10:07 AM

Sunday - Wine Class

A Featured Wine Class Article

Wine Drinkers Eat Healthier Foods Than Beer Drinkers

Drinking wine is believed to provide greater health benefits than drinking beer. The additional benefits may be due in part to an associated healthier diet, researchers theorize.

Wine drinkers eat more olives, fresh fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy products, poultry and lean cuts of meat, according to a recent study. Beer drinkers were found to eat more pre-cooked packaged foods, sugar, chips, soft-drinks, cold cuts, sausages and fattier cuts of meat.

Shopping Habits Studied

Food and alcohol shopping habits were investigated by a team from the National Institute of Public Health in Denmark. Researchers analyzed 3.5 million transactions, chosen at random from 98 outlets of two major Danish supermarket chains over a six month period. They evaluated the link between the purchase of beer and wine together with various food items.

Customers were categorized as "wine only," "beer only," "mixed," or "non-alcohol" buyers. Details of items bought, the number and price of the items, and the total charge for each customer's transaction were recorded.

Wine Buyers Purchase Healthier Foods

The results indicate that people who buy and presumably drink wine purchase a greater number of healthy food items than those who buy beer, according to the authors. Wine buyers purchased more fresh, low-fat foods, while beer buyers bought more processed, high-fat foods.

The study results also support findings from the United States and France that indicate wine drinkers tend to eat more fruit, vegetables and fish -- and less saturated fat -- than persons who prefer other alcoholic drinks.

Other Lifestyle Factors

The health benefits of drinking wine may be due to a combination of specific substances in wine and different characteristics of people, researchers add.

Thus, it is crucial that studies on the relationship between alcohol intake and mortality adjust for other lifestyle factors besides eating habits, including drinking patterns, smoking, physical activity, education and income.

The Meditteranean Diet

If you want to enjoy a longer life, eat a Mediterranean diet: lots of vegetables, legumes, fruits and cereals, along with plenty of fish. Keep your intake of saturated fats low but your consumption of olive oil high. Avoid dairy products and meat -- and enjoy that glass of wine now and then.

Elderly Europeans who eat that way enjoy longer life expectancy, according to another study published online by the BMJ last year. The evidence suggests that such a diet may be beneficial to health.

Lower Death Rate

That study involved over 74,000 healthy men and women, aged 60 or more, living in nine European countries. Information on diet, lifestyle, medical history, smoking, physical activity levels and other relevant factors was recorded. Adherence to a modified Mediterranean diet was measured using a recognized scoring scale.

A higher dietary score was associated with a lower overall death rate. A two point increase corresponded to an 8 percent reduction in mortality, while a three or four point increase was associated with a reduction of total mortality by 11 percent or 14 percent respectively.

So, for example, a healthy man aged 60 who adheres well to the diet (dietary score of 6-9) can expect to live about one year longer than a man of the same age who does not adhere to the diet.

Plant Foods, Unsaturated Fats

The association was strongest in Greece and Spain, probably because people in those countries follow a genuinely Mediterranean diet, according to the authors.

Adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet, which relies on plant foods and unsaturated fats, is associated with a significantly longer life expectancy, and may be particularly appropriate for elderly people, who represent a rapidly increasing group in Europe, they concluded.

About the Author

Rita Jenkins is a health journalist for Daily News Central, an online publication that delivers breaking news and reliable health information to consumers, healthcare providers and industry professionals:
http://www.dailynewscentral.com

A synopsis on Wine Class.

Old Wine in New Bottle

We're a family of wine drinkers. Anyone who really knows us, and the fact that we are absolutely not corruptible (ahem!) will also know that at a pinc...

Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Featured Wine Class Items

The FTD Loving Sympathy Arrangement - Standard

Pink lilies, larkspur, snapdragons, and heather are arranged in a splendid display. The arrangement is accented with other pink and white blooms and delivered in a basket. Appropriate to send to a home or to a funeral. S19-3563S

Price: 119.99 USD

Current Wine Class News

Jeffrey Davies Talks About French Wines - Episode #374

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 12:59:57 PST
Gary V. talks to Jeffrey Davies, "The Professor", in a Bordeaux rich episode.

Paris Restaurant Review: Le Louis Vins

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:30:25 PST
Are you ready to try French food...REAL French food? This isn't fear factor, but you may begin to think so when you try this place out. Not only do they have some of the best wines in France, but they also have some of the most traditional French food as well.

Eat fat and be merry

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 11:21:51 PST
Research says consuming polyphenols while eating fat will protect you from heart disease. Do what the French do: have a glass of red wine with that steak.

