Tag: Wine
Which Red Wines Are Best Chilled?
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The debate about chilling red wine has been going on for many years, it is almost impossible to get through spring and summer without someone bringing it up. Even though it may seem like a sin breaking the age old tradition of cold whites and warm reds, drinking chilled red wine can be a great and refreshing way to explore these wines into the summer months. Even though the process is as simple as putting a bottle on ice and calling it a day, there are a few helpful tips that an make drinking chilled red wine even better!
You may be asking- why even chill red wines? For the most simple reason: chilled wines are refreshing, especially in the blazing heat! This is the exact same reason that iced coffee and tea exists, it doesn’t feel right drinking a hot beverage when it is blistering hot outside, just like it isn’t refreshing drinking warm wine in heat. Another good thing to chilling red wines is that it brings out a wine’s acidity and heightens fruity, fresh aromas.
Chilled red wine does truly mean “chilled”, and not cold; there’s actually a difference between a cooler wine and an ice-cold wine. This isn’t just for red wine either, it goes for all wines. When a wine is at fridge temperature, it can actually be too cold, it subdues the aromas and flavors and basically strips a wine of all its character. A good guide to temperature is 50-55 degrees, or for an easier guide, take the wine out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving or put it in the fridge 45 minutes before serving. If you need it ready any sooner, a bucket of ice water for 6-7 minutes will make the wine good to go.
So which wines are best chilled? The best way to determine is the structure of the wine. Light-bodied, low-tannin, acid-driven wines are the best reds to chill. Fruity wines are also great to chill because the colder temperature makes the flavors pop, but the more earthy wines can be interesting when chilled as well. The most commonly chilled red wines are Pinot Noir and Gamay from Beaujolais, but wines like Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley, Zweigelt from Austria and Barbera from Piedmont can also be amazingly delicious when chilled.
You may be thinking if you’re a lover of full-bodied wines, are you not allowed to chill your favorite wines? Is it a good idea to fully chill full-bodied reds? Of course, it is! It may be common to chill light reds, but full-bodied wines can also be just as good when chilled. The cold temperature can heighten the structure of the wine, although wines with a high level of tannin can come unpleasant so it is best to look for full-bodied wines with less tannin and more fruit, such as Malbec and Zinfandel. With reds, it is definitely not advisable to drink them straight out of an ice bucket, but more chilled in the fridge for 15 minutes before serving. The light chills will then make the flavor pop without heightening the unpleasant tannins.
The basic thing to remember is that chilled reds are a thing, it just depends on the wine, how chilled you make them.
The Best Low-Calorie Wine
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Summer is closing in fast and we all want that ‘bikini body’… but we also love to drink wine. Usually losing weight involves completely ridding our lives of all alcoholic drinks. However, we all know that we can’t resist a delicious glass of wine after a long day or even just on a glorious sunny day. So, rather than trying to go cold turkey, why not try this perfect resolution of easing into summer with some low-calorie, weight-loss friendly wines?
Slim wine wines or skinny wines are definitely not the answer, you’d actually be surprised to know that there are plenty of ‘hidden’ low-calorie bottles that can be found on the shelf of your local wine shop. The two main things that contribute to wine being calorific are alcohol and sugar. With this, dry wines are the least calorific than those wines with residual sugar, and wines with lower alcohol content are also lower in calories which are why wine can be more diet-friendly than liquor-based drinks. The serving size may be larger, but wine is lower in alcohol than liquor, and most cocktails require mixers that add even more calories as well. An easy guideline would be to seek out bottles which are completely dry and contain and ABV of 12 percent or less. It doesn’t matter what type of mine, no option will be calorie free, the key is moderation.
For those sparkling wine lovers, you’ll be surprised to know that sparkling wine, in general, is the lowest calorie option for them all. Sparkling wine is usually lower in alcohol as they tend to be produced in cooler climates, and cooler climates generally mean lower-alcohol wines. Also, a lot of bottles have a sweetness level ‘key’ on the label. Lower dosage equals lower added sugar, so anything with the label of “brut nature,” “brut zero,” or “extra brut” is sure to be bone dry.
White wine lovers also don’t need to worry as white wine is the second lowest calorie wine available. They are definitely lower in alcohol than reds, and many of them fall under 12 percent ABV or less. Residual sugar, however, is something to watch for in white wines as many single-digit ABV bottles have a lot more residual sugar, which isn’t the greatest because sweet wines have around 30 more calories per serving than their dry counterparts.
