Red wine isn't just good for the heart, it's good for the joints, too!
Research presented at a recent American College of Rheumatology meeting in San Diego shows that:
"...resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant found in certain types of grape, appears to halt the damage done to cartilage - the gristle-like substance that covers the ends of bones in a joint - and speed up recovery."
Waiter! Another glass of Shiraz!
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Wine tasting on the brain
(Note: Ed writes a weekly science column for radio and newspapers--this is this week's column. You can read more of Ed's columns--which usually aren't about wine--at his own website, www.edwardwillett.com.)
The weekend before last we attended the International Wine and Food Festival at the Banff Springs Hotel. (A dirty job, but someone’s got to do it.) At the event, top wine makers from around the world led 250 attendees through tastings of some of their offerings.
Among the guests on hand was Neil Beckett, editor of Fine Wine magazine. Copies of the latest issue were provided, and in it I discovered a fascinating article by Dr. Jamie Goode, a plant biologist and wine writer (and author of the new book Wine Science.)
Provocatively titled “Brainwashed by Winetasters?”, the article provides an overview of recent research into what goes on in our heads when we taste wine—and what that means for those much-loved numerical ratings of wine by famous wine tasters.
Dr. Goode points out that we would be completely overwhelmed by the information provided by our senses if our brain did not edit the incoming data. What we perceive as a complete picture of reality is really just a sketchy representation based on what the brain thinks is important.
Through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, which reveal details of brain activity, we know that “flavour” is really synthesized in the brain’s orbitofrontal cortex from, not just taste, but also smell, touch and vision.
Eating a lot of something dulls this response, which is why the turkey that seemed so tantalizing when you started Christmas dinner loses its appeal over the course of the meal, but pumpkin pie for dessert can still tempt you.
This has obvious implications for wine tasters. In a trade tasting, tasters might taste 100 wines in one session. Tasting too many wines with similar characteristics may influence their perception of the later wines.
To be fair, trade testers have more analytical tools at their command than amateurs. Dr. Goode reports that a study in Rome in 2002 found that in professional sommeliers, unlike in non-tasters, an area of the brain related to an expectation of reward or pleasure lit up before the wine was tasted, and after the tasting, an area of the brain involved in planning and using thinking strategies lit up, probably because the sommeliers were mentally searching for words to describe the experience.
But just because you’ve taught yourself to analyze and describe wine doesn’t mean your description will match anyone else’s. Frederic Brochet, a cognitive psychologist, has found that each professional taster develops his or her own distinctive vocabulary for describing wine—and that the brain response to a specific wine differs from taster to taster, and even in an individual from tasting to tasting.
He has also discovered that even professional wine tasters can be fooled by their brains’ unconscious assumptions. He asked 54 subjects to describe a red wine and a white wine. A few days later, he again had them taste a red wine and a white wine—but this time the “red” wine was really just the white wine tinted with a neutral-tasting food colorant. In both experiments, the tasters used the same terms for the “red” wine. Brochet concluded vision plays a bigger role in our perception of wine flavour than we realize: we expect the taste of a red wine to fall within certain parameters, so our brain obligingly makes any red wine we taste fall within those parameters.
In a related study, Brochet served the same average-quality wine to subjects twice, with a week’s gap between servings, first packaging it as a table wine, then as a grand cru wine. At the second tasting, the tasters, thinking they were tasting a grand cru wine, used terms like “complex” instead of “simple” and “balanced” instead of “unbalanced.” The wine hadn’t changed: their perception of it had. Their brains had made some helpful assumptions, and there was nothing they could do about it: they were fooled from the moment they saw the bottle.
Dr. Goode concludes that every wine-taster’s response to every wine is unique. That doesn’t mean that tasting notes from experienced tasters are useless. Through experience and learning (as at Banff), wine tasters build up a consensual representation of reality, so that another experienced taster’s notes can provide useful information. But, in the end, your response to a wine is yours and yours alone: your background has as much influence on whether or not you like a wine as does the winemaker, the vintage or the terroir.
In other words, a good wine is a wine you like.
The weekend before last we attended the International Wine and Food Festival at the Banff Springs Hotel. (A dirty job, but someone’s got to do it.) At the event, top wine makers from around the world led 250 attendees through tastings of some of their offerings.
