Red-blooded adventures in red wine country

Posted on June 6, 2012 by bilrob

Red-blooded adventures in red wine country

Do you crave a little red-blooded adventure along with your red wine? The Napa Valley may have just what you seek.

Sure, you can indulge such standard bro behaviors as golf and biking. But hotels and other businesses in the popular wine region are kicking things up a notch.

Get behind the wheel and unleash some serious horsepower, fulfill your Davy Crockett fantasies by bagging some game for supper, or live the life of a vintner, briefly, as you blend and bottle your own wine. And at the end of a long day, what could be more relaxing than chilling out with your own special “man-spa” session?

And all just in time for Father’s Day.

Here’s a rundown of activities aimed at the testosterone travel set.

DRIVE, HE SAID: Try the Chris Cook Performance Driving Experience offered by Auberge du Soleil and get behind the wheel of an exotic car to enjoy back road cruising or the chance to drive on a real race track at Infineon Raceway. Price $2,500 for a half-day or $6,000 full day; prices vary depending on car and experience selected. Or take Solage Calistoga’s “Day at the Racetrack” package, $6,500 for two, which includes a half-day Grand Prix Masters program with the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School and boxed lunches from Michelin-starred Solbar restaurant. And no need to fight traffic on your way to and from the track; round-trip limo transport to the track is included.

GET GAME: Guests at Calistoga Ranch can participate in a pig or fowl hunt, go fishing or dive for abalone. They’ll finish the day learning to clean, prep and barbeque the days’ catch. A private guide service is hired to lead the hunt, which takes place in the Guenoc Valley. To hunt pig or fowl, a guest must have a California hunting license. Prices start at $300 for fowl. If you’d rather meet your meat already slain, the Fatted Calf charcuterie in Napa offers classes in how to break down a whole hog, duck or goat as well as other animals.

SEE WHAT’S BREWING: Tour the NapaSmith Brewery; enjoy a pint; play a little darts. Catch a game at the Norman Rose Tavern, a casual bar and restaurant in downtown Napa. And the annual Blues, Brews BBQ festival in downtown Napa takes place on Aug. 25 with three musical stages, 20 microbrewed beers, a rib eating contest, and a lot of barbecue.

GET CORKING: Sometimes a guy shouldn’t bottle things up. But not when you’re talking about delicious Napa cab. Take your DIY side out for a spin at the Judd’s Hill Winery’s Bottle Blending Day Camp where you craft a blend from four barrels under the advice of an expert. Bottle, label and take home your liquid asset.

TRY SOME GOOD, CLEAN FUN: The Man Space Guys Getaway at Spa Villagio features a private spa suite with fireplace, infinity soaking tub, steam shower and 50-minute massage. You have a choice of one of three different types of facials, a spa refreshment platter — and the suite comes equipped with a flatscreen TV with Bose surround sound. Or try the Gentleman’s Facial at the Calistoga Ranch Bathhouse Spa.

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If You Go…

CALISTOGA RANCH: 580 Lommel Rd., Calistoga, Calif., http://www.calistogaranch.com or 707-254-2800. Rates start at $750 through June 30.

AUBERGE DU SOLEIL: 180 Rutherford Hill Rd., Rutherford, Calif.; http://www.aubergedusoleil.com or 707-963-1211. Summer rates start at $775.

SOLAGE CALISTOGA: 755 Silverado Trail, Calistoga, Calif., http://www.solagecalistoga.com or 866-942-7442. Rates start at $488.

FATTED CALF: Oxbow Public Market, 644 C First St., Napa, Calif., http://fattedcalf.com or 707-256-3684. Classes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., reservations via email to contact(at)fattedcalf.com. Classes generally $175, which includes lunch and take-home treats; nonrefundable deposit of $50 required to confirm reservation.

NAPASMITH BREWERY: 1 Executive Way, Napa, Calif., http://www.napasmithbrewery.com or 707-254-7167. Tours, $10; available by appointment Wednesday-Sunday at 2 p.m. via email to ellen(at)napasmithbrewery.com. Brewpub does not sell food, but guests may bring their own to enjoy with beer.

NORMAN ROSE TAVERN: 1401 First St., Napa, Calif., http://www.normanrosenapa.com or 707-258-1516.

BLUES BREWS BBQ: Aug. 25, 1 p.m.-6 p.m., First and Main streets, downtown Napa, http://www.donapa.com/events/special-event/blue-brews-bbq

JUDD’S HILL WINERY: 2332 Silverado Trail, Napa, Calif., http://www.juddshill.com or 707-255-2332. Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, visits by appointment only. Reserve blending sessions at least 24 hours in advance. Packages start at $225 for three bottles, up to four adults may participate.