The question you may be thinking right now is: does this mean that red wine drinkers need to drink something else altogether? Absolutely not. Although red wines tend to be fuller-bodied and have a higher ABV than white and sparkling wines, there are still healthy red wine options available. The best thing to do is look for bottles that are less than 13 percent ABV, the cooler climates offer the best options for this. The good thing about choosing red is that you don’t have to worry about sugar, as nearly all red wines are dry. Though, heavy red lovers may have to forgo their Merlots.. just while working on that summer body. A small sacrifice is much better than no wine at all though, that is for sure.
Calorie-Friendly Ideas
White Wines
Dry Riesling, Muscadet, and Picpoul.
Sparkling Wines
Cava, Champagne, and Crémant.
Red Wines
Schiava, Gamay, Barbera, and Pinot Noir.
Ice Wine- Is It Worth The Buy?
Ice wine might be one of the sweetest mistakes nature has ever made. It is difficult to think how anyone would purposely go out to make ice wine because although it might look like it, ice wine is one of the hardest, tedious wines to produce. Just imagine being outside in sub-zero temperatures, in the dark, trying to harvest frozen grapes.
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Ice wine is one of the wine treasures of the world, despite some claiming to hate it. It may have almost double the sweetness of your average soda, but once you taste a really decent ice wine, it’ll be hard not to love.
The History Of Ice Wine
The history of ice wine is that during a cold winter in Franken, Germany, in 1794, winemakers were forced to create a product from the grapes available for harvest. The result of this was wines that had a particularly high sugar content, along with amazing flavor. This technique then became popularized in Germany.
How Ice Wine Is Made
The secret to creating ice wine is by processing frozen grapes at around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The frozen grapes are then transferred into a grape crusher and then into a grape press. Only around 10-20% of the liquid is used for the ice wine and it can take anywhere between 3-6 months for the fermentation process because the juice is so sweet. Once complete, the wines have around 10% ABV and a sweetness range of 160-220 g/L of RS.
The Grapes That Are Used To Produce Ice Wine
The best grapes for ice wine are the ones that grow well in cold climates. These grapes include Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Chenin Blanc, and Vidal Blanc. Cabernet Franc Ice Wines, while delicious, can be incredibly rare, unless you’re in Ontario, Canada, where it can be found relatively easily.
Real Ice Wine
Real ice wine requires a cold climate where the grapes are harvested frozen from the vine. Some wines may be labeled as ‘ice wine’ but the grapes are actually just commercially frozen. Fortunately, in the U.S., Germany, Canada, and Austria, dessert wines are not allowed to be labeled as ice wines if the grapes are commercially frozen. Also, a lot of products may be labeled as “iced wine” or ‘”dessert wine”, so be wary of what you’re picking up and be sure to read labels or look up the product to ensure a true ice wine.
Food Pairings With Iced Wine
Although ice wine is a dessert wine, you might want to pair it with somewhat subtle desserts that contain enough fat to balance the explosive fruity flavors and high sweetness. A few desserts that pair well with the ice wine are vanilla pound cakes, ice cream, cheesecake, and white chocolate mousse. Another great pairing for the more savory lover would be soft cheeses.
Ice Wine Typically Costs Over $30
The price of ice wine is so high primarily because of the cost of production. They are also sold in half bottles because it takes 4-5 times as many grapes to produce the wine. With this, the market for these wines is so small, that you can expect to find ice wines from the US around the $30 mark. If you see any for a lot cheaper, they are likely to be poor quality and/or commercially frozen.
Aging Of Ice Wine
A lot of people believe ice wines can only age around 10 years, but special varieties have proven to age much longer than that. This is all because of the wine’s acidity level and lack of volatile acidity. Wines with higher sugar content and high acidity are likely to age for 30-50 years. It is also inevitable that their taste profile over time will change and the wines will become darker in color and sweeter tasting.
The Perfect Wine For Every Beer Lover
If you are a beer lover and refuse to drink wine, you are totally missing out. It is understandable that beer and wine are two very different drinks- with beer being brewed all year-round with lots of different starches and wine being produced only once a year from different kinds of grapes. Beer is also seen as a more casual drink compared to wine.
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However, just because beer and wine are completely different, it doesn’t mean you should limit yourself. And, while wine and beer are made in different ways, from different products, they still are both fermented, alcoholic drinks which can truly share flavor similarities.
