Chinese: Ganbei! (dry your cup)
Dutch: Prost! (health)
English: Cheers!
French: Santé! (health)
German:Prosit or Zum Wohl ! (cheers)
Hebrew: Le'chaim! (to life)
Irish: Sláinte! (to your health)
Italian: Per cent'anni! (for one hundred years)
Italian 2: Salute (health)
Japanese: Kanpai! (dry your cup)
Russian: Vashe zdorovie! (to health)
Spanish: Salud! (health)
Welsh: Iechyd da! (health)

"Vita vinum est" -- "Wine is life" -- according to Petronius, a Roman writer

Portuguese: SAÚDE ! VIVA

7/6/2006

Sherlock Holmes’ advice that

“When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

7/18/2006

A very good impression with my wines to Catherine Fallis, Master Sommelier.

Even if the publisher edits me out I must have done something right :-)

TC,

John Z

Catherine Fallis is the world's fifth female Master Sommelier.

July 5, 2006

To: John Zuccarino at Silver Springs Winery

From: Catherine Fallis, Master Sommelier, and Robert Cohen
Co-Authors, Great Boutique Wines You Can Buy Online, Fall 2006, Silverback Books

Re: Inclusion in Great Boutique Wines You Can Buy Online

Dear John:

Thank you for submitting Silver Springs Winery to be considered for Great Boutique Wines You Can Buy Online. We have included your winery and one or more of your wines in the manuscript submitted to the publisher. There may be some final cuts made to the manuscript by the publisher, so we cannot guarantee that your winery will appear in the finished version.

In the meantime, we’d like to thank you for helping with the production of Great Boutique Wines You Can Buy Online. If you have any questions, please contact either Catherine Fallis at grapegoddess@planetgrape.com or Robert Cohen at robertcohen@greatboutiquewines.com.

Best wishes,

Catherine Fallis, MS, and Robert Cohen
Co-Authors
Great Boutique Wines You Can Buy Online

How your brain helps you become a wine expert

"The researchers also used functional MRI techniques to measure brain activity from the subjects throughout the experiment. They found that as a result of prolonged odor exposure an area of the brain known as the orbitofrontal cortex (a region intimately involved in olfaction, emotion, and motivation) showed enhanced responses to the smells, corresponding to the subjects' improved capacity for distinguishing similar odors."

What I find fascinating is the region of the brain where the learning takes place. Also this proves you must get out and taste wine from all over the world or you will be very region or winery specific as to what you smell. So the question is do you feel more emotional or motivated or have a higher olfactory perception?

The link PLEASE CLICK ON ME

How your brain helps you become a wine expert

Zuccarino : Silver Springs Winery L.L.C. We have a person who is breaking the law everyday.

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Traveling with Special Items

Alcoholic Beverages

Travelers may now carry through security checkpoints travel-size toiletries (3 ounces or less) that fit comfortably in ONE, QUART-SIZE, clear plastic, zip-top bag. Learn More

With the exception of medications, any amount of liquid including alcohol greater than three ounces must be packed in your checked baggage.

Liquids, including alcohol purchased after clearing the security checkpoint are permitted aboard aircraft.

Carrying Alcohol In Your Checked Baggage

Please note, you can’t take alcoholic beverages with more than 70% alcohol content (140 proof), including 95% grain alcohol and 150 proof rum, in your checked luggage.

You may take up to five liters of alcohol with alcohol content between 24% and 70% per person as checked luggage if it’s packaged in a sealable bottle or flask.

Alcoholic beverages with less than 24% alcohol content are not subject to hazardous materials regulations.


Fact.....Dom Pérignon was also an early advocate of organic winemaking using only natural process without the addition of foreign substances.

Misconceptions and Myths


The quote attributed to him—"Come quickly, I am drinking the stars!"—is supposedly what he said when tasting the first sparkling champagne. However, the first appearance of that quote appears to have been in a print advertisement in the late 1800s by the producer of Dom Pérignon Champagne. While the Dom did work tirelessly and successfully to improve the quality and renown of the still wines of the Champagne, he did not invent sparkling wine, nor was he the first to make champagne. Indeed he worked hard to prevent a secondary fermentation which was seen as a fault and most likely to break the wine bottles. [5] New documentary evidence suggests that a fizzy or sparkling wine was first made in England at least several decades before it was produced in France.

A major proponent of the misconceptions surrounding Dom Pérignon came from one of his successors at the Abbey of Hautvillers, Dom Groussard, who in 1821 gave an account of Dom Pérignon "inventing" Champagne among other exaggerated tales about the Abbey in order to garner historical importance and prestige for the church. [1] The myths about Pérignon being the first to use corks and being able to name the precise vineyard by tasting a single grape likely originated from Groussard's account. [6]

Prior to blending he would taste the grapes without knowing the source vineyard to avoid influencing his perceptions. References to his "blind tasting of wine" have led to the common misconception that Dom Pérignon was blind.

Contrary to popular belief, Dom Pérignon did not introduce blending to Champagne wines but rather the innovation of blending the grapes prior to sending them to press.