Dancing Spoon: Best Tips: Clean Pans With Wine

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:59:30 PST
All of those crispy bits that remain on the bottom of your pans and pots after sautéing or browning are called the fond, from the French, to mean the base. And on that foundation great sauces are made.

Declining Tobacco Interests Return KY to Wine Roots

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:45:38 PST
As tobacco becomes more and more the enemy, the Commonwealth of Kentucky is seeking to sustain its rich agricultural heritage - and, frankly, the massive profits produced by tobacco - by returning to an experiment in wine cultivation. With the land being compared to french countryside, this state offers a unique stake in the US wine market.

Fabulous pieces from spent wine barrels

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:01:45 PST
The most fabulous pieces handcrafted from spent wine barrels and all sorts of French baubles!

Time To Forgive the French... Winemakers That Is

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:46:44 PST
Granted, I hear it less often than I used to, but still everyone once and awhile someone will tell me they won't drink French wine, and instruct me to pick out anything but.It drives me crazy!

Gift Ideas
Cellar Master | Cellar Tags

Labels: Drinking Wine | Dry Wine

&type=page">

Posted by John Jackson | 0 comments

2:36 AM

We felt that Best Wine demanded more recognition than it is presently getting. So we had decided on writing on Best Wine . Enjoy it.

Another Great Best Wine Article

Visiting A Winery - 5 Ways to Avoid Learning Anything

Next time you visit the wine country, hire yourself a big limousine and follow these simple guidelines:

1. Plan your day around visiting as many wineries as possible.

2. Go to the same wineries everybody else does. After all, those are the popular wineries to go to, and they're more than ready to put a wine glass in your hand.

3. Don't listen to the tasting room staff, and be especially sure not to ask them too many questions. They're not paid enough to be knowledgeable professionals.

4. Have a strong desire to self-medicate. Start your wine tasting early in the day, and get sideways by noon.

5. Get your exercise! Walk back and forth from the limo to the tasting room, and repeat often.

Now THAT'S your kind of wine country vacation, right? Many others just like you think so, too. Aren't you glad you're not alone?

Be sure to keep the above guidelines handy, and refer to them often.

A Word to the Wise

Dear reader, as you may have guessed, the 5 guidelines above only apply to April Fools. For the rest of us who might consider ourselves to belong to the greater majority of responsible wine-loving adults, tasting wine is an experience to be savored and discussed, appreciated and remembered.

To tour a series of wineries to get a buzz is not what the wine-tasting experience is all about. Wine is food! And like the pleasure that comes from eating your favorite cuisine, wine can provide a similar allure. Food and wine, as many know, complement each other well. As with food, if you choose to taste wine, do it because you truly enjoy tasting it. But unlike food, don't go to a tasting room because you'd rather be drinking a lot of wine. Instead, stay home! But be responsible there, too.

If you would maximize your visit to the wine country, let us then provide contrast to the above guidelines and consider what will allow your wine country vacation to be a memorable experience - not just a sideways tour.

5 Ways to Maximize Your Wine-Country Experience

Call it wine country appreciation. Or, call it self-appreciation. In either case, if you would choose to truly benefit from a trip to the wine country, here now are five responsible guidelines signified by letters, instead of numbers, to differentiate from the list above.

A. Plan your day around visiting the wine country, not just its wineries.

There are a whole host of wonderful opportunities to be found in the wine regions of the world, whether you're touring the famed Bordeaux region, Oregon's Willamette Valley, or the up-and-coming Amador County area west of California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. A visit to these wine regions can include a number of historical, cultural, educational, heritage, and active outdoor pursuits. Quite often, having a local guide can dramatically enhance the personal growth aspects of vacationers.

Gaining appeal with today's travelers are tours ranging from culinary education classes that take place in spectacular settings to wellness retreats that offer exercise and nutrition counseling as well as superb pampering. Or, if you desire to be more active, you can find tours that offer a few days of exploring the flora, fauna, and scenic vistas of local open spaces, then a superb meal with wine tasting. Travelers are increasingly booking such tours, and they are trending heavily toward booking them online on a myriad of tour and travel websites.

B. To properly enjoy your wine-touring experience, choose your winery destination carefully.

Visitors are often drawn to the popular wineries that are located alongside the wine country's main arterial routes; for instance, Highway 29 in the Napa Valley. And yet those are the areas in which you'll find the greater share of vehicle traffic, especially during the summer tourist season. Of course, the traffic isn't just cars, limousines, and tour buses. After you get off the bus or out of your car and into the winery, you'll often wait in long lines of human traffic just to taste a wine or two. Ironically, this can defeat the purpose of Guideline A.

