Humor in talking about Wine

Wine has been in our culture for a large part of human history.  People have been talking about wine just about as long.  There are serious, insightful and poetic musing about wine.  As the mother of two, both kids under three, I enjoy the ones that reflex my thoughts on wine.  Rachel Cusk, an author, sums up my current feelings on motherhood in a review she about another book,

            "The 'good' mother, with her fixed smile, her rigidity, her goody-goody outlook, her obsession with unnecessary hygiene, is, in fact, a fool.  It is the 'bad' mother, unafraid of a joke and a glass of wine, richly self-expressive, scornful of suburban values, who is in reality, good."

The quote is from a review of a book about being a bad or a good mother and the competitiveness of motherhood.

Some quotes about wine are interesting (and funny) because of who said them.  Rose Kennedy the
I'm like old wine.  They don't bring me out very often - but I'm well preserved.  Rose Kennedy in the matriarch of the Kennedy family.  She is the mother of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Senator Ted Kennedy, along with 6 other children.  She once described herself

"I'm like old wine.  They don't bring me out very often - but I'm well preserved."

Great thinkers from all different eras have enjoyed drinking and talking about wine.  Benjamin Franklin, a key person in the founding of United States of American said

 "Wine [is] constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy."  

Going all the way back to a Greek philosopher, Diogenes of Sinope (lived 412/404BC -323 BC), there are quotes about wine and being cheap.  Diogenes (the person not the roman god) said

"What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others"

Scholars, theologians, and poets over time and space have enjoyed wine Jalaluddin Rumi (1207-1217), who was all three, said

"Either give member wine or leave me alone. "

In the history of religion, I have always found Martin Luther a very interesting man.  He stood up to the church and is crucial to the Protestant Reformation.  Until recently I was unaware of his feelings about wine, but I couldn't agree more when I read this

"Beer is made by men, wine by God."

Classic comedians like W.C. Fields said this classic quote about wine.

"I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food."

Jay Leno gives us interesting facts about wine (which I have not verified)

"The University of Nebraska says that elderly people that drink beer or wine at least four times a week have the highest bone density.  They need it - they're the one falling down the most."

Tanya Masse is a new comedian who has given us some new but already classic quotes about wine.

"Wine is to women as duct tape is to men, it fixes EVERYTHING!"

"Wine! Because these problems aren't going to forget THEMSELVES!"

“I need COFFEE to help me change the things I can... and WINE to help me accept the things I can't!”

I have not been able to verify that she is the first person to say these quotes.  She is the closest I can find, though.  If you have an older source please leave it in the comments and I will adjust the blog.
I will leave you with a quote from Louis Pasteur, the man who invented the pasteurization prosses.
"Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages"  Louis Pasteur

Translation of French wine words to grapes

     The French (and Italians) name their wine not after the grape but after the terroirs  or appellation (depending on how technical you are these mean different things and there are many more subcategories).  These basically means that French wines are named after the region the wine is made in.  This has been mentioned in some of my previous post, and I am sure many of you have come across this whether or not you knew it.  The other problem is some, like Burgundy, there are a white and red version.  While others, like Chablis, there is only once white or red it can be.  Below is a short translation.  Any questions you might have, or  if there is something you have been wondering about and I did not cover it, you can put it in the comment section.  I will try and answer it.

Both Red and White

Name                       Red                                        White
Burgundy            Pinot Noir                              Chardonnay

Bordeaux    Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot          Semilon
                    Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot,        Sauvignon Blanc,
                    Malbec (+2 more )                        Muscadelle

Sancerre           Pinot Noir                               Sauvignon Blanc
              (I have never seen a red Sancerre)



White
Name                   Grape
Vouvray               Chenin Blac

Chablis                Chardonnay

Pouilly-Fume      Sauvignon Blanc




Red
Name                  Grape
Beaujolais          Gamay


a side note on names - Pinot Grigio is the same as Pinto Gris

There are many more technical names that I have left out.  Vouvray has many more meanings depending on how it is used.   This is a good starting guide though.  Wine For Dummies - France has  in depth information, but so does just about any book about wine, particularly French wine books.  If you notice something I left out, or a correction please post it below.


Double checking a spell check by French Wine for Dummies

Can Wine Be Funny?

 

Of course.  At lest I hope so.  Here are some comics I have found.  I am still looking for the comic that I check in weekly.  If you know of any let me know.

Here is a web site that has a good collection of wine comics:

http://offthemark.com/search-results/key/wines/

http://www.supplewine.com/comics/zenchilada/

This is one of the ones I like a lot.  Especially because I don't like whine zinfandel.

http://www.channelate.com/2008/10/13/you-cant-please-everyone/

The future of box wine:

 

http://findingelim.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html

I hope you got a laugh.  Share any good comics you find.  Enjoy!

