Red Wine Helps you Lose Weight!!!

Having my own Wine Company allows me certain insights into the wonderful world of wine.

There are certain aspects to wine that are known in the industry and not known outside.
Why this is, is a mystery to me, as some facts need to be shared with the wine drinking public!

One such fact has finally been bought to light and proven by a 13-year-study by Dr. Lu Wang from Brigham Women's Hospital in Boston, USA.
The Conclusion;
Women gain less weight over time if they drink wine.

Research was carried out over almost 20,000 healthy, middle aged and older women and although there was some weight gain over the 13-year study period, the women tested, who started with a normal weight were less likely to gain extra pounds if they drank light to moderate amounts of alcohol, namely wine.

That translates to 2 to 3 glasses of wine each day.
The tests also proved that the link was strongest with red wine drinkers.
Women who abstained from drink gained the most weight.

I have always pleaded that if wine is so bad for us, then why has it been around for 6000 years?

Enjoy in Moderation; that is the key.

http://www.greatwinesdirect.co.uk launches!

GreatWinesDirect.co.uk launches this week and will prove to be a new force in online wine sales bringing the buyer an awesome range of Fine Wines at terrific prices.

After much negotiation and sourcing for the right company for us, we have struck a fantastic deal and joined up with a marketing company to take the online wine business forward into 2010.

The key elements are to bring fantastic wines from the vine direct to the table, from all the major wine producing countries in the world, but without the negative additives that can lead to side effects such as hangovers etc.

Also, as we do not employ middlemen or have the need for retail shops, we are able to bring the buyer these great wines at very affordable price!

We believe that the wine we source will stimulate the body and mind to work correctly, enabling a great, relaxing evening, which in these times is becoming more necessary, allowing you to feel great in the morning after a great nights sleep.

For more details and how Great Wines Direct can help you, get in touch and see what we're all about!

Thanks

Wine Tastings - as the experts do it!

1. Step 1

   LOOK
   
   * Pour a nice Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc into a simple glass that curves inward (about a third full). Holding the glass by the stem, tip it against a white background (sheet of paper).
   
   Examine the wine:
   
   * Is it clear or cloudy? This can tell you if the wine has a fault or not
   * What colour is it?
   
   * White wines: white-lemon-gold
   * Red Wines: purple, ruby, tawny
   * Rose Wines: pink, rose or orange
   
   * Compare the colour at the centre of the glass with the colour at the rim.
   
   
   *What can the colour tell you?
   White Wines:
   become deeper (more yellow/golden) with age.
   Red Wines: the more purple the wine, the younger it is. In young wines, the colour is usually uniform. The more brown, tawny or orange the wine, the older it is. With age, the colour is not uniform and is lighter at the rim of the glass compared with the centre.
   Generally, the lighter the colour of the wine, the cooler the climate.However, certain grape varieties are characteristically lighter or darker in colour.

2. Step 2

   SMELL
   
   * Swirl the wine in the glass to increase the surface area exposure to the air. This helps it develop.
   * Take a quick sniff (remember, first impressions count the most)
   
   * Does it smell clean or unclean?
   This can tell you if the wine is corked or not. If corked, it will have a musty smell.
   * Does it smell weak or intense?
   This can tell you about the wine's origin. The more intense the nose, the more likely that the grapes were grown in a hot climate and the level of sugar and therefore alcohol is higher.
   * What does it smell of?
   Fruity, Savoury, Dairy, Nutty, Spicy, Mineral, Sugary, Woody, Floral, Herbal.
   
   *What can the smell tell you?
   Older wines tend to smell more savoury and spicy and less of fruit.
   Younger wines tend to smell more of fruit. However, some grape varieties have very distinctive bouquets.

3. Step 3

   TASTE
   
   * Take a mouthful of wine (not too much) and swirl it around your mouth (so every taste bud gets a chance to taste it).
   * Professional tasters draw in air at the same time to increase the contact with air and give the wine a chance to evolve in the mouth.
   * Spit it out (optional, unless you've got 15 or more wines to taste!).
   
   * Can you taste the sweetness?
   Sweetness is tasted at the tip of the tongue. It tastes sugary. It comes from the sugar in ripe grapes that is left after fermentation has finished. Is the wine dry, medium or sweet?
   * Can you taste the acidity?
   Acidity is tasted on the sides of the tongue and tastes like lemons. It occurs naturally in grapes and is important to balance sweetness. White wines have more acidity than red wines. Does the wine have low, medium or high levels of acidity?
   * Can you taste the tannin?
   Tannin is tasted on the teeth and gums and tastes bitter like a strong cup of tea that makes your mouth 'fur' up. It also has the sensation of an under-ripe or green banana. Tannin comes from the skins of the grapes and from oak ageing. It is mainly found in red wines. What flavours can you taste? Fruity, Savoury, Dairy, Nutty, Spicy, Mineral, Sugary, Woody, Floral, Herbal
   * Are the flavours weak or pronounced?
   * Can you feel the alcohol?
   Alcohol is sensed at the back of the throat and gives a warming sensation. The higher the level of sugar in the grapes before fermentation, the higher potential alcohol the wine will have, i.e. hotter countries tend to produce wines higher in alcohol. Are there low, medium or high levels of alcohol? You can also see this from the 'legs' left on the sides of the glass. This is also an indication of sweetness.
   * How 'long' is the wine?
   This is a term that describes the length of time you can taste the wine once you have swallowed (or spat it out!). Is the length, short, medium or long? It gives an indication of quality. The longer the length, the higher the quality.