If you are still in doubt, you won’t be after looking at these 6 popular styles of beer and their wine equivalents:
For Stout drinkers- Try Merlot
For those who drink stouts, generally enjoy the comforting richness of the beers roasted, malty flavors. They often give hints of chocolate, coffee, and even toffee. They are quite exceptional beers and tend to be less heavy and bitter than the average beers.
Red wine is definitely the way to go when pairing Stout with wine. Reds particularly in the region of Merlot, Malbec and Shiraz Triangle (all often confused with each other). These wines have a softer approach, with a richness of fruit, yet a balanced acidity that stout drinkers look for.
For the Pale Ale drinkers- Try Grüner Veltliner
For those who enjoy tasting the hops in their beer, but don’t want them dominating the flavor, pale ales are always preferable. Hops give a fresh greenness to the beer, being grassy and slightly bitter, but complimented by bright citrus at the same time.
The best match for this type of beer is Austria’s Grüner Veltliner wine, which has that same green quality as a pale ale. The best way to describe it is the flavor of chive alongside a bitter and spicy flavor like pepper or radish, all brought together with a citrus like lime or grapefruit.
For the Lager drinkers- Try Verdejo From Rueda
Larger is one of the most misconceived styles of beer there is, being thought as boring, unnotable and suitable for mindless drinking at bars or cookouts. The mass production of this style of beer really takes away how awesome Lager actually is, with its crisp, refreshing, savory taste.
Verdejo contains all the qualities that lager drinkers crave in an alcoholic beverage. Verdejo may seem simple at first, but it has hidden savory qualities of good lagers, with its clean drinkability and bright citrus flavors.
For Wheat beer drinkers- Try Albariño From Rias Baixas
Somehow, in a country such as America, who enjoy super bitter beers, have come to love wheat beer and it has come to be the most polarizing style of beer in America. Wheat beer is extremely thirst quenching and intensely fruity with orange and coriander flavors and close flavors of a traditional hefeweizen.
This fruit-driven beer is closely matched to the delicious Albariño From Rias Baixas because it is intensely fruity, with aromas of tropical fruit such as peach and meyer lemon, but with zippy lime flavors and lots of texture. Like wheat beer, the acidity removes any illusion of sweetness, leaving your mouth refreshed and ready for another sip.
For Sour beer drinkers- Try Loire Valley Whites
The popularity of sour beers has definitely grown over the years. Sour beers tend to be tart, earthy and noticeably high in acidity. This generally means the sour beer is inherently very wine-like. The good thing about this being a wine-like beer is there are plenty of high acidic, savory, white wines to choose from.
The Loire Valley selection of wine is mineral-driven, savory whites. For lovers of salty, tart beverages should definitely look to the Loire region of Muscadet near the ocean. For more ‘out there’ sour beer lovers, you should move inland, where Chenin Blanc has funky flavors of cheese rind, toasted nuts and much more.
For IPAs drinkers- Try Sancerre
While a lot of IPAs reside within the pale ale category, a lot of pale ales are less hoppy than IPAs. IPAs are definitely dominated by the flavor of hops, making it greatly bitter and green. You can definitely not mistake this beer with its bold flavor.
Sancerre has intense hop quality and is also citrus-driven in flavor, making it a perfect match to IPAs. Rather than a bell pepper green type flavor, Sancerre’s flavor is more like fresh cut grass or herbs like basil and parsley. With this wine also being acid-driven, the grapefruit and lemon citrus make Sancerre slightly bitter, but refreshing.
Is Cooking With Expensive Wine A Good Idea?
We all know the rule that when it comes to cooking with wine, there’s one for the dish, and two for the chef! (Am I right?!) Us wine lovers have also heard the true advice to not cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink, but then again… it can seem like such a waste cooking with an expensive wine, so let’s see if there is a happy medium.
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Now, we all know about those “cooking wines” readily available at grocery stores, but you definitely wouldn’t want to drink those from the bottle. An excellent alternative can be found at any wine store- a value driven alternative, at that. It doesn’t matter if the recipe calls for red or white wine, the key things to look for are light- to medium- bodied, fruity, acid-driven wines; and to avoid heavy wines with lots of tannin or oak because they will clash too much with the flavors of most dishes. The best way to tell if a wine is any good other than those tips will be the price. The sweet spot lies between $10 to $15 dollar, ensuring both value and quality.
