Archive for September, 2010
Intriguing new study sheds light on the connection between wine and health
On November 17, 1991, an event occurred that caused the single biggest boost for red wine consumption in America.
A Presidential Executive Order to drink up? Free wine distributed nationwide? Wine shops agreeing to stay opened day and night?
None of the above. It was the airing of a segment on Sixty Minutes called “The French Paradox”. Within a year, red wine sales in the United States skyrocketed 44%.
The essence of the television piece, reported by Morley Safer, was the counterintuitive findings of a French scientist, Dr. Serge Renaud, that the French enjoyed a low incidence of heart disease despite a diet relatively rich in saturated fats because of their love of red wine. Americans began to look at the fermented grape with new appreciation.
Since that fortunate bit of reporting, many health studies have touted the benefits of wine drinking. Science has reinforced that antioxidants, free radicals, resveratrol and other healthful components found in red wine provides protection from heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
But is it the wine itself that creates this life giving benefit?
It seems a new study—conducted by another Frenchman, Dr. Boris Hansel, an endocrinologist who specializes in cardiovascular prevention at Hopital de la Pitie-Salpetrière—claims that moderate wine consumption, indeed, results in a lower risk for developing cardiovascular disease. But it’s not due to the wine.
What’s the connection? The researchers say that people who drink moderately tend to be better educated, have a higher social status, exercise more, suffer less depression and enjoy overall better health than heavy drinkers or teetotalers. A daily glass or two of vino is apparently a reliable marker for an overall healthier lifestyle.
If you are a wine lover, you can pause here and give yourself a shout out, “I told you so!”
The findings of the study were recently published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition and drew the conclusion that a causal relationship between cardiovascular risk and moderate wine drinking does exist, but challenges the idea that wine gets the credit.
The study examined the health status and drinking habits of nearly 150,000 French adults. The volunteers were placed in four categories: teetotalers, low-level drinkers, moderate drinkers and heavy drinkers. The study revealed it was the low to moderate drinkers that had an overall healthier lifestyle than teetotalers and heavy drinkers.
Previous studies failed to account for the fact that sensible drinkers were more likely to have developed a better approach to life in general; they exercised more, ate more fruit and vegetables and were more likely to engage in activities and exercise that reduced overall tension and stress in their lives.
Specifically, the findings identified that low to moderate male drinkers have less stress and depression, were slimmer, had lower body-mass index, lower fasting triglycerides, lower blood glucose and lower blood pressure. Their female counterparts has slimmer waists, lower blood pressure, higher amounts of good cholesterol (HDL) and lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL).
It is believed that heavy drinkers avoid going to doctors as often as they should. It seems they do not want to be lectured about correcting their bad habits. As a result, they do not enjoy the benefits of regular medical care as much as low to moderate imbibers do.
While the findings of this latest study are good news for wine drinkers, it once again reinforces the time-tested adage, “everything in moderation.”
We’ll drink to that.
Published in the Harvest 2010 edition of the Virginia Wine Gazette.
Certain Wine Grapes Are Not Often Seen in the Old Dominion
Virginia’s ascendency in the world of fine wine has been dramatic. Over a span of some forty years we have gone from zero to almost 170 wineries. Why for?
Perhaps the single most important impetus for success has been the ability to grow and vinify the Vitis vinifera grape, which produces 99.9 percent of the world’s wines. Think Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and many other popular bottlings.
Can you imagine a thriving wine culture if we only were selling Alexander, Catawba, Niagara, Rayon d’or, Villard Foch, Villard Noir and Scuppernong? In the not so distant past, those wine grapes were grown in Virginia. And it’s one of the key reasons why so few commercial wineries existed.
Not only did these grapes make less than stellar wine, getting the public to buy a bottle made from strange sounding grapes was difficult. In the 1970s, American wine was breaking away from its reputation of making cheap, fortified and sweet wines and commanding international attention for producing a product that could compete with of best France. Virginians demanded the same.
When the challenge of producing wines in the commonwealth from classic grapes was overcome, the public’s curiosity turned to intrigue and tasting rooms began appearing like fireflies on a soft summer evening.