Carole Meredith, PhD. Dr. Meredith spent 20 plus years in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis, studying grape genetics and using DNA typing methods to discover the origins of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Syrah and most recently Zinfandel. Today she is the co-owner of the Napa winery Lagier-Meredith.

2009 Vintners Hall of Fame inductees’ bios: Gerald Asher Wine editor of Gourmet magazine for more than 30 years, Asher displays both great knowledge of wine and the ability to write about it without technical jargon. His elegant, witty writing has passed along a passion for wine to many food lovers. Jack and Jamie Davies Jack and Jamie Davies resurrected the abandoned Schramsberg estate in the mid-1960s. With Jack overseeing production and Jamie doing the marketing, they established Schramsberg as a world-class house of sparkling wine. Every president starting with Richard Nixon has served Schramsberg wine at an official White House function. Jess Jackson In 1974, Jess, a founding member of Family Winemakers of California, converted an orchard in Lakeport to a vineyard. By 1982, the first Kendall-Jackson-labeled wine went to market. Jackson created a new style of Chardonnay that made it the most popular varietal in America. He has also embarked on a quest to elevate the best Sonoma County wines to the highest level of respect in the wine world. Carole Meredith, PhD. Dr. Meredith spent 20 plus years in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis, studying grape genetics and using DNA typing methods to discover the origins of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Syrah and most recently Zinfandel. Today she is the co-owner of the Napa winery Lagier-Meredith. Justin Meyer A Brother in the Christian Brothers order, Meyer began his winemaking career as an assistant to Brother Timothy at Greystone Cellars, now the West Coast campus of the CIA. After studying at UC Davis, he left the Brotherhood to create the Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon-only program with David Duncan. The wine became one of the most requested premium wines in US restaurants. Warren Winiarski, PhD. Dr. Winiarski left his teaching position at the University of Chicago to become a winemaker, first working at Robert Mondavi Winery before forming his own company, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. The very first vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon produced at his new winery won the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting, instantly proving that California red wines are as good as any in the world. 2009 Vintners Hall of Fame “Pioneer” inductee bio: Frederick and Jacob Beringer The Beringer brothers emigrated from Mainz, Germany in the 1860s to seek their fortune, and became leaders of the California wine industry in its rise to greatness from the 1870s until the 1890s. A Beringer Riesling won a silver medal at the Paris Exhibition of 1887. The winery and house they built are among the most treasured buildings in the Napa Valley.

Wine traditionalists sneer when vintners replace cork with plastic. They howl in contempt at screwtops. So what will they make of a California company taking an even bolder step: doing away with bottles altogether and replacing them with cardboard tubes?

WinePod, the world's first personal winery that allows wine enthusiasts to make world-class wine at home, announces the perfect last minute affordable holiday gift for the aspiring winemaker--WinePod Online School of Winemaking. The $99 cost includes a four-week online winemaking school taught by WinePod's professional winemakers and hosted by award-winning author and sommelier Courtney Cochran.

Each purchase of the WinePod Online School of Winemaking between December 1 and December 31, 2008 will automatically enter the purchaser into a drawing for a WinePod personal winemaking system, a $4,499 value.

A chemical found in red wine could make guilt-free gluttony a reality, an international study suggests

LI wine growers agree: 2008's weather was a challenge




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NEW RIESLING CLONE N90, from Germany’s Neustadt Research Station was released this week

NEW RIESLING CLONE was released this week by Dr. Konstantin Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars after two years of work with Cornell University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets. Riesling Clone N90, from Germany’s Neustadt Research Station, offers higher quality wine potential with enhanced aromatics, has increased disease resistance due to a looser grape cluster, and also has greater winter hardiness. Dr. Frank was the pioneering viticulturalist who proved that delicate European grape varieties (vitis Vinifera) like Riesling could be successfully grown in a cool climate like the Finger Lakes, catalyzing the “Vinifera revolution” there, throughout New York and the eastern United States. His son, the late Willy Frank, carried on the pioneering tradition, as does grandson Fred Frank, who released the vine on Thursday with several government officials involved in the collaborative effort. The two-year test period was to make sure that the vines were free of viruses and pathogens so that Dr. Frank’s winery may propagate them and offer the vines to other vineyards as well. Visit www.drfrankwines.com for more

Cheers: Wine and Liquor Keep Flowing Despite Sour Economy



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After this year I can say my Great Grandfather a prolific bootlegger during the depression feed his family on wine sales...some grappa too...I feel as if he is with me every inch of the way...first by passing his trade secrets to my grandfather who passed them down to me...humbling to have the history repeat itself...although I am leally selling wine...

Welcome to the Grapes In Brazil blog! So what is this thing anyway? Well, my name is Hans Walter-Peterson, and I am the viticulturist for the Finger Lakes Grape Program. I have created this blog as a way to document what I learn about the Brazilian grape and wine industry as I travel there over the last 10 days of September. I will be speaking at the XII Brazilian Congress on Grapes and Wine meeting in Bento Gonçalves (near Porto Alegre, in the very southern portion of the country - see the map), and then visiting growers, winemakers and researchers in the region for several days after the meeting. I will be there from September 22 - 30.