German Food - German Wine

     One of my favorite things to do when I visit my grandmother is to go to one of the two German restaurants near her.  I have not been able to find any good sit down
German restaurant, so if you know of any let me know.  My grandmother always orders the wiener schnitzel, with red cabbage, and spaetzle.  This is delicious.  I always felt like I should order something different.  For a while I was trying to find something different that I liked.  I never found it.  So this past week when we went out I had Wiener Schnitzel, red cabbage, and this time a potato dumpling.
      Now onto wine.  The last few years I have been drawn to Riesling, dry Riesling to be specific.  Dry means there is no residual (left over) sugar.  Sugar is converted to alcohol in the fermentation.  Residual sugar is sugar that has not been converted into alcohol.  The reason most Rieslings are sweet (some are very sweet) is because of the residual sugar.  A dry Riesling is fruity, and some are sweet like a sweet peach, but not like candy.  There are a few other things that can make wine feel and taste sweeter, but that is for another day.
     On to the wine.  I heard once that an easy way to pair foods is to match region of food with region of wine.  This is what we did, a German wine with German food.  The wine we had was Kabinett (dry) Riesling.  The winery is in Rheinhessen, Germany on the Gunderloch Estate.  The wine is their Gunderloch Jean- Baptiste Riesling Kabinett, 2006.  The wine had a nice citrus smell, however the aroma was not amazing. The taste though was great.  It had an apricot taste, with a light orange marmalade flavor.  The finish was a nice with a lingering peach flavor it it.  I am undecided about whether or not I tasted cider.  It might not have been cider but I don't know what else it would be.  If you figure it out let me know.
      The fun and complication about pairing.  The German food had a good amount of vinegar, and I loved it.  I was amazed at how the food changed the wine.  With the food the wine had less fruit.  It became more crisp, a bit grassy (which is a good term).  It started tasting more like a Pinto Grigio.  I am sure my grandmother loved that.  She is a big Pinto Grigio fan.  She had a beer that night though, but I am sure she enjoyed wine too.
    This was a reminder for me, if not a lesson, on what effect food and wine have on each other.  I hope you enjoyed the information about dry and sweet wine or about the pairing, or both.

Enjoy your wine!


photo and information about wine: http://www.rudiwiest.com/estates/estates_601.htm 


photo of food (there are also some recipes): http://foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com/2009/03/happy-birthday-mutti-blaukraut-red.html

Your Health, calories and heart

     There has been a lot of research coming out about how great a glass of red wine is for your heart.  There are also a lot of articles out there talking about how many calories alcohol has, including wine.  So what to do? Hopefully I can help break this down.
   Red wine is good for your heart.  Research has also found some evidence that the social aspect of drinking wine is good for your health.  In working in wine I have had people ask what red wine they should drink because their doctor says they need to start drinking a glass of red wine a night.  If a doctor tells you to do something it must be healthy, right?
   Well what about the calories, the belly fat.  The fact is that alcohol turns to fat.  A stander glass of wine is 5oz (restaurants pour more than this sometimes).  Weight watchers points goes by 4oz a glass.  From the research I have done wine used to be 2 points, and now with the new system it is 4 points.  All of the numbers I use will be for a 5oz glass.  Of all of the information I have looked at I have not found one red wine that has more than 130 calories.  Most sites do not have red wine going below 99.  Most red wines ranges from 110-125  For beer 130 is when it starts becoming a light beer.  There are a few key things to remember; all desert wine, port and both sweet and semi-sweet wine, are all higher in calories.  They can clime up to 200 calories, and more.  Of the four different types semi-sweet has the least calories.  Some are barely higher than red wine (maybe even the same as the higher calories red wine)  If the wine says it is semi-dry it might mean it has less sugar the semi-sweet.
    Next is, do different varietals have more calories than other varietals.  The answer seems to be yes, however what the calorie count is, and which has the most calories is difficult to answer.  Every place I have looked gives different calories count for different wine.   I looked at many list and found that red wines that have the highest calories.  Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Zinfandel, appear in the top three spots of many list.  White wine just about always has less calories than red wine.
    So what to do, weight vs. heart?  Well as I am trying to lose weight I am going to try and only have one glass a night. I do not drink much white wine, but I will start now.   I do truly believe that red wine is good for you.  I am currently trying to get my grandmother to switch from white to red wine.  To me the benefit of red wine is worth the few extra calories.   If I had high cholesterol (and whatever else red wine helps with) I would not worry about the few extra calories of red wine. The decision between red and white is up to you.
   So really I have no new news, moderation is key.  Keep it to one glass a day.  These are the tips for health.  More than one glass of red wine does not increase its benefits.  Red is healthier then white wine.  I hope I did offer something new with how calories are differ between wine.

  But please do not drink red wine, and say well this blogger told me it what make me better.  I am not a doctor, or even that involved in the medical field.

On that note Enjoy wine!

So you want to by a 'big' bottle of wine but don't want to look cheap

 or whatever you think of when you think

of wine in a big bottle.  Well I have a

solution for you, and it is such a

good solution this post will be

short.  It is La Vieille Ferme red blend.  

The facts:


Where: The grapes are grown on a the slopes of mount  Ventoux, France.  Ventoux is part of the Rhone Valley.

Grape: Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, and Syrah

Terroir (what the land is like): Red Mediterranean soil with chalk, and round stones in it.

Other:  It comes with a screw top, which is perfect since it is not meant to age.  I have only seen it in a  magnum (1.5L).  It is in Costco's is CA, and I have found it is a small wine store in MA.  Therefore it should be pretty easy to find anywhere

Lastly you probably want to know what it taste like.
I was not going to describe thisfor two reasons. 

One, I had it when I was helping my grandma move. I don't remember the details of the wine very well.  Second is it taste like a classic Rhone wine. There are no other Rhone style magnum wine bottles (that I have seen). Therefore there is no choice to make between two bottles, meaning the flavor can not help make you make a decisions.  All this being said, people do like to know what wine taste like before they buy it.  I found a nice description of the wine by the wine makes.  

Here it is:

Tasting :
Appearance : deep cherry red.
Nose : ripe fruit, rich and spicy.
Palate : Red fruit (blackcurrant and blackberry), spice with a fesh finish.


Here are two reviews:

'This is a wine for those who want great quality and delicious drinking...' Robert M. Parker : The wine advocate

'La Vieille Ferme is producing exhuberant and delicious wines.' James Suckling : The wine spectator

 But enough said.  Moral of the story, if you want a big bottle of red wine La Vieille Ferme, red blend is way to go.  Enjoy!

wine description, and color photo from: http://www.lavieilleferme.com/rouge.php?langue=en