What are we waiting for? Let’s throw on our aprons and get cooking with these favorites!
Domaine La Montagnette ‘Sinargues’ Côtes Du Rhône, Rhône Valley, France
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For those who enjoy full-bodied wines will enjoy this wine especially. Similar to wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, it contains familiar grapes for a delicious cooking or drinking wine (or both!) You must take caution and avoid picking up tannic wines as they can be quite bitter when added to a dish. This wine remains low in tannin, but has a darker structure, with blackberry, black cherry, and wet-earth flavor set.
NV Castillo Peredlada ‘Blanc Pescador’, Catalunya, Spain
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Not only is this a popular drinking wine throughout Spain, it goes perfectly with practically any dish. With blends of Macabeo, Xarello, and Parellada, this wine is close to sparkling, making it similar to Cava. Don’t worry though, this won’t affect your dish because the bubbles flatten as the wine gets cooked, but drinking wise, it will definitely perk up the chef! This perfect sous-chef wine is clean and fresh, offering lemony notes with a touch of rocky minerality.
Esporao ‘Monte Velho’ Branco, Alentejo, Portugal
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Countries that are not known well for winemaking provide excellent sources of cooking wine because they typically offer better quality for a lesser price. This wine offers a delicious fruity taste, without a bit of body without the oak. It’s a perfect blend of Roupeiro, Antao Vaz and Perrum is a Portuguese staple. It is a richer wine but still retains its freshness.
Leyda ‘Classic’ Pinot Noir, Leyda Valley, Chile
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Pinot Noir is the perfect drinking wine, but it can also be an amazing cooking wine. It comes in lots of different forms and prices. There’s definitely no reason to waste $50 glasses of wine when a lesser-known Pinot Noir producer exists in Chile, offering a decent bottle for a good price. The Chilean producer specializes in a balance of fruity flavors with an affordable price tag.
Le Cantine Di Indie ‘Polpo Rosso’, Sicily, Italy
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Most dishes will want a red or a white wine, but sometimes a rose is preferred. This light red wine is a ‘go to’ when it comes to those times. It is organically farmed in Sicily, made from Nerello Mascalese. Its fresh flavors, raspberry, and red cherry is the fruity delight that is craved and will pop even more in cooler temperatures, so feel free to chill it before use!
Weingut Josef Leitz ‘Leitz Out’, Riesling, Rheingau, Germany
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Because of its high acidity, Riesling makes a perfect cooking wine. Be careful not to pick up a sweet version of this wine, though, or there will be an extra dose of sugar added to the dish. With peach and lemony flavors, this wine cooks down (easier than it goes down!) and makes an excellent choice when it comes to cooking.
Don’t Let Your Leftover Wine Go To Waste! Make Cookies!
Got leftover wine from a dinner party or special occasion? It may daunt you the thought of drinking that bottle alone but you really don’t want to throw it away. Well, do not worry! The Italians have an amazing use for leftover wine: bake with it!
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Gather some of the ingredients you already have in your pantry and use your leftover wine alongside it to make these simple but tasty Italian wine cookies.
These cookies originally came from the south of Rome, having a long history of being passed down through generations. It is quite a basic recipe, the dough being quite simple, to suit any Roman family, rich or poor. All they needed were wine, sugar, oil, salt and flour.
Another plus to this recipe aside from using up your leftover wine is that it works with any kind of dry wine, red or white, the only difference will be in flavor, but only slight.
These cookies aren’t full of sugar either, so if you’re on a health kick, they won’t be too bad! They’re donut-shaped and are more like biscuits. You can enjoy them as a snack or dip them in milk or coffee, as the Italians would do.
Image Source: cbc.ca/inthekitchen/2012/10/anise-wine-cookies.html
Recipe:
What You Will Need-
1/2 cup dry white or red wine
1/2 cup seed or canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
What To Do
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix wine, oil, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl
3. Add the flour gradually, while stirring to combine until it forms into a dough and starts to hold its shape. Knead with hands if needed.
4. Roll 1/2-inch balls of the dough into a snake-shaped cylinder and then connect the ends, making a donut shape.
5. (Optional) You can then dip or sprinkle with extra sugar if you want them to be sweeter.
6. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Wine Lover Dilemmas At Dinner Parties!
Going out can be a great time, but it is often not without a lot of stress beforehand. Whether you are hosting a big dinner party, or just having a kick back with a few friends, there is always a certain dilemma that occurs at these events: what wine to drink? There are a huge variety of wines and a huge variety of tastes between friends.