SPA VILLAGIO: 6841 Washington St., Yountville, Calif., http://villagio.com or 707-945-4545. Man Space Guys Getaway, Sunday-Friday for the month of June, $260 per person. After that if available, Monday-Friday through 2012.

Bill & Sheila’s Wine

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Resveratrol - Red Wine Study Could Lead to Anti-Aging Pill

Posted on May 6, 2012 by bilrob

Resveratrol – Red Wine Study Could Lead to Anti-Aging Pill

Researchers have confirmed that an ingredient in red wine counteracts the harmful effects of aging, potentially increasing life span by minimizing diseases associated with growing old.

A compound found in red wine could lead to an anti-aging pill within the next five years, according to experts.

AP

A compound found in red wine could lead to an anti-aging pill within the next five years, according to experts.

They say this and other findings involving the compound resveratrol, could lead to an anti-aging pill in the next several years.

Resveratrol has been shown, in laboratory experiments with yeast, flies, and worms, to increase healthy lifespan by limiting diseases including cancer and heart disease. Researchers say resveratrol exerts its beneficial effect by boosting the activity of mitochondria, the tiny energy factories in cells.

Now, scientists for the first time have created a mouse model that could lead to the development of an anti-aging drug.

“Work from our lab, and now some companies, is aimed at finding medicines and developing medicines that could use the body’s natural defenses against disease,” says David Sinclair, a professor of genetics at Harvard University Medical School in Massachusetts and senior author of the latest study showing the health benefits of resveratrol in mice, “and, hopefully, one day have medicines that could delay multiple diseases and hopefully slow down aging.”

Resveratrol works by boosting the energy output of cellular mitochondria by activating a class of genes known as sirtuins. In particular, it targets a gene called called SIRT1.

Students in Sinclair’s lab disabled the SIRT1 gene in mice by giving them Tamoxifen, a drug commonly used to treat breast cancer. When the mice received doses of resveratrol after SIRT1 was switched off, researchers found the compound did not improve the rodents’ mitochondrial functioning.

But energy production was boosted in mice with functioning SIRT1 genes. Sinclair says the finding confirms the role of SIRT1 in healthy aging, and is the most promising target of anti-aging drugs containing resveratrol.

“The goal would be that you go to your doctor, you have diabetes or you have Alzheimer’s disease – early stage – and the doctor prescribes the medicine. And then the doctor says to you, ‘Well, as a side effect, these new medicines they will protect you against cancer and heart disease and you might even have more energy.’ And that’s the sort of medicines we are hoping to make. And our new study shows that we are on track.”

Human trials with resveratrol are currently under way and Sinclair predicts the first anti-aging drug could become available within five years.

Bill & Sheila’s Wine

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Moderate Red Wine Drinking May Help Cut Women’s Breast Cancer Risk

Posted on January 6, 2012 by bilrob

Moderate Red Wine Drinking May Help Cut Women’s Breast Cancer Risk

Newswise — LOS ANGELES (Jan. 5, 2012) – Drinking red wine in moderation may reduce one of the risk factors for breast cancer, providing a natural weapon to combat a major cause of death among U.S. women, new research from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center shows.

The study, published online in the Journal of Women’s Health, challenges the widely-held belief that all types of alcohol consumption heighten the risk of developing breast cancer. Doctors long have determined that alcohol increases the body’s estrogen levels, fostering the growth of cancer cells.

But the Cedars-Sinai study found that chemicals in the skins and seeds of red grapes slightly lowered estrogen levels while elevating testosterone among premenopausal women who drank eight ounces of red wine nightly for about a month.

White wine lacked the same effect.

Researchers called their findings encouraging, saying women who occasionally drink alcohol might want to reassess their choices.

“If you were to have a glass of wine with dinner, you may want to consider a glass of red,” said Chrisandra Shufelt, MD, assistant director of the Women’s Heart Center at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and one of the study’s co-authors. “Switching may shift your risk.”

Shufelt noted that breast cancer is the leading type of women’s cancer in the U.S., accounting for more than 230,000 new cases last year, or 30 percent of all female cancer diagnoses. An estimated 39,000 women died from the disease in 2011, according to the American Cancer Society.

In the Cedars-Sinai study, 36 women were randomized to drink either Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay daily for almost a month, then switched to the other type of wine. Blood was collected twice each month to measure hormone levels.

Researchers sought to determine whether red wine mimics the effects of aromatase inhibitors, which play a key role in managing estrogen levels. Aromatase inhibitors are currently used to treat breast cancer.

