Is Cheap Wine Poisoning You?

You may love the price of cheap wine but cringe at a dangerous chemical that is in it. Poison was not one of the things you read about on the label. According to a lawsuit filed against 28 California wineries they "produce and market wines that contain dangerously high levels of inorganic arsenic, in some cases up to 500 percent or more than what is considered the maximum acceptable safe daily intake limit” (1).  

The lawsuit may or may not have merit depending on how the facts play out. A little extra arsenic is common in wines but stay way below dangerous levels. According to a study out of Cornell 1,300 bottles of wine tested only 83 showed up with 5X more arsenic than what would be found in water (2). The risks are relatively low and multiple tests seem to confirm this. 

The type of wine that will be most likely to have higher levels of arsenic are cheaper white and blush wines that are from areas that need lots of irrigation. Cheaper wines are general produced in less healthy soils while quality wines are focused more on maximizing value from higher quality soil. You will pay a premium for the highest quality wines.

Wine and food can be mass produced like any other product. We see this with meat , chicken, and other mega agriculture. With a cheaper price comes the necessity to mass produce. It is that mass production that will create problems as repetitive actions are taken that raise pollution levels.  Yet without that mass production products would be extremely expensive.

Unless something significant comes out of the lawsuit there isn’t much a consumer can do unless they are an avid reader on wines and know their berry backgrounds. Moving up in price to higher quality wines is one option but that wine will cost you more money. Stay tuned and continue to read websites, lists, and blogs on the quality of your wine and where it came from.

Wine Review: La Ferme Julien Rouge

La Ferme Julien Rouge is an everyday pleasure wine produced in France. As a red wine it is served with most meat, pasta, and spicy foods. Made from a combination of Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache Syrah it is well balanced option. Seasoned in oak barrels for 10 months it takes on a touch of sweetness.

Nose: Ripe berries, spices and tobacco

Taste: Subtle, cherry, ripe, vanilla, wet, and light aftertaste. Soft tannins.

Glass: Dark red and medium body.

The wine was grown and produced in France on the Mont Ventoux slopes that sits over 5,700 feet above sea level. The area supports high quality grape production and adds to the wines flavor. The type of soil also supports a solid production of mild wines.

According to Food Tourists the region is known for its interesting wines all the way over to mediocre wines. It was part of the Ancient Roman wine making system and still maintains its small town charm. Whites, reds and roses are produced here and exported to the rest of the world.

Wine Review: OZV’s Lodi Zin-Hardy and Sweet Blackberry

OZV’s Lodi Zin is a fruity blackberry tasting zinfandel that is both full bodied and ripe for a cool California evening. It embraces a few other undercurrent flavors such as espresso, raspberry, and espresso. Lodi Zin is sweet and goes down easy and smooth without a subtle aftertaste. It is a casual drinking wine you are likely to pull out of the cellar on a regular basis. Not yet a dessert wine in the American tradition but certainly leaning in that direction. 

Old Zin Vines is produced by Oak Ridge Winery which is one of the oldest pioneering wineries in Lodi California (1).  Originally founded in 1934, it started as a cooperative of growers that expanded their offerings through hard work and determination. They are known for their unique tasting room which is built within a 50,000 gallon redwood barrel. Imagine sipping your wine right inside the vessel getting a “birds eye” view of the operation. 

Lodi is located east of San Francisco Bay between Sacramento and Stockton, California (2).  The wine is grown on the Sierra Nevada Mountains among the rocky and thins soils that work well with Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Barbera, Riesling, Savingnon Blanc (3).  Grapes were originally introduced to the region during the Gold Rush and have since flourished into a famous wine growing region. 

OZV’s Lodi Zin is an excellent casual choice for the dinner table. It pairs well with most types of food. According to the Zinfandelic website you may want to include the following combinations (4): 

Meats: Pork, beef, lamb, Italian sausage, spare ribs, brisket and venison 

Poultry: Turkey, duck, quail, pheasant, chicken

Pasta: Lasagna, cannelloni, spaghetti

Seafood: Tuna, bouillabaisse, cioppino

Cheese: Parmesan, aged cheddar, gouda, asiago, dry jack

Oak Ridge Winery

6100 E. Hwy 12, Lodi, CA 95240

http://www.oakridgewinery.com/index.php

The Health and Aging Benefits of Red Wine

Artwork: Dr. Murad Abel

“Red red wine you make me feel so grand I feel a million dollars when your just in my hand”. The song Red Red Wine by Neil Diamond may just have some healthy truth in it. As it turns out red wine is healthy for the heart and can encourage a youthful look. If you are going to drink something you might want to pick the option with the most benefits. Instead of reaching for red bull and vodka try something like a classic red wine.

According to the Mayo Clinic red wine has antioxidants that increase the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol that protects the arteries of the heart (1). The antioxidants are called polyphenols and they protect the lining of blood vessels in the heart to ensure that they do not get clogged. 

 According to a study at the University of Leicester two glasses of wine can lower the chances of developing cancerous tumors by 50% (2). Most physicians will recommend a single glass of wine a day. This is great for everyday usage. However, most people who dine out are likely to have more than one and choosing red wine is a better option.

Red wine also has the amazing ability to reduce aging and make you look younger.  Your skin will be more elastic, spots will be less likely, and small wrinkles may not form as easily. The advantage of wine rests in the polyphenols ability to mop up the damaging free radicals that create aging and age-related diseases (3).

The magic is in the fermentation process and uses grape skins and seeds that are eventually removed but still leave the beneficial results (4). Not all wines are the same.  Smaller wineries with more organic products are better than larger wineries that use lots of chemicals. The type of wine will also make a difference.  According to the website Prevention (5) the top three types of wine are:

Pinot noirs: Contain grapes with the highest concentration of resveratrol from cold and rainy environments. 

Madirans and Cabernets: Made from tannat grapes with high levels of procyanidins. 

Syrahs and Merlots: Often made with blue color grapes with high concentrations of procyanidins.