Three months after smoke from wildfires carpeted California’s vineyards, some winemakers in the thick of harvest are reporting grapes giving off unusual odors that may be signs of smoke taint.

One reason for the uncertainty is that some research suggests taint can’t necessarily be detected from tasting grapes or unfermented juice. Studies have shown the compounds that cause smoke taint—guaiacol and 4-ethylguaiacol — bind to sugar and aren’t fully released until fermentation, Burns said.

“The good news is that there seems to be the technology to fix things if something is wrong,” McGourty said, referring to filtration companies that specialize in removing the compounds. “Winemakers are wizards at taking problems and turning them into drinkable products.”

9/18/2008

study of salivary protein-tannin aggregates

this is one study I found eating lunch...funny as I read this my mouth started to get full of saliva...the power of suggestion...

Nephelometric study of salivary protein-tannin aggregates

Grape seed procyanidins were fractionated through different degrees of polymerisation, and human saliva was purified and separated into two fractions: one was mostly α-amylase and the other was essentially proline-rich proteins (PRPs). The interaction of these proteins with the procyanidin compounds was assayed using nephelometry, and the influence of several factors was investigated, such as degree of polymerisation, pH and concentrations of both protein and tannin.

The 2008 harvest in Bordeaux started today with Chateau Carbonnieux in Pessac Leognan bringing in the first Sauvignon Blanc grapes, ten days later than last year.

Bowler is the owner of Bevinco, which performs "alcohol audits" for bar owners, pinpointing losses and translating the ounces lost into dollars. The Wake County business is a franchise of a Canadian company of the same name. Bevinco has franchises elsewhere in the state, including Durham and Charlotte.

Importantly, the olfactory cortex is embedded within the brain’s limbic system and amygdala, where emotions are born and emotional memories stored. That’s why smells, feelings and memories become so easily and intimately entangled, and why the simple act of washing dishes recently made Dr. Herz’s cousin break down and cry. “The smell of the dish soap reminded her of her grandmother,” said Dr. Herz, author of “The Scent of Desire.” Many mammals are clearly nosier than we. Consider that our olfactory epithelium, the yellowish mass of mucous membrane located some three inches up from our nostrils, holds about 20 million smell receptors designed to detect odor molecules delivered either frontally, when we, say, sniff a rose, or via the rear, the volatile aromas that come up through the back of the mouth and give each jelly bean meaning. The nasal membranes of a bloodhound, by contrast, sustain an olfactory army 220 million receptors strong.

A new cap invented by Argonne's Vulnerability Assessment Team can detect fraudulent or tampered wine. By plugging the cap into a computer through a USB cable, a wine buyer or auctioneer can determine if the wine inside is genuine. New generations of the cap will contain a color sensor that detects a particular tiny section of a tie-dye pattern located under the cap. Photo by George Joch.

MotherVine Premium Scuppernong Wine will be introduced on Tuesday on Mother Vineyard Road, the site of the more than 400-year-old Mother Vine, reputed to be the oldest cultivated grapevine in the world. "Nobody in Europe has come up with one as old as that - and we've challenged them," said David Fussell Sr., the owner of Duplin Winery in Rose Hill.

Vine genetics experts in Paris have confirmed the authenticity of the age of the old vine and ancient paintings of Maribor dating from 1657 and 1681, kept in the Štajerska Provincial Museum in Graz, depict the 16th century house with the vine – although in those days the frontage was lushly overgrown with its leaves!

is a tale of ultimate Eco-Capitalism. The company's flagship product, TerraCycle Plant Food™, is an all-natural, all-organic, 'goof-proof' liquid plant food made from waste (worm poop) and packaged in waste (reused soda bottles)!

[the] story is a reminder about following your dreams. The pot of gold may require dealing with a ton of crap." -- CBS Evening News

One of the most prominent elements of wine "flavor" is tannin, more a sensation of touch rather than taste. It is also a significant flavor component of tea, chocolate, soy, pecans, walnuts, and the skins and seeds of many fruits, other than grapes, such as blueberries, dates, kiwi, peaches, persimmons, pomegranates, raspberries and figs. Tannin leaves a puckery, astringent feeling on the tongue, gums, and cheeks and can sometimes also taste bitter. Wine tannins come primarily from grape skins and oak barrels (see Red, Red Wine on the "Winemaking" page) and vary in strength and character. In the mouth, tannins can feel fine, round, and smooth or gritty, coarse, and angular. Tannins are one of the few flavor elements in wine that cannot be smelled.

Cornell University study argues. In 'An Analysis of Bordeaux Wine Ratings 1970-2005', the New York State university's School of Hotel Administration calls for revision of the 1855 Bordeaux classification.

London wine merchants Roberson

tannins was larger than an order of magnitude and in two varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot noir) the variation was 32-fold

Pierce's disease has been around since the 1800s, but in the late 1990s a little bug called the glassy winged sharpshooter proved more effective than any prior insect at moving the disease-causing bacterium around vineyards. It spread Pierce's Disease to hundreds of acres of vineyards in Kern County in 2001, killing them all. The industry has been on red alert ever since, warning that its spread northward was likely.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Right now it's just empty space, but come April, the Finger Lakes Wine Center will be opening in the Cayuga Street Garage.