Investigators said the change in hormone patterns suggested that red wine may stem the growth of cancer cells, as has been shown in test tube studies.

Co-author Glenn D. Braunstein, MD, said the results do not mean that white wine increases the risk of breast cancer but that grapes used in those varieties may lack the same protective elements found in reds.

“There are chemicals in red grape skin and red grape seeds that are not found in white grapes that may decrease breast cancer risk,” said Braunstein, vice president for Clinical Innovation and the James R. Klinenberg, MD, Chair in Medicine.

The study will be published in the April print edition of theJournal of Women’s Health, but Braunstein noted that large-scale studies still are needed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of red wine to see if it specifically alters breast cancer risk. He cautioned that recent epidemiological data indicated that even moderate amounts of alcohol intake may generally increase the risk of breast cancer in women. Until larger studies are done, he said, he would not recommend that a non-drinker begin to drink red wine.

The research team also included C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, director of the Women’s Heart Center, director of the Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center and the Women’s Guild Chair in Women’s Health, as well as researchers from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and Hartford Hospital in Connecticut.

Wine country in the US expands with designated ‘terroir’ areas

Wine makers in the US are increasingly seeking recognition of theirterroir, with the recent addition of three new American Viticultural Areas located in California and Washington State designed to give consumers more information about the wine they choose.

Just as a bottle of champagne or Bordeaux wine is instantly recognizable by its place of origin in France, American winegrowers are hoping to distinguish themselves from the competition with labels that denote their terroir — a taste profile specific to the area the product was made in, influenced by climate and soil conditions.

Most recently, two new American Viticultural Areas (AVA) have been approved, reported wine publication Decanter this week. Naches Heights, located on a volcanic plateau west of Yakima town in Washington, becomes this month the state’s 12th AVA and is dominated by two organic and biodynamic growers, Naches Heights Vineyard and Wilridge Winery & Vineyard.

Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak in California’s northeastern Sonoma County and Mendocino County was also approved as an AVA in November.

The area includes land owned by Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Seghesio Family Vineyards and andBenziger Family Winery.

In December, another Californian area, Napa Valley’s 11,000-acre Coombsville, home to about 20 wineries, became an American Viticultural Area.

Meanwhile, last November Decanter also reported that French wine growers are hoping to make the word ‘claret’ fashionable again by reclaiming the Anglo-Saxon term in the 2012 vintage.

Used for centuries by the British as a generic term for Bordeaux red wine, French wine makers plan to use the label as a commercial branding strategy for designating wines of the region that are light, fruity and easy to drink.

Bill & Sheila’s Wine

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Wine chemical cancer hope

Posted on October 2, 2011 by bilrob

Wine chemical cancer hope

An ingredient in red wine can stop breast cancer cells growing and may combat resistant forms of the disease, research suggests.

Resveratrol, a plant chemical found in grapes and red wine, blocks the cancer-fuelling effects of the female hormone oestrogen, studies have shown.

It can also inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells that have become hormone resistant, say scientists.

This could have important implications for women whose tumours are no longer responding to hormone therapies such as tamoxifen.

Hormone-sensitive tumours make up the vast majority of breast cancers.

Often they can be treated effectively with surgery and hormonal therapies. But in about half of all cases the cancer develops resistance and starts to spread.

Scientists in Italy used several lines of breast cancer cells, including some that were therapy resistant, to test the effects of resveratrol.

They found that exposure to the chemical led to significant reductions in cell growth.

‘Resveratrol is a potential pharmacological tool to be exploited when breast cancer becomes resistant to hormonal therapy,’ said study leader Dr Sebastanio Ando, from the University of Calabria.

The results are published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology journal.

Editor Dr Gerald Weissmann said: ‘These findings are exciting, but in no way does it mean that people should go out and start using red wine or resveratrol supplements as a treatment for breast cancer. What it does mean, however, is that scientists haven’t yet finished distilling the secrets of good health that have been hidden in natural products such as red wine.’

Bill & Sheila’s Wine

The Beauty Of Red Wine: A Beginner's Guide

Posted on July 10, 2011 by bilrob

The hit comedy film Sideways is about a road trip in the wine country of sunny California where the two main characters, Miles and Jack, taste copious amounts of red wine while dealing with major life dramas. It’s a hilarious film that touched so many people with its dark comedy and truly moving portraits of people dealing with love, pain, and wine tasting.

But perhaps the greatest thing about Sideways was how it inspired so many people to go out and become connoisseurs of fine wine! According the Internet Movie Database, the movie made so many of its fans want to buy Pinot Noir (a dry red wine) that sales significantly increased in the US and UK during and after its release. Talk about the effect of movies on people!

