Sip Quips

Recently you can’t turn around in a science journal without tripping over an article extolling the health virtues of wine. Whether it be scientific curiosity or scientists’ oenophilia it has had the decided effect to give wine a certain yoga-chic cache, it’s not just good, but also good for you. In case you needed an excuse to uncork a bottle tonight here are a few examples of how a glass of wine a day can keep the doctor away.

1. Heart Health - Amidst all of the recent talk about polyphenols and resveratrol being heart healthy major publications have left out two major facts 1) all of the resveratrol studies done thus fsr are on mice and 2) to get the doses sufficient to affect heart health you would need to consume over 100 bottles per day but all is not lost! Alcohol, in moderation, raises good cholesterol, lowers bad cholesterol and reduces the formation of blood clots. So, even if it’s not for the reason you thought, wine is good for the old ticker.
2. Memory - Granted after too much wine you may not remember details to clearly, Professor  Matthew During of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, along with Dr Maggie Kalev have demonstrated that alcohol use challenges the brain and it responds by building memory. Too much alcohol and the memory building was focused on memories of highly emotional stimuli, but moderate alcohol uses demonstrated better retention across the board.
3. Trimmer Tummy Studies at the University of Buffalo have shown that folks who consume moderate amounts of alcohol on a regular basis (1-2 drinks per day) had less belly fat than binge drinkers (3+ drinks sporadically). Wine drinkers were shown to have slimmer waistlines than liquor drinkers and those who abstain from drinking, A similar Australian study showed 25% less belly fat on women who regularly consume wine than women who do not drink.
4. Bone Density - Dr. Katherine Tucker, of Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, found that, in women, one to two glasses of wine per day increased Bone Mineral Density by up to 5%. 
5. Better Blood Sugar Control – Recent studies have shown wine, specifically red wine, inhibits the activity of a target enzyme called alpha-glucosidase, which triggers the absorption of glucose from the digestive tract into the bloodstream, resulting in steadier blood sugar levels following meals.

Somehow, over the years I have amassed a veritable encyclopedia of wine trivia, some useful, some trivial, but all interesting. Here are  a few tidbits to break out at your next cocktail party.

It is rumored that the champagne coupe, or the flattened saucer-like champagne glass was originally molded from the breast of Helen of Troy.  As the Greeks believed that wine drinking was a sensual experience, it was only fitting that the most beautiful woman take part in shaping the chalice. Upon hearing this story Marie Antoinette thought it fitting that the French enjoy the same honor and she commissioned an artist to take a mold of her breast for the same purpose.

Champagne can be made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, or a blend of these grapes.

The vineyards of Chateau Petrus are almost exclusively Merlot, making it one of the most expensive and highly sought after Merlots in the world. 

Keep a cork around, next to your sink. Rubbing the end of a cork against the blade of a knife will get almost anything off it, and it won’t scratch or abrade your knife blade.

The Egyptians were the first to use cork as a closure for wine.

Grape vines do not reproduce reliably from seed. It is far easier to use the cuttings left after pruning a vineyard to obtain new grapevines.

Beaujolais Nouveau cannot legally be released until the third Thursday of November.

There is at least one bonded winery facility in each of the fifty states (that’s right, Alaska too).

The first commercial winery in the US was founded in 1806 in Indiana.

The primary acid found in grapes is tartaric acid, which when crystalized and ground yields cream of tartar. Grapes are the only significant source of cream of tartar.

You can make a white wine from red grapes. The color of red wine comes from leaving the juice in contact with the red skins. Rosé wines are made by leaving the skins and juice together for a very short time.

Varietal refers to a finished wine made from a single type of grape. Before it’s wine, the correct term for a specific type of grape is variety.

The frosty looking coating on the outside of grapes is called flor. The flor contains naturally occurring yeast cells, so if you crush grapes you will end up with wine (no guarantee of the quality of this wine).

In addition to tartaric acid, grapes also contain malic acid (the tart acid of green apples) and citric acid (you got it – same as in citrus fruits).

Tannins bind to proteins in salvia, resulting is a drying senaation in the mouth. Tannins will also bind to animal fats (cream, butter, marbled steak). This is why red wines are good with rich, fatty foods – they actually refresh your palate by binding to the animal fats that coat your mouth.

Chateauneuf du Pape and Chianti are two types of wine that can blend white and red grapes into a finished red wine.

Sparkling rosé wines are made by adding a small amount of still red wine to sparkling white wine.

Please use these facts to one up the wine snob at your next cocktail party. Wine snobs become much more tolerable when there wine ego is put in check!