October 31, 2011
When the health of bones comes to mind, we know that milk helps to maintain calcium levels, while also building stronger bones. But now it has been found that red wine has a place in bone health as well.
Yet again, further positive evidence has been found concerning the health issues of red wine. We know that there are numerous benefits of drinking this popular beverage, so long as it is consumed in moderation.
Over-indulgence of any alcoholic drink is not recommended, but too much red wine may not only give you a thumping headache or even migraine, but it’s bad for your overall health. Like so many things in life, ‘a little of something is very good for you – too much of it is very bad’.
A study recently carried out in Australia and published by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has found that red wine helps to improve the health of bones in men in the 50-80 year old range. Links were found by the researchers between improved bone mineral density (BMD) and the consumption of red wine within this male age group.
BMD relates to the concentration of minerals, such as calcium in bones and is a measure of bone strength. As BMD reduces, the risk for developing osteoporosis increases.
Results of the Surgeon General’s last complete study into bone health matters, showed that 44 million Americans are currently suffering from osteoporosis. Concern is that by the year 2020 half of all Americans over the age of 50 will have weak bones.
Excessive drinking has long been connected with an increase in bone fractures due to osteoporosis and severe falls. However, the study on moderate drinking had mixed results. This research considered all the benefits and detriments of red wine, beer and spirits on both women and men (around 900 individuals), and was conducted over two years.
The participants had their BMD measured by x-ray at the start of the period and again two years later. They also completed questionnaires about their drinking habits as well as the types of alcohol they consumed. The research team concluded that when it came to red wine consumption in men, there was enough evidence to show that this may help prevent bone loss, but no influence at all was found on women. Instead, the results suggested that women might get the same benefits from consuming low-alcohol beer.
The study’s senior author, Graeme Jones, at the Menzies Research Institute in Australia, said, “these somewhat contrasting results suggest it is not the alcohol per se but other factors in the beverages.”
As shown in several recent studies on skeletal research, there is evidence that phytochemicals, i.e. the polyphenols that are found in grape skins, contribute to healthy bones. Red wine has many health benefits, so keep up with the odd tipple, but don’t go overboard!
To learn more about wine and wine health, please visit Understanding Wine where you will find a wealth of interesting wine information. Ever made Homemade wine before? Don’t know how to, why not visit http://winemakinghome.blogspot.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_Hemphill
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October 24, 2011
In France and a large part of southern Europe, drinking red wine has been a part of everyday life for hundreds of years. But in American red wines remained a small and relatively unpopular drink until early nineteen nineties. Ever since the prohibition days of the nineteen thirties the wine industry had tried to make America a wine drinking country, but with very limited success. Then in 1991 something happened that changed everything and made red wine, and especially Merlot, a household drink in America. What was this one pivotal event that changed American wine culture forever?
In 1991 an episode of 60 minutes dedicated to what would be termed “The French Paradox” aired on US television in prime time. It put the spotlight on the paradox that despite the French population eating almost three times as much saturated fat as the American population, the French have a much lower incidence rate of coronary heart disease. In fact the French consumes four times more butter, three times more pork and about 60 % more cheese.
The program speculated that the lack of heart disease was connected with the French habit of drinking red wine with their meals. Almost immediately the sale of red wine in the United States increased by more than 40 %. But one type of wine in particular exploded in popularity, the Merlot.
With the American people now being told to drink a couple of glasses of red wine a day for their health, they went looking for a wine. They did not necessarily like the taste and smell of red wine; they just wanted a wine that was mild, and easy to drink.
The Merlot, long considered in France to be a second grade grape compared to its noble sibling the Cabernet Sauvignon, fit the bill perfectly. All of a sudden, the much-criticized weakness of the Merlot grapes became its biggest selling point. The very qualities that the French disliked about the Merlot, the Americans loved, and the Merlot took its rightful place in the sun.
And it has remained popular ever since. Between 1985 and today the area dedicated to growing Merlot grapes in the US have exploded from approximately 800 hectare to over 20 000 hectare. And other countries have embraced the Merlot grapes as well, in particular Chile and Australia.
Never before or since has a television program had such an effect on a nations drinking habits. It was sixty minutes of television that gave birth to a star, the Merlot.
To learn about the different types of white wine, including Pinot Grigio wines visit us at our website dedicated to wine.