Among the guests on hand was Neil Beckett, editor of Fine Wine magazine. Copies of the latest issue were provided, and in it I discovered a fascinating article by Dr. Jamie Goode, a plant biologist and wine writer (and author of the new book Wine Science.)
Provocatively titled “Brainwashed by Winetasters?”, the article provides an overview of recent research into what goes on in our heads when we taste wine—and what that means for those much-loved numerical ratings of wine by famous wine tasters.
Dr. Goode points out that we would be completely overwhelmed by the information provided by our senses if our brain did not edit the incoming data. What we perceive as a complete picture of reality is really just a sketchy representation based on what the brain thinks is important.
Through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, which reveal details of brain activity, we know that “flavour” is really synthesized in the brain’s orbitofrontal cortex from, not just taste, but also smell, touch and vision.
Eating a lot of something dulls this response, which is why the turkey that seemed so tantalizing when you started Christmas dinner loses its appeal over the course of the meal, but pumpkin pie for dessert can still tempt you.
This has obvious implications for wine tasters. In a trade tasting, tasters might taste 100 wines in one session. Tasting too many wines with similar characteristics may influence their perception of the later wines.
To be fair, trade testers have more analytical tools at their command than amateurs. Dr. Goode reports that a study in Rome in 2002 found that in professional sommeliers, unlike in non-tasters, an area of the brain related to an expectation of reward or pleasure lit up before the wine was tasted, and after the tasting, an area of the brain involved in planning and using thinking strategies lit up, probably because the sommeliers were mentally searching for words to describe the experience.
But just because you’ve taught yourself to analyze and describe wine doesn’t mean your description will match anyone else’s. Frederic Brochet, a cognitive psychologist, has found that each professional taster develops his or her own distinctive vocabulary for describing wine—and that the brain response to a specific wine differs from taster to taster, and even in an individual from tasting to tasting.
He has also discovered that even professional wine tasters can be fooled by their brains’ unconscious assumptions. He asked 54 subjects to describe a red wine and a white wine. A few days later, he again had them taste a red wine and a white wine—but this time the “red” wine was really just the white wine tinted with a neutral-tasting food colorant. In both experiments, the tasters used the same terms for the “red” wine. Brochet concluded vision plays a bigger role in our perception of wine flavour than we realize: we expect the taste of a red wine to fall within certain parameters, so our brain obligingly makes any red wine we taste fall within those parameters.
In a related study, Brochet served the same average-quality wine to subjects twice, with a week’s gap between servings, first packaging it as a table wine, then as a grand cru wine. At the second tasting, the tasters, thinking they were tasting a grand cru wine, used terms like “complex” instead of “simple” and “balanced” instead of “unbalanced.” The wine hadn’t changed: their perception of it had. Their brains had made some helpful assumptions, and there was nothing they could do about it: they were fooled from the moment they saw the bottle.
Dr. Goode concludes that every wine-taster’s response to every wine is unique. That doesn’t mean that tasting notes from experienced tasters are useless. Through experience and learning (as at Banff), wine tasters build up a consensual representation of reality, so that another experienced taster’s notes can provide useful information. But, in the end, your response to a wine is yours and yours alone: your background has as much influence on whether or not you like a wine as does the winemaker, the vintage or the terroir.
In other words, a good wine is a wine you like.
European wine fighting for survival?
Here's a long and interesting article from Der Speigel about the conflict between technology and tradition, and to some extent New World and Old World, in the making of wines.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Another reason red wine is good for you!
More good news for red wine drinkers, especially Pinot Noir lovers:
A study published in the November 11 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry shows that resveratrol, a compound found in grapes and red wine, lowers the levels of the amyloid-beta peptides which cause the telltale senile plaques of Alzheimer's disease.
A study published in the November 11 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry shows that resveratrol, a compound found in grapes and red wine, lowers the levels of the amyloid-beta peptides which cause the telltale senile plaques of Alzheimer's disease.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Innovation in German wines
As even a cursory perusal of this site will tell you, we love German wines. Here's an interesting article on some of the innovations in German wine-making currently in progress.
We're particularly taken with the picture illustrating the use of a glass stopper instead of a cork. That's a new one on us!
The pertinent passage:
Embracing new trends doesn't mean having to forego tradition. Hans-Josef Becker uses many of the same techniques as his grandfather. At the same time, he's not afraid to tinker. He was the first German grower to use glass stoppers instead of corks.