Alcohol cuts risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis



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Archaeologists have started research into what they believe may be the oldest known ancient shipwreck off Cyprus which sank with hundreds of jars of wine on board 2,350 years ago.

Cypriot marine archaeologists say it appears to be one of the best preserved wrecks in the region, carrying hundreds of jars of wine dating from the mid-fourth century BC.

Researchers have found 500 large ceramic wine jars, or amphorae, and believe another 300 to 400 could be buried in sand along with the hull of the boat. Their design suggested they were from the Greek island of Chios, Demesticha said. "We know Chios was famous for its high quality red wine, and we believe that the amphorae contained wine."

After a lot of urgent research conducted in the past few years, some tests on dead bees have shown that 99% of the ones examined had a high level of clothianidin in their system -- the chemical sold under the name "Poncho" by Bayer AG in Germany. It's used as a pesticide for sweet corn and rapeseeds. According to Bayer, the chemical typically sticks to the seed and doesn't get into the air, but an "extremely rare" "application error" resulted in its release. Germany didn't take any chances though -- honeybees are vital to the health of many crops and the country has banned the entire category of pesticides.

A Tiny Fruit That Tricks the Tongue to think you are drinking Manischewitz...

This is a sick fruit...it could make anyone lose their mind at a wine-tasting...this is the funny part...




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'Billionaire's Vinegar', a book about the collection of contentious Jefferson bottles, has left Decanter columnist Michael Broadbent MW angry about alleged inaccuracies and mischaracterisation of his relationship with wine dealer Hardy Rodenstock.

The story hinges on a bottle of 1787 Chateau Lafite supposedly owned by third US president Thomas Jefferson, authenticated and sold in 1985 to the Forbes family for a record US$156,000 by then-head of Christie's wine department Broadbent.

Nearly two dozen volumes of court records document claims of fraud, sex assault, death threat

The dispute, tinged with sordid details, pits Korbel champagne baron Gary B. Heck, owner and chief executive of a $159 million-a-year wine empire, against his estranged daughter, Richie Ann Samii, a west county horsewoman and trust fund beneficiary.

Mike Havelka and Andy Kozusko are inviting fellow wine enthusiasts to a Bellevue restaurant event that is equal parts party and protest. Mr. Havelka, a Sewickley businessman, and Mr. Kozusko, a Downtown attorney, hope Wednesday's dinner at Vivo will help head off legislation that would require all wine shipments to go through Pennsylvania's state store system. These are not your typical wine drinkers.

EU wine market reform - guide


This part cracks me up...is this doublespeak at it's best...




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Absinthe's A Spirit Mind-Altering Mystery Solved

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I bet the 140 - proof kick would make most anyone crazy...

Christoph Westphal, the chief executive of Sirtris, said Tuesday that drugs that mimic resveratrol, by activating enzymes called sirtuins, could “treat in a safe, natural new way, many of the major killers of western society.”

Weather 2008: Finger Lakes Temperature fluctuation and frost

We are now getting over 85 F in the vineyards by day and as look like 20 F at night... NOT GOOD for the vines...I started to see bud swell today...this is 4 week way too early for this to even be happening...G-D please help we don't need bud-break and a frost to kill our crops...now you all see who the boss is...it's Mother Nature...

You get what you pay for !!!

Italian Wine Under Investigation for Adulteration
The adulteration of the cheap wine is a potential health hazard.

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Study finds pesticide residues in wine


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How many of you wondered about the effect of pesticides and taste...?...

Do most people want to forget the facts that some wines are filled with poison, as is our other foods so lets not just call out wine...

3/28/2008

Human noses 'can detect danger'





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Now think of how much more we can smell....

Tannins extracted from grapes are condensed tannins, which are polymers of proanthocyanidin monomers. Hydrolysable tannins are extracted from the oak wood the wine is aged in. Hydrolysable tannins are more easily oxidized than condensed tannins.

Proposed Rulemaking 78 would end the common practice of “nesting” AVA names on labels. Nesting refers to labels that point out both the larger region of origin, such as Napa Valley, and a sub-region, such as Howell Mountain.

The BevWizard "Wine Smoother" developed by Patrick Farrell MW

New moderate drinkers were 38% less likely to develop heart disease than those who stayed tee-total, a four-year study involving 7,500 people found. Those who drank only wine showed the most benefit, the researchers reported in the American Medical Journal.

Hong Kong to host Asia's largest wine auction




Welcome Hong Kong...soon to become King Kong

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How to spot a wine wanker






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Procyanidins In Red Wine Help You Live Longer




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this is a good quote... the power of observation in the name of science...


Red wine diet draws a fan


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Liv-ex - The Fine Wine Exchange



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Love the real time sales ticker...Looks like the world got a bit smaller...

Originally Posted by OCW (The Oxford Companion to Wine) French word for the important operation in the production of fine wines of deciding which lots will be assembled to make up the final blend. Assemblage is of almost ritual significance in Bordeaux, where many châteaux make their so-called grand vin carrying the château name by selecting and blending only the best lots.