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It would be quite difficult and not efficient to get everyone their own bottle of wine or to resort to ordering by the glass. In fact, your wallet, in particular, will thank you for not doing this. For every problem, there usually lies a happy medium, and with you about to be the problem-solving hero of the night, you definitely deserve the first glass!
Some of the most common wine dilemmas and actual solutions to save your night!:
Some Want White Wine, Some Want Red Wine
The perfect medium, in not only color but taste as well, would be Rich Rosé or light, chilled red.
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This is one of the simplest answers because mixing white and red anyway would ultimately end up that pretty pink color that Rosé is. The key is to search for a Rich flavored Rosé so that it still contains the flavor and intensity that red wine lovers prefer.
However, if some are strict Rosé naysayers, a safe alternative would be a light red wine which is chilled. While red wine lovers will enjoy the familiar flavors, the white wine lovers will enjoy that fresh acidity and drinkability that cooler temperatures enhance.
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Some Want Dry Wine, Some Want Sweet Wine
A dry but fruity white wine will create the best of both worlds for both parties.
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This is one of the most common dilemmas that shows up at outings. The perfect solution. While the wine remains dry, the fruity flavors give the sweet flavors that are wanted by the other side. Usually, sweet lovers don’t want a wine with residual sugar; they just want a wine that is fruity anyway.
Some Want Oaky Chardonnay, Some Want Clean Pinot Grigio
A solution to this would be rich white wine with fresh acidity and fruit.
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Now these two wines may not have anything in common, but the solution falls somewhere in the middle: whites that are rich in body, sometimes with a bit of oak, however still with fresh flavors and plenty of acidities.
Some Want Light Red Wine, Some Want Heavy Red Wine
Solution Number 1 would be a full-bodied red wine with high acidity
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Acidity in wine is a hidden gem that makes everything seem lighter and brighter than it actually is. It is a great way to bridge the gap between light-bodied wines and full-bodied wines. This magic makes a 15 percent ABV wine to seem light in body, purely because of acidity.
Solution Number 2 would be a full-bodied red wine with low tannin
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Now if you’re not a fan of high acidity wines, another solution would be low-tannin red wine. Light bodied wine lovers usually crave the drinkability of their favorite reds, but full-bodied wines can be just as smooth and easy drinking. The key to finding this is by avoiding overly tannic wines, as they can seem quite coarse and bitter, especially to wine lovers who are used to lighter red wines.
See? There is a happy medium for almost everything, especially wine selection! This is because of the vast variety of wine that is actually out there. You just have to give them a chance!
You May Not Have To Give Up Alcohol To Lose Weight!
Alcohol and weight have always seemed to have a bad relationship. A glass of your favorite wine after work or a nightcap with an old friend are usually the first things to go when we begin a diet. However, research as to why alcohol should stop during diets isn’t as clear as anti-alcohol diets make out.
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Obviously, there are clear negatives to alcohol:
It is not always common knowledge that alcohol is loaded with calories. We subconsciously assume it isn’t as bad because it’s so easy to consume as opposed to eating a big burger or a plate of fries, but alcohol is just as bad- if not worse. The human body targets alcohol calories before the other calories (calories from extra ingredients in cocktails mainly)- the proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, which are stored in the body until needed. To balance out the calories, we need to exercise more or consume less of other calories.
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On the other hand, it isn’t as simple as it seems. Studies show that drinking wasn’t associated with body mass index in men, and it actually had a zero to negative effect in women, meaning that some women who drank actually had less body mass index than women who didn’t. However, this study heavily relied on a specific age and drinking level. It relied on moderate drinking habits, meaning two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women. It did not include heavy drinkers (four drinks a day for men, 3 drinks a day for women), who had a higher risk of obesity.
Through several studies and experiments, they found that two glasses of wine a night for men and one glass of wine a night for women did not increase weight gain. So maybe you can enjoy that glass of your favorite wine after work, after all!
Overall, the problem with studies on people is that everyone is different. It may be that for the majority of people, one to two glasses of wine a day will have no effect on weight gain, but for a minority, it might. It is all down to genetics, stress, eating patterns and exercise. In the end, it all comes down to alcohol and weight management. You just have to find what works for you, moderation is usually the answer.