"It's really easy to remove the glass stopper," Becker said. "And you can close it again so that you can put the bottle in the refrigerator."
Becker decided to switch to glass stoppers because of the declining quality of natural corks: the more delicate a wine is, like the dry Rieslings in his region, the more sensitive it is to unpleasant aftertastes or changes that can come about because of the cork. The glass stoppers have helped avoid spoiled bottles and won over customers.
Interesting. We wonder if we'll see any of these glass-stoppered wines over here?
We're particularly taken with the picture illustrating the use of a glass stopper instead of a cork. That's a new one on us!
The pertinent passage:
Embracing new trends doesn't mean having to forego tradition. Hans-Josef Becker uses many of the same techniques as his grandfather. At the same time, he's not afraid to tinker. He was the first German grower to use glass stoppers instead of corks.
"It's really easy to remove the glass stopper," Becker said. "And you can close it again so that you can put the bottle in the refrigerator."
Becker decided to switch to glass stoppers because of the declining quality of natural corks: the more delicate a wine is, like the dry Rieslings in his region, the more sensitive it is to unpleasant aftertastes or changes that can come about because of the cork. The glass stoppers have helped avoid spoiled bottles and won over customers.
Interesting. We wonder if we'll see any of these glass-stoppered wines over here?
Sunday, October 16, 2005
The German Wine Society at the German Club
The wines we had at the German Wine Society event at the German Club (from left to right in order of tasting and description below)
Last night we attended the German Wine Society of Regina's dinner and tasting at, appropriately enough for October, the German Club. The traditional Oktoberfest beverage was not in evidence, but lots of good wine certainly was, and an absolutely delicious dinner that kept us surprised and delighted all evening long.
Here are our notes on the wine, pictured, alas, only in the accompanying low-res photograph from our Audiovox Harrier (from left to right, in the order we tasted them):
Reception
Gustav Adolf Schmitt Kabinett, Rheinhessen, 2001
Margaret Anne wasn't big on this, finding it a little thin for a Kabinett. Ed tasted lots of sweet apple to begin with, but for some reason the finish was rather sour and bitter. Alice (Margaret Anne's mom, not our four-year-old daughter, who, although present at the dinner, likes her grape juice unfermented) also found it nice and fruity, but also didn't like the aftertaste.
Last night we attended the German Wine Society of Regina's dinner and tasting at, appropriately enough for October, the German Club. The traditional Oktoberfest beverage was not in evidence, but lots of good wine certainly was, and an absolutely delicious dinner that kept us surprised and delighted all evening long.
Here are our notes on the wine, pictured, alas, only in the accompanying low-res photograph from our Audiovox Harrier (from left to right, in the order we tasted them):
Reception
Gustav Adolf Schmitt Kabinett, Rheinhessen, 2001
Margaret Anne wasn't big on this, finding it a little thin for a Kabinett. Ed tasted lots of sweet apple to begin with, but for some reason the finish was rather sour and bitter. Alice (Margaret Anne's mom, not our four-year-old daughter, who, although present at the dinner, likes her grape juice unfermented) also found it nice and fruity, but also didn't like the aftertaste.
St. Ursula Niersteiner Gutes Domtal Kabinett, Rheinhessen, 2000
We all preferred this to the Schmitt; it just seemed to have more characters. Someone at the table said it was sweeter than the first one, although Ed didn't think so. His comment was that it definitely had that "gasoline" or "diesel" bouquet that is typical of some Reislings--but he meant that in a good way.
Martinshof Huxelrebe Kabinett, Pfalz, 2003
We last had this at the German Wine Society tasting at the Willow on Wascana. We adored it then, and ordered four one-litre bottles through the GWS when it put in its group order to Germany. We haven't opened one of those yet, but we will soon, because this was, without a doubt, or favorite wine of the evening (with the possible exception of the dessert choice). It had a rich, rich mouth feel and a wonderful caramel flavor. It was a perfect pairing with the appetizer. "Beautiful" was the most common comment around the table. Someone else at the event claimed the taste was rhubarb, but to us, it's unmistakeably caramel. (Ed really doesn't like rhubarb, so he would never insult a wine he enjoyed by referencing what he calls "mutated celery.")