4. Step 4

   * What can the taste tell you?
   * Quality:
   * A good sign of quality is balance. A wine is balanced when all of the wine's components (eg. sweetness, acidity, tannins) blend together. The balance or potential to be balanced after ageing is a sign of quality.
   * Maturity:
   * Older red wines tend to taste more savoury and spicy. Older white wines tend to taste more honeyed and yeasty. Younger wines tend to taste more of fruit.Origin: Hotter countries mean riper grapes and more overtly fruity wines (and a higher degree of alcohol).
   * Grape Variety:
   * Certain grape varieties taste of certain flavours, e.g. Sauvignon Blanc typically tastes and smells of gooseberries, Pinot Noir of red fruit and minerals.

Chile: A hot topic!

I have been fortunate enough to have spent many a summers evening deliberating over various wines from various countries and felt compelled to put pen to paper after one such evening spent in the company of a myriad of South American wines and, I am happy to say, I was not at all disappointed!
Sure, you've got the famous brands that adorn our supermarket shelves in the UK, but very rarely, some of the chosen few get the opportunity to meet interesting vintners and try some offerings that are truly exceptional and stand out from the crowd, all on their own merits.
One such opportunity arose when I discovered the wines of Vina Echeverria, a small, family owned and run wine estate in Molina, Curico Valley, the wine centre of Chile.
Roberto,Roberto I, Gloria, Viviana and Paulina Echeverria all work on the estate in different roles and are always on hand to talk about their commitment to quality and excellence that, they say, is attainable only from a truly family enterprise!
The evening starts with a great introduction from their wines with the Sauvignon Blanc 2008. Pre-Philloxera root stock (original French Sauvignon!) Bright yellow with green hues, a stunning aroma, very vibrant and strong of pineapple, grapefruit and notes of fresh herbs. These fruits are abundant on the palate, lots of very strong flavours and a long, lingering finish. Suffice to say we were taken aback by its sheer weight of flavour!
This true gem was not a one off, as other just as favourable wines were to follow, including the Unwooded Chardonnay 2008; a contender more than sufficient to be played against any Australian offerings, the Merlot 2008; a superb garnet colour oozing with strawberries and blackberries with notes of black pepper and dried fruit, the Cabernet Sauvignon 2007; all you would expect from such a king of grapes and eventually culminating in the Carmenere, a recently discovered gem, lost many years ago in France, but now finding recognition in the wine world as one of the best robust and fruity wines on the current market! Red and violet in colour with intense aromas of raspberries and cherry confiture and ripe red bell peppers and hints of black pepper. This really is a stunning wine and one not to be missed. On the palate it is smooth and velvety with an abundance of dark fruit and a finish that lingers of raspberries. I recommend if you only try one new wine this year, it is a Carmenere! For those who have already discovered it; try this one from Molina!
It only leaves me to thank the Echeverria family and I look forward to the new harvest due very soon.
Thanks guys!

David Kelly

Abruzzo....Undiscovered areas....

Finally able to put pen to paper (so to speak) about the adventures discovering the unknown wineries in Abruzzo, Southern Italy.
The weather was 30 + every day, so a lot of vino lubrication was definitely necessary!
We managed to tour a large amount around the Pescara area, in between the Northern Adriatic and the Grand Sasso range of mountains on the East coast of Italy, about half way down the 'boot', opposite Rome on the West coast, and as any vineyard owner in Chile can tell you, the warm days and cool nights make for very conducive grape growing conditions!
This said, the amount of varietals available is kept to the main ones grown here for centuries; Montepulciano for the red corner and Trebbiano for the whites.
There was a splattering of the ubiquitous Chardonnay and a couple of other lesser known types of which I could not pronounce, let alone spell and never to be seen outside of this region! Suffice to say that we did not dwell on these lesser ones as one taste at a tiny boutique estate in Alano put us off for life! Even the owner said it was not his 'favourite' and for an Italian to admit that is to say in English "avoid like the plague"!!!

'Vinicola Bove' was one of the more memorable estates and Dott. Vittorio Festa, the oenologist guided us through the native Montepulciano and the Indigenous Trebbiano.
Okay, so the Trebbiano is what many Italian's like to enjoy ice cold during the summer months with a light pasta or salad at lunch and I have to say we were pleasantly surprised by some of these, being not of the usual insipid lack lustre wines that adorn our shelves in the UK, but rather quite fresh and flavoursome with good length and very little acidity. It just goes to show the old adage that the country usually keeps their best wines for themselves!

The Montepulciano's here really stand up to any competition from other areas! The 'Feudi D'Albe' was amongst my favourites, made in an easy drinking style but with chunky fruit and firm tannins with delightful hints of chocolate and spice enhanced by oak ageing.
Podere Castorani was another memorable estate. Not only for me as a Formula One fan (it is owned by Toyota F1 driver Jarno Trulli) but also as a wine fan, as this 250 year old estate produces some stunning high end examples of not only the local grapes but also an interesting wine called, not surprisingly, 'Jarno', which has stunning Amarone characteristics! Suffice to say that their 'Coste delle Plaie' Montepulciano was outstanding. Was it the atmosphere? The silence on the breeze with a cool 25 degC overlooking the sea on one side and the mountains on the other? Is this what they call work? I do love my job!

I look forward to your comments

Kind Regards and 'Salute'!

David.

Wine Tasting-Abruzzo, Italy

Hi All
I will be taking the next two weeks off with a 'time out' to travel Abruzzo in Italy sourcing new wines for the Great Wines Direct list.

Any suggestions on recommended vineyards?

As a "petrol head" i'm looking to visit Jarno Trulli's vineyard. It's the summer break for Formula One after todays Hungary race at the Hungaroring and I know he will be in Alano, his home town and I already have a couple of his wines on the list...would be great to meet the man himself and enjoy the odd bottle on the estate....watch this space, I will Tweet any results (http://www.twitter.com/expertwineguy)
All details to follow upon my return

Ciao for now :-)
David
http://www.expertwineguy.com

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