Jamie Welding
Wine Enthusiast and Writer
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jamie_Welding
Technorati Tags: American red wines, drinking red wine, merlot, popular red wine, red wine
October 17, 2011
Ideally, Italian red wines are best enjoyed in Italy, in the wine growing areas made famous over centuries of wine production – Chianti, Lambrusco and Barolo – with Chianti perhaps the best known of all with its distinctive raffia-clad bottles providing an extra air of foreign charm.
Italy’s red wines are produced in great quantity and account for 20% of the world’s production. Grown on mountainsides and hills with a great variety of soil and climate conditions, over sixty percent of the wine grown in Italy is red, with variations according to the different wine-growing areas. The cool, mountainous northern region of Emilia-Romagna produces crisp, austere wines, like Lambrusco which is light and slightly fizzy, so is often served cold. Renowned for its subtle berry flavors, Lambrusco’s fizz comes from a second fermentation process done under pressure.
A very different red wine is Barolo, with a high tannin content which softens as it ages into a full bodied red much sought after by connoisseurs. Barolo comes from the Piedmont area and is made from Nebbiolo grapes. Another quite different red wine is Amarone, from the Corvina region, made from partly dried grapes with other syrupy fruits added. The sunny, temperate central region of Tuscany yields bold, lusty, full-bodied wines such as Chianti, with many different qualities according to the winery, but the best one is Chianti Classico. Normally Chianti has a fruity scent and tastes dry and soft. Chianti from Tuscany remains the all-time favorite with tourists particularly and is best enjoyed with a Tuscan sunset turning the fields to gold and the cypress trees a dark green as they outline the curves of the romantic Tuscan countryside.
There was a story, perhaps apocryphal, that Italian wines did not travel well and thus there was always enough kept at home in Italy for the Italians to enjoy. Not true today when Italian wines are exported all over the world for international wine lovers to enjoy as well. Choosing the right red wine to go with a meal can be as complicated as you wish, but a general rule is to enjoy it with red meat or strongly flavored food, as white wine seems to go better with chicken and fish. Rules are made to be broken however, if you find a red wine you particularly enjoy, you can drink it with any meal, especially if you are dining on Italy’s rich cuisine.
Another notable Italian red wine is Barbaresco, similar to Barolo but it tends to be softer and slightly more graceful. There are just three, small growing regions for Barbaresco compared to Barolo’s eleven. Barbaresco, too, requires aging to reach its full potential but is drinkable a little sooner than Barolo.
Bardolino is another famous red, lighter and fruity from the Veneto region of Italy. Named after the town of Bardolino on Lake Garda, this wine has faint cherry flavors and just a hint of spiciness. The star of Italian red wines however is Brunello Di Montalcino from a little medieval town just outside Siena. Brunello, “the nice, dark one” in local dialect, is Tuscany’s most expensive, rarest, and longest-lived wine. Whether it is Chianti, Amarone, Barolo, or Barbaresco, enjoying Italian red wine is a unique pleasure, suitable for all occasions and for all seasons.
Find out best reviews and useful information about Italian Red Wine online at MyReviewsNow.net
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Willie_Gross
Technorati Tags: drinking red wine, dry red wine, Italian Chianti, Italian red wine, red wine production
October 11, 2011
Coq au Vin is a classic dish that has hundreds of variations. When I first started making this dish, years ago, the recipes called for the use of “fat Back” which is pure fat, from the bacon area of the hog, but without any meat. The later recipes replaced the fatback with bacon. My family chooses to leave the bacon out altogether. For this recipe, we will include the bacon, be sure to purchase “thick cut” bacon as it well work better here.
Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pound babyBella or white mushrooms, sliced
2 fryer chickens, cut into 8 pieces each
½ pound bacon, diced
2 cups Chicken stock
2 cups dry red wine such as Burgundy
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole thyme, use fresh if you have it.\Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
¼ oz. brandy
½ cup finely minced parsley
Roux for thickening. 6 tablespoons white flour, cooked in 6 tablespoons butter until golden brown
In a pre heated large frying pan, add the oil, then the onions and garlic. Saute until they are tender. Add the mushrooms and sauté for another two minutes. Remove everything from the pan, and deglaze the pan using ¼ cup of your red wine. Pour this over the onion and mushroom mixture and set aside.
In the same pan, saute the bacon until clear. Remove the bacon from the pan, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Set the bacon aside.
In the bacon fat, sauté the chicken until it is a golden brown on both sides.