Originally Posted by OCW In the New World, such a process is likely to involve the assembly of blends of various different quality levels and character. In this case there may be extensive experiments with small samples of each lot—known as bench blending—before final blends are decided upon. Here the winemaker is concerned not just with each lot's inherent quality but also with its affinity with other components in the blend.

Petrichor: Goût de terroir-The Smell Of Minerals ?




source Click On Me

source Click On Me

Ok where am I going with this term Petrichor it's a smell...a Source see above link...

First Petrichor is not the smell of the minerals, rocks or soil...it is the interaction of plant oils with the ground...this brings a good sensation to ones sense of smell...this also invokes the interaction of chemicals that form Esters... source Click On MeSince we know that these plant oils work there way into grape vines via metabolic respiration via plant roots...it would be remiss of me not to suggest then the increase in the "Aroma Wheel " to include the different plant smells produced by specific rocks, soils and minerals that the "sense of place" can be found...

Petrichor has been ignored and it's time to correlate that "sense of place" that each of us have experienced, whilst one is aware of it or not...

By correlating Petrichor with minerals one can appreciate the fact that the 'Plant Oils' do interact with the soil and this brings out the minerality of that "sense of place' ... Now we only need to have them added to the Aroma Wheel...I have heard the excuse that stones don't smell, or have a quantifiable profile to note...I beg to differ...




Your views ...?...




The last bold lines I have to say it like a dance not everyone gets to take the lead, yet we all get to dance and have a part in the dance...



Well there you have it...Dr Sue Ebeler states that all we need is common ground on vocabulary and then you could add it to the wheel...I suggest you nudge Dr. Noble and get her wheels rolling again...you did it once, now it's time to finish the job...


Your views ...?...

PS
Please note...when I mention "that sense of place" it's the interaction of terroir not the definition of it exclusively...

According to Variety, that particular plot strand works. 'Wine lovers won't just sip but guzzle a lot of this down, and the same effect that sun-dappled days and sex in California had on Sideways operates here.'

The story of a now legendary 1976 Paris wine tasting gets its first Hollywood treatment tomorrow night with the premiere of ``Bottle Shock'' at the Sundance Film Festival. It's one of two rival movie projects about the historic wine event.

Fleeting wine trends keep things interesting


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I still think it's crazy to jump on a trend, or fad, but one can not always recognize them...remember in 1900 Catawba was all the rave... now to follow a well defined thirst for a wine-grape with a steady history this is building a safety foundation...seeing the new acreage reports for some wines and knowing where they are planted...it won't be long for that plonk lake of a fad wine to creep into the market...then you will have the ABP ( Anything But Pinot ) and the ABR ( Anything But Riesling) clubs forming...and the cycle goes round and round...I see the ABC (Anything But Chard ) club is starting to crumble, as long as it's oak free...!!!!!!

Alcohol Trivia

Have fun...some of the facts are wild...I bet not all are true...

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Wine may calm inflammation in blood vessels

MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BottleWise™, maker of smart travel bags for the food and wine enthusiast, today announced the availability of BottleWise Duo™, a stylish yet functional bag for safely transporting wine inside checked baggage. Developed in response to U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) restrictions on liquids in carry-on bags, BottleWise Duo allows travelers to once again bring home that special souvenir from their wine country experience.

After phylloxera, it was not replanted; hardly any carmenère can be found today in Bordeaux. That might have been the last word on carmenère, had some French scientists visiting Chile in the early 1990s not been troubled by the appearance and character of Chilean merlot. Further studies revealed that in fact much of the merlot planted in Chile was in fact carmenère, traceable most likely to cuttings brought over in the mid-19th century.

Pyrazines are important flavor components in foods. Pyrazines are nitrogen heterocycle molecules, with methyl, ethyl, methoxy, isopropyl and isobutyl derivatives being the major aromatic components in many fruits and vegetables. (8) See Figure 1. Methoxypyrazines are grape derived flavor compounds that contribute a very characteristic herbaceous, bell pepper or earthy aroma to wines of some grape varieties. (1)

Although language serves memory well under many situations, language may also be an insidious source of memory disruption in situations for which it is not well suited, such as when remembering smells. The type and degree of disruption appear dependent on an individual's domain-specific expertise. It is conceivable that in some areas of expertise, semantic memory plays a large role in the early stages of skill development, but that qualitatively different processes are involved subsequently as expertise advances

When forced to identify the odorants, experts' superior perceptual skills protected them from verbal interference, whereas novices' generated verbal representations of the odours were emphasized at the expense of the odorant itself. This has implications for training in wine-evaluation skills.

Wines have always been known for health benefits, but the benefits are not without caution. Wine web tells us that going back to 450 BC, Hippocrates recommended specific wines to purge fever, disinfect and dress wounds, as diuretics, for nutritional supplement. A French doctor wrote the earliest known printed book about wine around 1410 AD.

