Seems like a day does not go by without some health minded organization or government agency telling us how bad wine is for our health. I say stop picking on wine and use those valuable research dollars to enlighten us about the benefits of drinking wine. Look at those grapes, one of nature's greatest gifts to humankind.
For thousands upon thousands of years they have been picked and turned into the most pleasurable drink known to mankind. But no the tea drinking anti-alcohol crowd must tell the world about their latest research detailing how 3247 women and men were followed for the last three years (or were there 7423 ? ) drinking wine and now..ouch they have a 27% greater chance of getting cancer. I am not trying to make light of this terrible disease. There is nothing more devastating for a woman to be diagnosed and go through the ordeal of breast cancer but so many other factors have to be considered. I know of women who hardly ever drink wine or anything else and yet have suffered with this dreadful malady. Cancer needs a cure but there are many, many things that can cause it. So men, have you been taking extra folic acid supplements? It turns out that men who have, are at much greater risk of getting prostate cancer.
Of course there are studies indicating that drinking wine is a preventative for cancer. Barrett's Esophagus is a precursor to esophageal cancer and drinking wine may lower the risk by as much as 56%.And here is more good news. This study indicates that the combined polyphenols from red wine was found to be effective against breast cancer.
The latest anti drinking wine study finds that even your teeth are in trouble. Yes, they used cow teeth for this one.Could they not have found a human skull or a set of human teeth for this experiment? You will really be in trouble if you drink wine during dinner and follow that up with tea or worse if you get up and brush your teeth. Me? I usually don't drink tea after a delightful dinner with a good wine. I certainly won't be getting up to brush my teeth. How about grapefruit juice folks, which I happen to like very much, its very acidic. So could you please do some research to tell me I am going to loose my teeth prematurely?
Plato, wise man that he was, said, "Nothing more excellent or valuable than wine was ever granted by the Gods to man."
And would Jesus have turned water into wine at a wedding feast if he thought for one moment that it was harmful to the guests?
Peace be with you! Especially when you are enjoying the 'fruit of the vine.'
What music do you play with your favorite wine? Clark Smith, founder of Vinovation, apparently has the answer. In an interview with Smith and reported in a recent article by Blake Gray in the San Francisco Chronicle it is suggested that perhaps Metallica goes better with a Napa Cab than Mozart. But what if I do not like Metallica Mr. Smith? Is this really such a startling revelation? Everybody responds to the sound of music and a little bit of background music while enjoying your wine is bound to make the experience more pleasurable. Even dairy cows know that Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony turns them on and makes for a better environment to produce more milk. In a reversal of the classic question "Where's the beef?" some beef herds prefer to utter "Where's the wine?". Forget the music just give me my litre a day, please!
Back in 1869, Johan Strauss already knew that wine and music go together when he composed his famous Wine, Women and Song. And of course he also understood that in the company of a lovely lady it tastes even better.
Nick, over at Vintage Direct suggests that perhaps our wine drinking experience may be enhanced by viewing great works of art and even makes some wine recommendations. All this music and wine and art had me thinking about what wine should we be drinking when we read a book. During a recent visit with renowned
local chef/author Bill Jones I brought up the subject while discussing his
Salmon- The Cook Book. The book is edited by Bill and has everything you need to know about smoking, curing,baking,barbecuing,steaming,poaching, etc. salmon. Over 120 recipes, including 10 of Bill's best. 
In my mind I had settled for a Pinot Noir to enjoy while perusing his book and when I asked Bill what wine he would drink while reading "Salmon",well
Pinot Noir of course. So if music and wine go together and wine's pleasures can be enhanced by viewing art, why not match a good wine with your reading preferences? If you are into reading a thrilling mystery, perhaps you should consider a dark and brooding Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Astrology books? A Champagne might be your choice. After all who exclaimed "Brothers, brothers, come quickly for I am seeing stars!"? Why Dom Pérignon of course. Ah, you are into romantic novels. Why not consider
a Rosé? To me the sound of music comes when I hear the delightful pouring of wine into my glass. Roger Corder brings it all together for us... wine, a good book and your diet. Any suggestions what wine you might drink with your reading preference? 
We are said to be enjoying the Golden Age of Wine and truly there are some real nuggets out there. I am referring of course to the magnificent selection of wines available to today's consumer. The internet has made information on wine widely available and likewise there are some real nuggets out there. Type "wine" into Google and you will find 177,000,000 entries. Have you got a lifetime or two or three to spend checking all that info out? There are some outstanding websites and blogs out there and I have my own personal favorites. However the ease with which information can be published on the web has led to a landslide of misinformation and next to useless information. Its human nature I guess, to want to be in on the publishing. Have a look at this invitation. Did you know that you could become a sought-after wine expert by sharing your ratings on wine? WineLog was " started because some believe the professional wine rating systems reflect personal preferences and may not give a good overall impression of that wine." Now just re-read that quote. It is saying that professional wine ratings are subjective but apparently when you write your own evaluation that won't be subjective. What a load of nonsense! Or how about throwing a little sales pitch into the mix? What a sublime idea. No experience necessary! As I said in my previous August 19th post , "perhaps we are spending too much time analyzing and not enough time just appreciating "the fruit of the vine". Congratulations to all the great wine bloggers out there who do such an outstanding job keeping us well informed!!