Soup: German Mussel Chowder
Mosel Gold QBA, Mosel Saar Ruwer, 2002
The weakest wine we'd yet had. "A bit musty," said Margaret Anne. To be fair, it didn't go too badly with the soup, although it certainly wasn't as inspired a match as the Huxelrebe with the herring (and, in fact, according to Margaret Anne, who'd hung on to some of hers, the Huxelrebe went better with the soup than the Mosel Gold did).
Entrée: Pork Tenderloin in a Rye Crust with Honey German Mustard Sauce, Served on a Bed of Herbed Spaetzle with German Rosette Beets
Martinshof Cuvee Ruben Trocken, Pfalz, 2003 Frickenhauser Kapellenberg Kabinett Bacchus, Franken, 1999
The Frickenhauser Kapellenberg Kabinett Bacchus, which comes in the traditional Franken flagon-shaped bottle, smelled and tasted like pine resin. It was thin and uninteresting to both of us, and the food didn't make it any better. (To be fair, some people at the event thought it went better with the entree than the red did. We strongly disagreed.)
Dessert: German Brandied Apple Pancakes with Caramel and Chocolate Sauce
Heinheimer Kafer Ortega Sybilstein Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA), Rheinhessen, 1998
As beautiful as one would expect. Deep gold colour. Rich, buttery mouth feel. Very sweet, of course, with strong flavours of honey and raisin, but still a touch of acidity to keep it from being cloying. Margaret Anne summed it up simply: "It's a great dessert wine." Ed, who strongly believes dessert wines should be enjoyed on their own rather than trying to match them to desserts, drank his before dessert even arrived. Margaret Anne still had some of hers, and pronounced the combination of the wine and the brandied apple pancakes one of the better dessert/wine pairings she's run across.
Dessert: German Brandied Apple Pancakes with Caramel and Chocolate Sauce
Heinheimer Kafer Ortega Sybilstein Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA), Rheinhessen, 1998
As beautiful as one would expect. Deep gold colour. Rich, buttery mouth feel. Very sweet, of course, with strong flavours of honey and raisin, but still a touch of acidity to keep it from being cloying. Margaret Anne summed it up simply: "It's a great dessert wine." Ed, who strongly believes dessert wines should be enjoyed on their own rather than trying to match them to desserts, drank his before dessert even arrived. Margaret Anne still had some of hers, and pronounced the combination of the wine and the brandied apple pancakes one of the better dessert/wine pairings she's run across.
A delicious end to a delicious evening!
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Martinshof Gewürztraminer Spätlese 2003
Martinshof Gewürztraminer Spätlese 2003
A wine we ordered direct from Germany through the German Wine Society, this Martinshof Gewürztraminer was everything we like in German wine. Lichee, sweet apple, with a nice, non-acidic mouth feel. Full-flavoured, and a long, long finish. Yum! We give this a solid 8/10 and would definitely buy it again.
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir 2003
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir 2003
This Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir from California's Santa Maria Valley, purchased on the recommendation of the staff at a Calgary wine store while we were there this summer (it's not one we've seen locally), has a deep garnet colour, a lovely and big bouquet and a big but nicely balanced flavour to match. Cherries came to mind predominantly, but it was hard to pick out a lot of individual notes from the harmonious whole of the taste. Our rating: 7.5/10. We'd definitely buy it again, given the opportunity.
Vineland Estates Chardonnay 2004
Vineland Estates Chardonnay 2004
We've joined the Vineland Estates wine society, through which we receive two bottles of wine each month, and a complementary recipe, for $35. Vineland Estates is one of our favorite Niagara Peninsula wineries, and we're really enjoying what they've been sending us (especially since we can't get it in our local liquor stores).
Case in point: this Chardonnay. Unoaked, it immediately hit us with the smell and taste of melon and citrus, while lacking that strong vanilla flavor we sometimes associate with Chardonnay. In fact, it reminded us more of a Sauvignon Blanc than a Chardonnay--which is a good thing, since we both prefer Sauvignon Blancs to Chardonnays, as a rule. It went well with spaghetti, even matching the saltiness of the ham in the sauce and the parmesan on top. Very good. Our rating: 7.5/10.
Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin Champagne
Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin Champagne
Toasty, good, what more do you want? We drank it to celebrate our eighth anniversary, and frankly, we weren't taking notes. Plus it was a gift, so we can't even tell you what it cost. But we'd be more than happy to drink it again.