'Syrah' parentage ('Dureza' 'Mondeuse Blanche') As a consequence, 'Pinot' is more likely to be a 2° ancestor of 'Teroldego' and 'Dureza', a grandparent, an uncle or a half-sibling. Interestingly, our data and pedigree reconstruction suggest that 'Pinot' and 'Syrah' are 3° relatives, which has never been suspected before. These genetic relationships between 'Pinot' and 'Dureza' and between 'Pinot' and 'Syrah' could explain the high number of allele IBS observed among some 'Pinot' 'Syrah' crosses. This is consistent with the genetic distance between 'Pinot' and 'Syrah' (PSA=0.5) and between 'Pinot' and 'Dureza' (PSA=0.452). This pedigree is consistent with our data, but it contains several unknown cultivars. Yet, as most of them are likely to be extinct now (Scienza and Failla (1996) list more than 20 extinct cultivars in Trentino), it is possible that this pedigree will never be further improved.

"It will mean that we are going to make better and better wine, it'll just be that consumers will have to pay more for it and get used to drinking better."

WIND, In Greece in one of the most windswept wine regions, not even olive trees can grow. Vines survive only because they are trained so low that they look like large doughnuts lying flat on the ground with grapes crouching even lower in the center hole. Each vine is called stefani (crown) it will grow that way for 20 years after which time the trunk becomes strong enough to withstand the whipping wind, and the vine can be trained upright in the normal manner. source page 19 of Karen MacNeil The WINE BIBLE 2001 ISBN 1-56305-434-5 workman publishing company New York

This suggests that it may become possible to trace the diversity of wine flavours down to the genome level. Grapevine is also a crop that is highly susceptible to a large diversity of pathogens including powdery mildew, oidium and Pierce disease.

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Wasp venom found in very young wine can cause severe allergic reactions, say doctors in Spain. Doctors at the Rio Hortega hospital in Valladolid, Spain, treated five people who had developed allergic reactions as a result of drinking wine or grape juice.

If you buy a bottle of wine with a metal screw-top or a plastic cork, you won't just be thumbing your nose at tradition. You may also be dooming the world's cork forests.

After several years working away in a laboratory in Adelaide, a team of Australian wine scientists has discovered the precise chemical compound that makes a shiraz taste peppery.

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Where did that note of Cinnamon come from?



As a winemaker I can confirm that the note of cinnamon does come from the interaction of the yeast and the grape...not the barrel...it could come from the barrel...that said I made some red wine from super ripe table grapes from Chile...the wine never saw any oak I let the wine lay on the lees for one year...this was one of the best wines I have ever had...big notes of cinnamon...I then looked up this fact in a Oenology book source Vol 1 "The Microbiology of Wine and Vinifications" from University of Bordeaux publisher John Wiley & Sons , LTD ISBN 0471 97362 9...

source Click On Me

A note on yeast...natural yeast can work well with a spontaneous fermentation that produce wonderful wines as well as cultured yeasts...

Five sub-modalities allowing the perception of sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami stimuli are classically depicted. However, the inborn attraction of mammals for fatty foods raises the possibility of an additional orosensory modality devoted to fat perception.

Before the note...I had my wife nuke the wine for 7 seconds...after she let the wine sit for 15 min she called me downstairs to taste...she used two exact glasses...I was able to pick out the Nuked wine spot on first few sips from each glass...

I think for me the nuked wine had pronounced and distinct sweet notes with less of an acid tingling sensation...this is why I think some like the nuked wine better ...Americans talk dry and drink sweet...this supple change to the wine made the fruit seem more new world...then I let the wine sit in the glasses for 20 min...after 20 min the wines seemed to even out to a point...the nuked wine finally tasting more like the un nuked wine...my conclusion is no harm done at all...did I just say that???...ok very short term yes a change then she comes back to where she should be... I will call this 'MW shock' yes a new term...

Since the movie "Sideways" came out in 2004, America has carried on a passionate affair with pinot noir. Restaurants can't keep it in stock, wineries can't make enough of it and consumers show no signs of loosening their embrace of it. Sales shot up by 70 percent in 2005, and might have continued at that rate in 2006 except that shortages held growth to 20 percent, according to the Wine Institute, a trade organization.

WASHINGTON, June 28 — Striking down an antitrust rule nearly a century old, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that it was not automatically unlawful for manufacturers and distributors to agree on minimum retail prices.

The decision will give producers significantly more, though not unlimited, power to dictate retail prices and to restrict the flexibility of discounters.

Five justices, agreeing with the nation’s major manufacturers, said the new rule could in some instances lead to more competition and better service. But four dissenting justices agreed with 37 states and some consumer groups that abandoning the old rule could result in significantly higher prices and less competition for consumer and other goods.

The court struck down the 96-year-old rule that resale price maintenance agreements were an automatic, or per se, violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. In its place, the court instructed judges considering such agreements for possible antitrust violations to apply a case-by-case approach, known as a “rule of reason,” to assess their impact on competition. The new rule is considerably more favorable to defendants.

The decision was handed down on the last day of the court’s term, which has been notable for overturning precedents and for victories for big businesses and antitrust defendants. It was also the latest of a series of antitrust decisions in recent years rejecting per se rules that had prohibited various marketing agreements between companies.

The Bush administration, along with economists of the Chicago school, had argued that the blanket prohibition against resale price maintenance agreements was archaic and counterproductive because, they said, some resale price agreements actually promote competition.

