Red wine may truly be a "wondrous drug!"

Other studies have shown that wine
especially red wine
can help prevent colds
increase the levels of HDL (good) cholesterol
lower the risk of Alzheimer's
reduce the size and number of fat cells in the body
reduce the risk of prostate cancer
and has anti-inflammatory properties to boot.

Drug companies are trying to copy Red wine may truly be a "wondrous drug!"
but might not be able to preserve it's health-preserving benefits. Besides
resveratrol is freely available in red wine and not patentable as such.

This year Christmas came early for me when my fianc้e gave me my Christmas presents early. As I sat opening my many attractively wrapped packages
the one that excited me and intrigued me the most was an attractive glass wine decanter. Even though I am an avid drinker of red wine
it has never occurred to me in all my years that I should ever use one. Usually I would just set an open bottle of red wine on the counter for a little while before finally drinking it. However
after having used a wine decanter for the first time
I have decided that I will never go back to the old ways again!

A decanter is a vessel
usually made out of glass or lead crystal which is used to separate sediment from another vessel of liquid
for example red wine. In this process
the sediment is left in a small amount of liquid in the original vessel
and the “clear” liquid remains in the decanter. Decanting red wine
however
serves another purpose along with separation of the wine from the sediment and that is to oxygenate the wine.

Aeration or oxygenation is the process of adding oxygen to a liquid. Why do this? Well it’s really quite simple and logical when you think about it. Wine has been sealed in a vacuumed bottle for years therefore oxygenating wine takes the edge off and enhances the aromas and bouquet. As we have learned in previous articles
aroma and bouquets are very important aspects to wine and without them at their full potential a bottle will just not taste as well as it should.

Decanting an old bottle of wine is quite simple if you keep in mind two steps. Firstly
it is important to stand the bottle of wine up for several hours to allow the sediment to settle to the bottom of the bottle. Why several hours? While larger sediment will settle to the bottle quite quickly
finer sediment will take much longer. In a well lit room or using a lamp or candle
slowly begin to pour the wine into the decanter. Once you have roughly one third left in the bottle begin to look at the neck of the bottle for the sediment. Place the candle or lamp near the neck of the bottle and once you begin to see sediment in the neck of the bottle
stop pouring. The wine in your decanter should now be sediment free!

Some people say that it is not necessary to decant your everyday bottle of red wine. While this might be true
I have found that there is no harm done in decanting anyway. There might not be as much sediment in the bottle to separate or any at all
but the aeration will still do wonders for the flavour and aromas. The best way to decant a young bottle of wine is to splash it into the decanter so that as much of the wine comes in contact with oxygen as possible. Let the decanter sit for a moment to rest before serving.

So next time you think you will want some red wine with dinner
remember that while decanting is easy
it necessary to begin the decanting process several hours before to ensure you achieve the best aromas from the wine for consumption with your meal.

The world of red wines is a heady
rich and wonderful world filled with everything from the nuanced subtlety of a gentle South African Merlot to the peppery richness of Sangre de Toro
“Blood of the Bull” from Spain. In general
many of the “rules” of wine drinking have been cast aside in today’s world
making it more accessible to every person
and with the increased demand supply has soared
allowing for inexpensive and very delicious wine available to all.

Still
there are many who feel that the world of wine loving is not as yet open to them. With so many wines to choose among
where do you begin? How do you properly enjoy a red or white and with what meals would they be best?

Let’s look at some very basic tips to maximizing your exploration of red wines.

Don’t spend a ton of money on a bottle of wine. Leave that for later
once you’ve begun to explore beyond the brands and varietals that you like. There are so many wonderful and delicious wines that are available for somewhere between $5 and $8 a bottle
that you really should not need to drop $20 or $30 for a bottle of wine...at least not yet.

Don’t buy local
yet. Often
your local wine store is stocked with bottles from the local vineyard (if there is one). These can be wonderful
or they can be vinegar. It really can be something of a crap shoot. So
unless you live in the Napa valley
or some other area that is renown for its wine-making efforts
stick with something that is nationally or internationally distributed.

Stick with a varietal
for now. In other words
pick a wine that is primarily made from one type of grape
i.e. a Shiraz
Syrah
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
etc. Try to avoid blended reds to begin with
though they can be quite delicious. By learning the flavors of the varietal grapes
you’ll better understand what it is about the blend that you like. Avoid flavored wines or coolers that you can get at your local convenience store. These are little more than non-bubbly soda pop with alcohol in them and can lead to a nasty headache as they are hastily made from the least pure ingredients.

Start with a nice Merlot from South Africa
Australia
New Zealand or Chile. These vineyards are usually able to balance cost with quality quite nicely. The reason I recommend Merlot is that of all the red varietals
it is the gentlest
and complements a broad menu of meals.

Reds like to breathe. Open the bottle and let it sit for ten minutes or so. This allows oxygen to get at the wine and mature it quickly. For that matter
pouring the wine into the glasses and allowing it to sit for ten to twenty minutes accelerates this process. You’ll find the flavor is much enhanced by this approach.

Reds at Room Temperature and Whites Chilled. A simple rule that does not always apply but is a good guide
nonetheless. Chilling a red removes many of the subtleties of flavor for which you buy the wine in the first place and slows the wine’s ability to mature with exposure to oxygen. Keep them room temperature.

I mentioned earlier that many of the “rules” of wine loving have been discarded
or at least loosened
such as ‘red wine with red meat or pasta and white wine with fish or poultry.’ While these are not bad guidelines
they really are not carved in stone and nowadays waiters and even the seasoned gourmand will not turn up his/her nose at a guest who asks for a red with fish or enjoys a nice
tart Chardonnay with a burger.

Merlot with what? While a Merlot can be a perfect complement for a spaghetti dinner (particularly if you have a nice buttery garlic bread)
it can easily sit beside a pork chop or fried chicken dinner. A Merlot is a lovely
non-pretentious start to your journey and should open the door nicely to a journey of wine loving.

OK
Now What? Try a few different brands of Merlot from competing vineyards. Note the differences in style and substance. I’d recommend sticking to those south of the equator to begin with. Once you feel like you’ve tasted a number of Merlots and are acquainted with the differences
then move on to a Cabernet Sauvignon and begin your journey anew. I’d hold off on Shiraz
Syrah
Petite Syrah or Beaujolais until you have a basic appreciation of Merlots and Cabernets
but once you do
then dive in to the heavy
heady
peppery joy of the stronger reds. Once you feel like you really understand and can note the differences of the red varietals
start exploring the blends or the truly excellent California varietals. Good luck and enjoy!