Red Wine Can Improve Your Health
Red wine, when consumed in moderation, can have a great amount of health benefits. On average, a healthy intake of red wine is between one and two 5-ounce glasses on a daily basis. Red wine has higher content of polyphenol antioxidants than most other beverages with alcohol content which is proven to have added benefits linked to improved cardiovascular health, healthy levels of blood sugar and preventative measures for cancer.
PROCYANIDIN
Procyanidin is a polyphenol that has proven cardiovascular benefits. Preventing blood clots along with inflammation, while dilating blood vessels, ultimately, procyanidin promotes healthy and fluid blood flow. Being the strongest polyphenol for improving cardiovascular health, procyanidin is highest in the Tannat grape. This was the finding in a study conducted in 2006 and published in the journal, Nature. Researchers that conducted this study found that wines native of Sardinia, Italy and southwest regions of France to contain the highest amounts of procyanidin. Among the findings in their research, Madiran wines native to southwest France to contain the highest levels of procyanidin as they are made exclusively from these Tannat grapes.
RESVERATROL
Also a polyphenol, reveratrol has been known to reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases and cancer while maintaining a healthy level of blood sugar. More than two decades ago, a professor emeritus from the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University conducted a study where over 100 different red wines were sampled. The samplings were conducted with wines from New York, California and other countries. It was determined that of the 100 wines sampled, Pinot Noir had a markedly higher content of resveratrol than other wines, not taking wine-making processes or geography of origin into account.
Anthocyanin, a third in this series of polyphenols, is what gives wine its native red color. The higher the content of anthocyanin, the darker red the color the wine becomes. Ideal conditions for increased polyphenol levels in grapes is in a humid climate as the polyphenols can then multiply with the aid of UV light. The Cornell University professor emeritus determined furthermore that wines native to New York including Merlot display markedly higher levels of resveratrol than other wine varieties. In addition, an enologist out of Washington State University determined that wines from regions much closer to the equator contained higher levels of anthocyanin as the climate nearer to the equator was supportive of the environment needed to produce higher levels of this particular polyphenol. Similarly, dry and tart wines such as Cabernet also contain a higher content of anthocyanin.
Overall, wines have always been known to promote a sense of better health, but only if the intake of wine is in moderation. As studies point out, red wines lead the pack in health benefits, particularly, cardiovascular health and cancer prevention. As the old axiom goes, “A glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away…”
Quintessential Wines to Pair with Your Thanksgiving Feast
Among your list of items to get and ready for the Thanksgiving feast you’re hosting for the family is the turkey, stuffing, cranberry dressing, candied yams and pumpkin or apple pie, among others. Now, let’s take a step outside of the norm and delve into a world of flavor enhancement. And what does a more superior job of bringing out the flavors of a feast than a fine bottle of wine?
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The World of White Wine
When you think of Chardonnay, its flavor is at its peak when paired with turkey and any cream-based dishes or that has cream in it. There are an ample amount of chardonnays you can try that are sure to fancy your desires, with obvious dependencies on budget. In terms of budget, there are wines on the market that can range anywhere from $10-15 per bottle to prices that soar well through the roof.
Pinot grigio is, overall, a crowd-pleaser. It might not be that “perfect” match with any specific dish on the Thanksgiving dinner table, but at the same time, it most certainly will not combat any flavors at the same time. Native to Italy is a bottle of Cavit, that won’t break the budget by any means, as a the largest bottle of Cavit can be bought for around $10-15. It’s a solid choice and has done historically well with holiday feasts.
Sauvignon Blanc is a near-natural “go-to” wine, regardless of the meal presented on the table. Contrary to pinot grigio’s limited matchings, sauvignon blanc is the better overall wine selection at Thanksgiving with its herb-filled qualities.
The World of Red Wine
That “perfect marriage” at the holiday table comes with a bottle of Pinot noir as it goes well with just about anything on the Thanksgiving menu and is best overall suited for a Thanksgiving feast. A great example of a perfect red wine at your Thanksgiving meal is a bottle of Oyster Bay which can usually go for about $16 on the shelf.
Zinfandel is another pristine wine selection at any Thanksgiving or holiday dinner table. Some top choices for a zinfandel are a Chilean bottle of Dancing Bull or from California, a bottle of Ravenswood, both which can be had for under $15, generally.
While nothing can beat an excellent Thanksgiving meal, or any holiday meal, let a bottle of red or white wine bring out the incredible flavors of every dish at your Thanksgiving dinner table this holiday season.