For example, they said, such agreements can make it easier for a new producer by assuring retailers that they will be able to recoup their investments in helping to market the product. And some distributors would be unfairly harmed by others, like Internet-based retailers, which could offer discounts because they would not have the expense of product demonstrations or other specialized consumer services.

A majority of the court agreed that the flat ban on price agreements discouraged these services and other marketing practices that could promote competition.

“In sum, it is a flawed antitrust doctrine that serves the interests of lawyers — by creating legal distinctions that operate as traps for the unaware — more than the interests of consumers — by requiring manufacturers to choose second-best options to achieve sound business objectives,” the court said in an opinion written by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy and signed by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr.

But in his dissent, portions of which he read from the bench, Justice Stephen G. Breyer said that there was no compelling reason to overturn a century’s worth of Supreme Court decisions that had affirmed the prohibition on resale maintenance agreements.

“The only safe predictions to make about today’s decision are that it will likely raise the price of goods at retail and that it will create considerable legal turbulence as lower courts seek to develop workable principles,” he wrote. “I do not believe that the majority has shown new or changed conditions sufficient to warrant overruling a decision of such long standing.”

During a 38-year period from 1937 to 1975 that Congress permitted the states to adopt laws allowing retail price fixing, economists estimated that such agreements covered about 10 percent of consumer good purchases. In today’s dollars, Justice Breyer estimated that the agreements translated to a higher annual average bill for a family of four of about $750 to $1,000.

The dissent was signed by Justices John Paul Stevens, David H. Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The case involved an appeal of a judgment of $1.2 million against Leegin Creative Leather Products after it cut off Kay’s Kloset, a suburban Dallas shop, for refusing to honor Leegin’s no-discount policy. The judgment was automatically tripled under antitrust law.

Leegin’s marketing strategy for finding a niche in the highly competitive world of small leather goods was to sell its “Brighton” line of fashion accessories through small boutiques that could offer personalized service. Retailers were required to accept a no-discounting policy.

After the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in New Orleans, upheld the judgment and said it was bound by Supreme Court precedent, Leegin took the case to the Supreme Court. Unless it is settled, the case, Leegin Creative Leather Products v. PSK Inc., will now be sent down to a lower court to apply the new standard.

The Supreme Court adopted the flat ban on resale price agreements between manufacturers and retailers in 1911, when it found that the Dr. Miles Medical Company had violated the Sherman act. The company had sought to sell medicine only to distributors who agreed to resell them at set prices. The court said such agreements benefit only the distributors, not consumers, and set a per se rule making such agreements unlawful.

Justice Kennedy said Thursday that the court was not bound by the 1911 precedent because of the “widespread agreement” among economists that resale price maintenance agreements can promote competition.

“Vertical agreements establishing minimum resale prices can have either pro-competitive or anticompetitive effects, depending upon the circumstances in which they are formed,” he wrote.

But Justice Breyer said in his dissent that the court had failed to justify the overturning of the rule, or that there was significant evidence to show that price agreements would often benefit consumers. He said courts would have a difficult time sorting out the price agreements that help consumers from those that harm them.

“The upshot is, as many economists suggest, sometimes resale price maintenance can prove harmful, sometimes it can bring benefits,” he wrote. “But before concluding that courts should consequently apply a rule of reason, I would ask such questions as, how often are harms or benefits likely to occur? How easy is it to separate the beneficial sheep from the antitrust goats?”

“My own answer,” he concluded, “is not very easily.”

Roman ruins found in southern France have been declared remnants of the country's earliest known winery.

The large site, built around 10AD, is still surrounded by vines today on the outskirts of Clermont l'Herault, in the heart of Languedoc wine country.

Five sub-modalities allowing the perception of sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami stimuli are classically depicted. However, the inborn attraction of mammals for fatty foods raises the possibility of an additional orosensory modality devoted to fat perception.

Tom Hill & Bernard Roth Click On Me

6/14/2007
'Stimulus and Related Errors' is amber wine always oxidized...NO !

I will point out 'Stimulus and Related Errors' logic would have you think in error when two characteristics from stimulus errors...slightly amber wine... white table wine if too old will have an slightly amber color and have a oxidized odor...but it is very likely that white wine made from red grapes to have a slightly amber color to be of a wine that is young and fresh...just because amber in color and oxidized in color are logically related does not mean they occur simultaneously...source page 53 out of print 1976 WINES: Their Sensory Evaluation...Amerine/ Rossler...

'Stimulus and Related Errors' is amber wine always oxidized...NO !

Now wine offered & bottled piccolo, or fairhead 187ml 12 pac

Looks like more options...bigger profit margin for less ?

Click On Me

6/5/2007

Freezing Wine

Think of wine like fresh meat...than after you cook it and serve it you have left overs...what to do...either you place it in the frig and eat it over the next few days...or you can freeze it ...same with wine...only freeze it once never twice...be repaired to deal with potassium bitartrate, also know as cream of tartar...this will fall out the crystals won't hurt you they will need to be addressed...either by decanting or just place the bottle upright and let the sediment fall out to the bottom...be careful and pour the wine until the crystals come to the neck of the bottle... FYI obviously white will show you the crystals much better...red wines will also have them...you just have to be careful and look...Cheers!