Place the chicken and bacon in a large kettle and add the chicken stock, red wine, bay leaves,, thyme, salt and pepper, parsley and brandy. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is tender. This should take about an hour,
Next, add the garlic, onion,mushroom mixture to the chicken. Continue simmering while you make the roux:
When the roux is ready, add it to the chicken, and stir until the juices thicken.
Serve the chicken and sauce over some cooked wide noodles.
Wine Suggestion The remaining Burgundy or an Oregon Pinot Noir
Chefs Secret: Place the bacon in the freezer for a few minutes before you dice it. Bacon is much easier to dice when it is very cold.
Born and raised in the Wine Country of Northern California, William Chaney is a Retired Chef and Wine Connoisseur. During the Holidays, his wife invites any number of friends and family to share the meal, so he often finds himself preparing food for 12 to 15 or more guests. On These occasions he is in the kitchen by 4 a.m., loving every minute of it. Look to his website for information on what wines to serve with each Food, He also offers recipes with wines listed. He splits his time between his home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and his home in Wisconsin. He writes about Wines of the world and foods of the world. Visit him at http://WineLoversSecrets.com where you can learn more about wine, and get food recipes. Go there now and sign up for his new letter.
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Technorati Tags: Chicken In Red Wine Sauce, cooking with red wine, Coq Au Vin, red wine, Red Wine Recipes, red wine sauce
October 4, 2011
Firstly, there are no hard and fast rules regarding wine and food. Wine and food pairings can cause endless debate among experts, let alone beginners. Don’t be afraid to try your own combinations, even if they might provoke upturned noses from your wine snob friends.
There are, however, some widely accepted recommendations for certain dishes. Keep in mind that the key to pairing wine with food is to balance the tastes of both – a delicate dish should be accompanied by a delicate wine and vice versa. You don’t want to overwhelm a wine or a dish by emphasizing one over the other.
If you are unsure about what wine to match with your dinner (or for the more serious enthusiast, what dinner to match with your wine), try out some of these suggestions.
Beef
Protein and fat in beef does an excellent job at neutralizing the heavy, bold tastes of big tannic red wines. Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah make a nice match with your grilled beef dishes, as does the Argentinian Malbec. Depending on how long you choose to cook the beef (removing moisture and juicyness), you can move to a softer wine, such as aMerlot.
Chicken
The softer and less intense meats, such as chicken, allow you to use lighter, softer wines, such as a Merlot or a Pinot Noir. However, remember that the overall taste is the key to wine and food pairings – if you are using is big rich sauce with your chicken, don’t let a soft wine be overwhelmed. Bring the pairing up to strength by using a Nebbiolo or a Sangiovese.
Pork
Similar to chicken, pork can be all over the map depending on the overall weight of the dish. Lighter sauces, lighter wines such as Merlot, Pinot Noir, or a French Gamay orBordeaux. Richer sauces, go for a bolder wine like a Petit Sirah or Nebbiolo.
Game
For most game, a Pinot Noir is the consensus choice. Another nice match for game birds are a Merlot or a Grenache blend.
Fish
The old theory of using only white wines for white meat is no longer stood by. While a nice white can complement a fish dish very well, a light bodied red wine can do the same, if not better. Red wines to avoid using with fish are Cabernet Sauvignon or Nebbiolo, but many lighter reds can be used successfully with fish. Try a Gamay, Merlot, or Pinot Noir. If the fish is in a bold sauce or the skin has been left on, you can try a Syrah.
Cheese
The belief that red wine does not pair well with cheese seems to grow stronger and stronger. Some cheeses however remain within the acceptable range of red wine. Pinot Noir and Merlot make good matches for harder cheeses. Blue cheese and creamy cheese such as Brie do not have an acceptable red wine pairing anymore (not that it stops everyone from trying).
Dessert
For a sweet after dinner dish, acceptable reds must be light in body and soft on tannins. A slightly chilled Zinfandel works well with light desserts. The exception to the rule might be a rich chocolate dessert, which can often stand up to a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Syrah.
Remember – the key to pairing wine and food is balance. Complement the dish, don’t overwhelm it or fall short of its potency! Find out more about red wine at this red wine guide site!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_G_Henry
Technorati Tags: food and red wine, red wine food pairings, wine and food pairings
When the health of bones comes to mind, we know that milk helps to maintain calcium levels, while also building stronger bones. But now it has been found that red wine has a place in bone health as well.