If you want to learn a bit more about red wine, dry red wine, and its other variants but feel clueless as to the whole thing, here’s a quick wine guide; a red wine for dummy guide if you like!

Why is Red Wine… Er… Red?

Red wine is so coloured because of the grape skins involved. There are a multitude of grape types, each as diverse and colourful as the next. You have purple, maroon, deep red, light red – the list goes on. Each variety brings a unique shade of red to red wine and the various colours you can see in wine stores are a direct result of the many grapes used in worldwide wine-making processes. An individual wine’s colour depends largely on what type of grape was used to make it and how long the skin was left in with the juice before being extracted.

What Are The Different Types of Red Wine?

There are many different types of red wine but they are usually judged by their “body”. For example, a light-bodied wine is not too demanding on the mouth and taste buds. It goes well with food that is flavour intensive. A good example of this kind of wine is the French red wine Beaujolais Nouveau.

On the other hand, there is the medium-bodied red wine which is a slightly heavier wine (e.g. Shiraz, Merlot, etc.) but not as heavy and as powerful as a full-bodied wine like French Bordeaux wines and Italian red wine like the Super Tuscans. Full-bodied wines are denser and have higher alcohol content.

How Is Red Wine Served?

You may have noticed at some parties, tasting events, or formal gatherings that red wine is served in a particular glass. It is said that an oval or egg-shaped glass that narrows as it reaches the top(compared to a slim, tall glass) is the best way to appreciate red wine as it allows the wine to breathe and swirl better. The best temperature to serve red wine is 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve it too hot and the alcohol can be overly emphasized; too cold and it will taste bitter.

Red Wine – What Are The Different Varieties?

There are a number of red wines available from all over the world from dry red wine to full-bodied wine to age old wine. There is really no such thing as the best red wine – what is tastiest to you should be considered the best. But then there are many red wines that come highly recommended like Californian red wine, Australian red wine, and then of course every other kind of wine throughout Europe like Spanish red wine and the ones previously mentioned.

In time, you will be able to determine exactly what your type of red wine is. For now, why not sample the many great tasting wines out there like Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc…

How Healthy IS Red Wine?

Red wine 101 these days will tell you that red wine or dry red wine is actually good for you. There have been recent studies by scientists in the UK that suggest a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon-derived wines will do the heart very good.

So, if you’re looking to spice up your meals or simply want to develop a healthier diet, red wine or dry red wine may be just the thing for you. Hopefully, this has been enough information to whet your appetite. Happy wine drinking!

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A Beginners' Guide To Enjoying Red Wine

Posted on July 9, 2011 by bilrob

The world of red wines is a heady, rich and wonderful world filled with everything from the nuanced subtlety of a gentle South African Merlot to the peppery richness of Sangre de Toro, “Blood of the Bull” from Spain. In general, many of the “rules” of wine drinking have been cast aside in today’s world, making it more accessible to every person, and with the increased demand supply has soared, allowing for inexpensive and very delicious wine available to all.

Still, there are many who feel that the world of wine loving is not as yet open to them. With so many wines to choose among, where do you begin? How do you properly enjoy a red or white and with what meals would they be best?

Let’s look at some very basic tips to maximizing your exploration of red wines.

Don’t spend a ton of money on a bottle of wine. Leave that for later, once you’ve begun to explore beyond the brands and varietals that you like. There are so many wonderful and delicious wines that are available for somewhere between $5 and $8 a bottle that you really should not need to drop $20 or $30 for a bottle of wine…at least not yet.

Don’t buy local, yet. Often, your local wine store is stocked with bottles from the local vineyard (if there is one). These can be wonderful, or they can be vinegar. It really can be something of a crap shoot. So, unless you live in the Napa valley, or some other area that is renowned for its wine-making efforts, stick with something that is nationally or internationally distributed.

Stick with a varietal, for now. In other words, pick a wine that is primarily made from one type of grape, i.e. a Shiraz, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, etc. Try to avoid blended reds to begin with, though they can be quite delicious. By learning the flavours of the varietal grapes, you’ll better understand what it is about the blend that you like. Avoid flavoured wines or coolers that you can get at your local convenience store. These are little more than non-bubbly soda pop with alcohol in them and can lead to a nasty headache as they are hastily made from the least pure ingredients.

Start with a nice Merlot from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand or Chile. These vineyards are usually able to balance cost with quality quite nicely. The reason I recommend Merlot is that of all the red varietals, it is the gentlest, and complements a broad menu of meals.