Red Wine Could Kill Cancer Cells

A new University of Pittsburgh medical study found that red wine could kill cancer cells.

Researchers hope the discovery will lead to a more selective, less-toxic therapy for Leukemia.

Ok now try this thought on , yes get out your tin hats it's me posting...... Now as was asked how many bottles are being bought for speculation? If as I suspect wine hedge funds are in this game plus the regulars then you might actually see a correction when the first market disturbance occurs, a collapse in the dollar, a small war, another oil spike, an act of despicable unpredictable chaos with the weather...then you will have a market correction.... how about another great year vintage... What goes up this fast and stays up ......if I was long I would sell into this market..that is unless I was going to drink the wines...but how many are really going to drink the wine...?

This is the point how many ? Maybe it will all get bought up and drunk....then if you are ITB this is a very good time to be in it due to irrational exuberance...sound familiar...the day Alan Greenspan ever talks about wine I would run for cover if I was long. Right now is what I saw in the stock market...then the real estate market....reading on the Dutch bulb market..the Hunt's silver market.... people "the prices will fluctuate" this is a given and the next move will be down...It may take a year or two but this will happen. the QPR is out of whack with the correlating and astounding vintages of past.

Maybe it will be the producer that bottles his 2004's and gets caught selling them as 2005's...it could be that simple. My bet is down not up... my 2 cents... now you can take your tin hats off....

While at the J. Paul Getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1687

 

The Punt and it's history in glass and the color green.

 

I observed waldglas or forest glass Click on me  it was a 5 ounce glass with a punt in it the date of this glass was estimated at 1480-1520. I also came across a beaker with a punt 1400's.

The worlds oldest bottle of wine was found near Spayer, Germany, inside Roman stone sarcophagus the bottle was from 325 AD and was found in 1867...no punt.      

 

So I think that with sparkling wine came the need for the punt.

 

 

I have found this information and just don't know if it true. People write history and manipulate it. So [quote]As early as 1630 a retired British Admiral, Sir Robert Mansell, while searching for a way to make coloured glass had invented a manufacturing process incorporating the use of iron and manganese which resulted in English glass bottles being much stronger than those being manufactured in France at that time.[/quote]
Click On Me

 

 

What I found very interesting is that glass in the north Germany etc. was green [quote]With the sand ferric oxides came into the mixture, which colors the glass green in quantities of less than 0.1 %.[/quote]

 

Could this be the reason for our green glass today?

 

So with my observations at the museum I have concluded that the punt was a technology breakthrough in the glass world and this was due to the high pressure in the bottle of sparkling wine. The pressures I believe the pressure of a sparkling wine is up to 6 atmospheres ( one atmosphere is equal to 14.7 PSI) to the min of 2 atmospheres and this did cause glass without a punt to explode.

 

The punt would do the trick and as it was adopted as early as the 1400's I would conclude that sparkling wine under glass was invented around this time.....leading to the use of the punt. Thus the punt shows up in a glass that I saw from the 1480's and from the beaker with a punt 1400's. The only reason for this was due to the changing they made in manufacturing due to the sparkling wine under glass problem.

 

Conclusion, I have dated the first use of the punt and sparkling wine was the catalyst. No one knows for sure, but this is my best attempt to date the punt and give reason for it as well as the color green being prominent in glass today. If anyone has other information I am all ears and love to learn.

 

 

 

Grape seed extract may help prevent skin cancer

 

 

 

 

 

Wine lovers fear quality will wither

With Pa. LCB chairman, and aficionado, Newman gone...

By Paul Nussbaum

Inquirer Staff Writer

What's the state of wine in the state of Pennsylvania, following the abrupt departure of Jonathan H. Newman as chairman of the Liquor Control Board?

Newman, a wine aficionado, created the Chairman's Selection and other promotions that helped change Pennsylvania's reputation as a purveyor of high-volume, low-quality, overpriced wines. Some wine enthusiasts worry that without Newman, the selection and availability of fine wine will suffer in Pennsylvania's monopoly of 643 state-owned and -operated liquor stores.

Newman resigned Wednesday, citing differences with Gov. Rendell. Rendell last month appointed former State Sen. Joe Conti (R., Bucks) to a newly created job of chief executive officer to run the LCB's day-to-day operations.

The LCB's new chairman, P.J. Stapleton, said yesterday he did not share Newman's passion for wine. Stapleton said he would focus on the operation of the state system, modernizing stores and increasing training of employees.

"I don't claim to be a wine expert, though I certainly enjoy a glass of wine," he said. "But it's not my passion."

S

go to http://go.philly.com/lcb

Wine Facts and Wine Quotes

As early as 4000 BC, the Egyptians were the first people to use corks as stoppers

http://www.beekmanwine.com/factsquotes.htm





Cork's first recorded use as a stopper — and its most common use today — was by the Egyptians thousands of years ago.

Ancient Greeks also used cork oak bark to make fishing buoys, sandals and stoppers for vessels for wine and olive oil.

The Romans found many uses for cork, including the construction of house roofs and beehives, in ship construction and for women's shoes.




http://www.corkfacts.com/nchoice1.htm