“Not only does one drink wine, but one inhales it, tastes it – and then talks about it.” A quote from King Edward VII.These days you can go one step further and write about and blog about it. Much has been written about wine and much will continue to be written about wine and all its seductive qualities.This is my humble attempt to share in all the tasting and talking. A toast to all you tasters out there!!
It all started when 60 Minutes with Morley Safer aired their "French Paradox" show on November 17, 1991. Over 33 million people watched 60 Minutes that evening. Sales of red wine increased dramatically and were up 44 percent over the same month of the previous year. Sales of red wine for the entire year following the initial broadcast went up 39 percent. The American public embraced red wine as the newest health food. That was over 20 years ago but lets have a look at the show that started it all.
Much has been said and written about the subject of wine and health since then. In April of 2009, the Wine Spectator published an article titled Is Drinking Wine a Breast Cancer Risk? Yes, according to this article! Fast forward to January 2012 and the good news is NO. Red wine could lower risk of breast cancer. A Google search for breast cancer and red wine consumption turns up a staggering 32,500,000 entries. For your enlightenment I chose the following from theHuffington Post Along with the good, there is the bad. Getting plenty of news coverage, especially in the wine press, is the startling revelation about fraudulent results from researcher Dr. Das at the University of Connecticut. And yes a Google search will once again show plenty of entries. Here is what Reutersreported on the incident.
But I can report on research that is both reliable and truthful. Years of personal research conducted by myself can attest to the very healthful benefits of wine consumption, particularly red wine. I can also attest to the fact that no cuddly, furry little creatures were sacrificed in my extensive research.
All that remains now for me is to wish you all a very healthy 2012. And may I encourage you to do your own research. All with moderation of course.
There has been a noticeable absence of posts to my blog for a while. All for good reasons which belong in 2011. But this is 2012 and one New Year's resolution I am going to keep is to post regularly again. Let me begin with wishing every one a Happy and Healthy New year. I think we will see some significant changes in the wonderful world of wine, although I am not quite ready for paper wine bottles. One thing that will not change for me is that I begin and end my trips to French wine regions in Paris. More on that in a moment. But first if you are planning a trip to Paris, I can highly recommendBonjour Paris Visit their site and be sure to sign up for their newsletter or sign up for their premium membership. Bonjour Paris is the ultimate guide to Paris and France.
The city of light has been fascinating to visit but now there is another good reason. When I first started blogging I had the pleasure of receiving a comment from one of the first French wine bloggers, Olivier Magny and I have been following his career since then. Olivier has recently opened a wine bar in Paris that has become an overnight success and I am looking forward on my next trip to Paris, to visit him there. TheÔ Chateau Wine Tasting and Wine Bar is not your average wine bar. To give you an idea, visit their website and have a look around O Chateau After you have signed up at Bonjour Paris and got the scoop on where to eat, stay and visit, there is something else you must do. Get a copy of the Olivier's recently released book titled 'Stuff Parisians Like'.
So what are Parisians really like? And what do Parisians really NOT like? You will get an insiders close up look in this 'hilariouslly perceptive' book. In impeccable English Olivier gives us an insight into what Parisians think, do and like. It is cool to drink San Pe and love cherry tomatoes. It is also hyper sympa to go away on a ' le p'tit weekend'. And Parisians love their 'le metro' or at least till its on strike. Ah, but line 14 never goes on strike, it is fully automated.
I took this picture the last time I was in Paris and call it 'Art in Motion'. Click on it and enlarge it, you will see some of Olivier's Parisians. So are these graffiti artists considered sympa or are they 'beaufs' Olivier? In his final chapter, Olivier laments the fact that Parisians do not drink enough wine and finds it quite disconcerting. He is doing his best to change that. So am I, Olivier, so am I. Have to go now. I have a glass of a great Burgundy waiting for me. Picked it up while in Burgundy a couple of years ago. A votre Sante!!