Reds like to breathe. Open the bottle and let it sit for ten minutes or so. This allows oxygen to get at the wine and mature it quickly. For that matter, pouring the wine into the glasses and allowing it to sit for ten to twenty minutes accelerates this process. You’ll find the flavour is much enhanced by this approach.

Reds at Room Temperature and Whites Chilled. A simple rule that does not always apply but is a good guide, nonetheless. Chilling a red removes many of the subtleties of flavour for which you buy the wine in the first place and slows the wine’s ability to mature with exposure to oxygen. Keep them room temperature.

I mentioned earlier that many of the “rules” of wine loving have been discarded, or at least loosened, such as ‘red wine with red meat or pasta and white wine with fish or poultry.’ While these are not bad guidelines, they really are not carved in stone and nowadays waiters and even the seasoned gourmand will not turn up his/her nose at a guest who asks for a red with fish or enjoys a nice, tart Chardonnay with a burger.

Merlot with what? While a Merlot can be a perfect complement for a spaghetti dinner (particularly if you have a nice buttery garlic bread), it can easily sit beside a pork chop or fried chicken dinner. A Merlot is a lovely, non-pretentious start to your journey and should open the door nicely to a journey of wine loving.

OK, Now What? Try a few different brands of Merlot from competing vineyards. Note the differences in style and substance. I’d recommend sticking to those south of the equator to begin with. Once you feel like you’ve tasted a number of Merlots and are acquainted with the differences, then move on to a Cabernet Sauvignon and begin your journey anew. I’d hold off on Shiraz, Syrah, Petite Syrah or Beaujolais until you have a basic appreciation of Merlots and Cabernets, but once you do, then dive in to the heavy, heady, peppery joy of the stronger reds. Once you feel like you really understand and can note the differences of the red varietals, start exploring the blends or the truly excellent California varietals. Good luck and enjoy!

Red Wine and Exercise

Posted on July 2, 2011 by bilrob

Red Wine and Exercise

Wine has its proponents as well its opponents. Long-term spaceflight induces hypokinesia and hypodynamia, which results in a number of significant physiological alterations, such as muscle atrophy, force reduction, insulin resistance, substrate use shift from fats to carbohydrates, and bone loss. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenol, could be used as a nutritional countermeasure to prevent muscle metabolic and bone adaptions according to a new study. A chemical in red wine called resveratrol has been shown to have both cardioprotective and chemoprotective effects in animal studies. Low doses of resveratrol in the diet of middle-aged mice has a widespread influence on the genetic levers of aging and may confer special protection on the heart. Specifically, low doses of resveratrol mimic the effects of what is known as caloric restriction – diets with 20—30 percent fewer calories than a typical diet. Resveratrol is produced naturally by grape skins in response to fungal infection, including exposure to yeast during fermentation. As white wine has minimal contact with grape skins during this process, it generally contains lower levels of the chemical. Other beneficial compounds in wine include other polyphenols, antioxidants, and flavonoids.

In the study resveratrol treatment maintained a net protein balance, soleus muscle mass, and soleus muscle maximal force contraction. RES also fully maintained soleus mitochondrial capacity, and reversed the decrease of oxidative stress.

At the molecular level, the protein content of in soleus muscle was also preserved. RES further protected whole-body insulin sensitivity and lipid trafficking and oxidation. Finally, chronic RES supplementation maintained the bone mineral density and strength of the femur.

Reservatrol content in wine (or grape juice) varies widely but seems particularly high in Spanish wines and juices. In grapes, trans-resveratrol is a phytoalexin produced against the growth of fungal pathogens like Botrytis cinerea. It can also be found in small amounts in chocolate.

Although excessive alcohol consumption has adverse health effects, epidemiological studies have consistently demonstrated that moderate consumption of alcohol and wine is statistically associated with a decrease in death due to cardiovascular events such as heart failure according to additional news reports on the French Paradox. The French paradox refers to the comparatively lower incidence of coronary heart disease in France despite high levels of saturated fat in the traditional French diet. Some epidemiologists suspect that this difference is due to the higher consumption of wines by the French, but the scientific evidence for this theory is limited.

The average moderate wine drinker is more likely to exercise more, to be more health conscious, and to be of a higher educational and socioeconomic class, evidence that the association between moderate wine drinking and health may be related to other factors.

For further information: http://www.fasebj.org/content/early/2011/06/29/fj.10-177295.abstract

Photo: http://1024x.net/wallpapers/70/Red_Wine_Basics.jpg

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Red-blooded adventures in red wine country