Terra Nova Carménère 2003
Terra Nova Carménère 2003
This Terra Nove Carménère from the Curico Valley in Chile is a basic table wine: fruity, with a nice peppery taste, a deep purple colour, and just enough tannin to give it balance. It cost us about $14 in the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority store. Our rating: 6/10.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Aging wine in seconds?
We recently ran across, for the first time, references to devices that purport to "age" wine in the bottle quickly using a powerful magnet. (This is the specific one we encountered; here's a skeptical take on others of this ilk.)
Now comes word of a device that may be able to quickly age entire barrels of wine before bottling, and that seems, at first glance, anyway, to have a more scientific rationale:
Squirrelled away in his chemical engineering laboratory in rural Shizuoka, Hiroshi Tanaka has spent 15 years developing an electrolysis device that simulates, he claims, the effect of ageing in wines. In 15 seconds it can transform the cheapest, youngest plonks into fine old draughts as fruit flavours are enhanced and rough edges are mellowed, he says.
Among those keeping tabs on the research: the Robert Mondavi winery.
Is the wine cellar about to become obsolete? Stay tuned...
Now comes word of a device that may be able to quickly age entire barrels of wine before bottling, and that seems, at first glance, anyway, to have a more scientific rationale:
Squirrelled away in his chemical engineering laboratory in rural Shizuoka, Hiroshi Tanaka has spent 15 years developing an electrolysis device that simulates, he claims, the effect of ageing in wines. In 15 seconds it can transform the cheapest, youngest plonks into fine old draughts as fruit flavours are enhanced and rough edges are mellowed, he says.
Among those keeping tabs on the research: the Robert Mondavi winery.
Is the wine cellar about to become obsolete? Stay tuned...
Friday, October 07, 2005
If you really want Canadian wine...
...stick to VQA, says wine writer Alex Eberspaecher. If it's not VQA, it may have as little as one percent of actual Canadian-made wine made from Canadian-grown grapes.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
2005 a good vintage in Ontario
The good news: 2005 will be an outstanding year for VQA Ontario wines.
The bad news: there won't be as many of them.
The bad news: there won't be as many of them.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Fetzer Valley Oaks Fumé Blanc 2004
Fetzer Valley Oaks Fumé Blanc 2004
We had this at the Creek in Cathedral Bistro, one of our favorite restaurants, where we celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary. (It was rather dim, which is why the label looks a little...odd.) This Fetzer Valley Oaks Fumé Blanc had a floral nose, but with a bit of grassiness. Very fruit-forward; a big flavor, with lots of alcohol. The label talks about lemon, green apple and mint and, to Ed at least, seemed an accurate description. We'd definitely buy again, but we didn't give it a rating because, well, it was our anniversary, and whatever we drank would have seemed like ambrosia.
No, really!
Gray Monk Pinot Auxerrois 2004
Gray Monk Pinot Auxerrois 2004
This Gray Monk Pinot Auxerrois from the Okanagan is "Delicious!", in our considered opinion. A bit of a gasoline (i.e., Riesling) scent, but thought it sounds odd to say so, that was OK. Very pale, almost grayish in colour. Tart peach flavours, a lingering finish. We would definitely buy this again, and we give it 8/10.
McWilliams Hanwood Estate Shiraz 2002
McWilliams Hanwood Estate Shiraz 2002
We don't have much to say about this McWilliams Hanwood Estate Shiraz: it's simply a good solid Shiraz, not as flavorful as the E&E Pepper Shiraz we really, really like, but flavorful enough, and with a very nice bouquet. Our rating out of 10: 6.5.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
McWilliam's Chardonnay Colombard 2004
McWilliam's Chardonnay Colombard 2004
This McWilliam's Chardonnay Colombard is nice and citrusy without too much oak, and with just the right amount of butteriness to the mouth feel--enough to let you know you're drinking a chardonnay without completely removing the crispness. Not particularly complex, but very pleasant to drink. Our rating out of 10: 6.5.
Deakin Estate Victoria Shiraz 2002
Deakin Estate Victoria Shiraz 2002
This Deakin Estate offering is a good, basic Shiraz, with lots of plum and black pepper flavour, and a pretty good match for spicy food. It's reasonably priced in Saskatchewan at about $12. Our rating: 6/10.
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