Many wineries and lodging operations offer better service and better vacation deals for your dollar during off-peak seasons. As a result, you'll find that you get to linger longer at a restaurant or have a conversation with a winemaker that goes beyond the merely casual. Having the time to relax and not compete with other tourists on your vacation can dramatically augment not only your sense of well-being, but also your wine knowledge and your social network.

In addition, there are many family-owned wineries that are real treasures. It's easy to overlook them, but once you make the effort to seek them out, you'll often be rewarded with an experience that will have you telling your friends about them. You may even find the winegrower getting off his tractor to take you for an impromptu tour of his vineyard or winery operation. Of course, he might have you consider purchasing a case of his wines for his trouble. But then, you may also find that you're not paying nearly the premium that you'll pay at the more popular wineries along the main wine roads.

C. The tasting room staff earn their pay, and they do it out of passion. Let them guide you.

The wineries aren't in business to attract more tourists. They're in business because they have a clear understanding of the needs of their customers. If you're not the world's greatest wine expert, don't worry! You're among friends. Learning is why you traveled to the wine country in the first place, and winemakers and their staff love to talk about what they do. Listen, and ask questions. If you should visit more than one winery, ask the same questions. You'll enhance your understanding by the answers you'll hear, and what's more, you'll be delighted that you asked.

D. Be fully aware of your experience. Participate in it, and find yourself enchanted by it. Don't desensitize yourself to the magic of the wine country.

"The advantages of wine touring are beautiful scenery and a new learning experience. The disadvantages are that there's not enough wine."

This author has actually read the above statement in a review by a supposedly-serious wine expert. I've heard similar quips from the lips of the not-so-pleasantly plowed. While I might agree with the "advantage" half of that statement, the desired outcome of your wine tour should be a quality experience, not a quantity experience. Wine touring is not meant to be a dormitory-style competition.

Therefore, pace yourself. Pour the wine you no longer want into the proper receptacle, usually a spit bucket. Spit the wine into the bucket if necessary - it's perfectly acceptable within the context of tasting wine. But nobody likes a drunken tourist - not the winery staff, not the patrons, and especially not the wine country police.

E. To properly enjoy the wine country, get out of the land yacht and explore your surroundings.

Bring your hiking shoes with you, and find a local trail. Or, if you prefer to connect to your new surroundings on a deeper level, hire a guide. The reasons that grapes do so well in the wine country are often the same reasons why most areas surrounding the wine regions of the world offer a number of marvelous outdoor experiences. You'll find that a walk in the redwoods, an expansive mountaintop view, a remote meadow full of wildflowers, or a glimpse of a bobcat on the trail can heighten your wine country experience in sensational ways.

Plus, the exercise and the fresh air you'll get from your outdoor excursion will build your anticipation of those fine meals and exquisite wines that you came to the wine country for. They are the reward for your physical efforts, they balance your intrinsic desire for deeper understanding, and they make your vacation complete.

About the Author

Russ Beebe is an experienced wine taster and hiking guide who leads naturalist tours in the California wine country. Discover how you can enjoy the quintessential California experience at <a target=new href="http://www.californiawinehikes.com/">californiawinehikes.com.

A Short Best Wine Summary

Visiting A Winery - 5 Ways to Avoid Learning Anything

Next time you visit the wine country, hire yourself a big limousine and follow these simple guidelines:
1. Plan your day around visiting as many winer...

Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Recommended Best Wine Items

Riedel Wine Line Champagne Flutes (Set of 4)

The Wine Line Riedel stems to use anytime all the time. Why settle for boring everyday stemware when you can experience the sensuous pleasure of Riedel so reasonably priced. A perfect accord of the beautiful and practical the abundant crystal bowls echo the flavor-enhancing properties of Riedel Vinum the deco stems make a sophisticated style statement and the four-column cloverleaf design contours to your hand the better to have and to hold. Dishwasher safe. Machine blown from lead free crystal.9 3/4'H 5 5/8 oz.

Price: 51.60 USD

News about Best Wine

Italian Food Italian Cooking Freeitalianrecipescom

Wine introduction by victor hazan, history wine spectator of italian wine, italian wine today, wine laws and labels, wine regions and producers, famous enoteche, the wine museum in umbria, periodicals about wine, books about wine, how to create a wine cellar, ten w The italian chef classic and new italian own italian chef, paolo torre recipes from an italian family, including their Very good good dj with very Includes these itailan dish almost every

Wine Enthusiast
Chianti Region
Drinking Wine | Dry Wine