Notwithstanding this dramatic success, certain classic grapes—and their finished wines—are still not often seen in the Old Dominion. True enough, there are a few adventurous wineries out there growing such grapes. But most vintners elect to devote their talents to fruit more likely to produce consistent quality.
Our hot humid summers, abundant rainfall and dense clay soils create an environment that taxes the skills of the most gifted vineyard manager. Introduce certain ultra sensitive, high strung grapes into this climate and the challenge becomes almost insurmountable. Let’s find out why.
RIESLING
Considered one the “noble” grapes, Riesling is native to Germany where it has been grown for as long as 2,000 years. Its aromatic, flowery, almost perfume-like nose and high acidity produce wines ranging from dry, to semi-sweet, to sweet. The grape is highly terroir expressive, with different soils producing a variety of flavors. It demands a cooler climate with calcareous slate, sandy clay or sandy loam soils. It especially excels in thin soils with poor fertility.
The wine is often naturally fermented using no commercial yeast, rarely blended and receives no malolactic fermentation or oak aging. It’s considered by many wine enthusiasts as the greatest white variety.
PINOT GRIGIO
The actual name of this grape is Pinot Gris (Gree), but most wine lovers know it by its Italian name Pinot Grigio. Gris means “gray” in French and the clusters produce grapes with a silvery blue to grayish violet hue. It’s the most popular imported wine in the United States and widely known and loved as a crisp, easy drinker. It is thought to be a clone of Pinot noir and shows faint flowery aromas of honey, rose and orange rind.
It is widely grown in areas as diverse as Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand and Oregon. The grape desires a cool climate with long mild summers. Cooler temperatures help the grapes fully develop. Among connoisseurs, much of the wine is considered uninteresting. However, Oregon produces some very tasty Pinot Gris. The grape thrives best in warm and fairly sandy soil and in loose soil lying on top of bedrock.
Pinot Grigio is a wine some Virginia wineries, in fact, do produce. But plantings are generally limited to the cooler regions of the Piedmont and you will not find many renditions appearing on local tasting notes.
PINOT NOIR
This thin skinned beauty produces some of the greatest and most expensive wines in the world. Consider that in 2007, a Sotheby’s auction saw a case of 1990 Romanée-Conti go for $262,000…almost $22,000 a bottle. The grape is a beast to grow almost anywhere, including Burgundy. Andre Tchelistoheff, the dean of American winemakers in the post prohibition era, said, “God created Cabernet Sauvignon whereas the devil made Pinot Noir.”
The grape thrives in cooler climes, and likes a long growing season with sufficient amount of warm days and cool nights. Grown in a hot, humid climate the wine will produce an overripe, cooked flavor. It is very susceptible to spring frosts due to its early leafing propensity. It thrives in well-drained chalky clay and marly loam soils.
ZINFANDEL
Considered California’s red wine grape, it’s not widely grown elsewhere in the world. Its colorful history dates to the gold rush days when it was introduced to America by Italian prospectors from 1852 to 1857. The berries are medium sized and thick skinned and produce a wine that is full-bodied, showing briary flavors with black fruit, plum and raisin notes. It is a moderately vigorous vine and requires a long, warm and abundantly sunny growing season. Hot days and cool nights aid flavor development and help maintain sufficient acidity.
It ripens early but notoriously unevenly, with green berries and raisins often co-mingled in a cluster of ripe grapes. It thrives best in thin, minerally, well drained soils which help curbed its vigorous productivity. The grape shares DNA characteristics with Italy’s Primitivo, not too surprising considering how it found its way to California.
While these four wines are not readily available in Virginia, we should not feel deprived. Our state is home to a majority of the world’s best grapes. If we need to visit a wine shop occasionally to fill in the missing gaps, what’s the issue?
The search for great wine should lead us to a variety of sources. Diversity is one of the libation’s greatest attractions. Our hunt for a good bottle of wine should be as enjoyable as the capture.
Published in the 2010 Harvest edition edition of the Virginia Wine Gazette.
