Goodbye wine stains .......and Hello Wine Spectator!

These are too good, not to pass on. Sorin, a wine loving young fellow from Edmonton, Alberta came up with this interesting little video. He obviously likes his red wines but does not like the stains they can leave on your shirt. You could bring a spare shirt or top to the party but have a look at this anyway.

How To Remove Red Wine Stains - The most amazing home videos are here

Oh and yes, Jathan MacKenzie over at Winexpression came up with this brilliant way of getting at Wine Spectator. Have a look at this entry on his site. Easy to follow instructions and below is what you should end up with when you have followed the directions and as Jathan directs be sure to switch back to default when you are finished visiting the Spectator.
Now pour yourself a glass or two of red wine,
mosey on over to the Wine Spectator and if in
all the excitement you should spill some of that
precious wine, you will know how to deal with it. Happy drinking everyone!

Wine is a food.....and its Good for you!

Lets begin with a definition of "food". According to regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament the definition of food includes drinks. So now that we have established that wine is a food, consideration should be given to the many health benefits it bestows on humankind and then reduce all taxes on wine. Imagine my dismay when I read about a proposal for a "carefully targeted fat tax" on food by a group of UK academics. Over 3000 deaths due to cardiac disease could be prevented if we could just stop people from consuming fat. You can accomplish the same of course by consuming a moderate amount of red wine.
But NO, add more taxes. and magically people will stop consuming all those fat inducing foods. Heard anything more ridiculous lately? I have quoted him before but it bears repeating. Thomas Jefferson had the right idea when he said " "I think it is a great error to consider a heavy tax on wines as a tax on luxury. On the contrary, it is a tax on the health of our citizens. " Today research is carried out in an institute bearing that wise man's name. The Jefferson study once again shows the benefit of red wine for cardio-vascular health.
It is obvious is it not? More wine, less tax and voila... better health.
I think the Irish have it right.
According to folklore from the Emarald Isle:"The Irish believe that fairies are extremely fond of good wine. The proof of the assertion is that in the olden days royalty would leave a keg of wine out for them at night. Sure enough, it was always gone in the morning."
I believe in fairy tales and have left a keg of wine outside my front door. Perhaps all the fuzzy thinking academics would do well to come and take it away, have a party and forget about dreaming up this nonsense. Cheers everyone!

No New Zealand Wines........!!

Food-Mile Researchers are on a roll.
Who would have thought a few short years ago that you could earn an income by becoming a "food-mile researcher". There is a whole new industry out there funded by your tax dollars. In a recent article by British journalist Anna Shepard she suggested to : "Buy a bottle of French wine instead of a New Zealand vintage" to reduce "food miles" This of course had New Zealanders up in arms.
According to professor Gareth Edward Jones, a
"leading" researcher on food miles the answer perhaps in saving the planet is "don't drink any wine". Not so fast says Dave Pearce, chief winemake of the New Zealand Wine Company.
"Don't be fooled by food miles".
Meanwhile according to a report published last year by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, the global livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transport. But if you are a potato farmer in the UK, things are looking up. According to Julie Sloan "With potatoes on our doorstep, there is little doubt that more modern carbohydrate alternatives, such as rice and pasta, cannot compete with the clear conscience
shopping of buying home grown potatoes"
So if you are a "meat and potato" kind of person, like myself, you will only get half the enjoyment. Lots of potatoes but no meat please! Now I am all for cleaning up the environment and not just for future generations. Lets start with fines for people who spit their gum on sidewalks and an equally repulsive habit by those who throw their cigarette buts there as well.
And all you food mile researchers, I am sure the bike pictured above is available in a beautiful environmental green. So get a group of you together and bike to work. And perhaps you can have your local wines delivered by this energy saving mode of transportation. Click on the picture to the right to get the idea. But PLEASE, lets not get carried away. I love my meat, I love my potatoes and above all, I love my wines. But an even more important issue is that people are going to suffer badly because of an over-enthused approach to this "food-mile" fad. Now that I have got that out of my system, I am going to enjoy a delicious glass of Spanish Tempranillo, all the way from Spain.