Even worse: 

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There’s a book too, but apps for your iPhone are cooler, assuming you have an iPhone. Apps like Wine 101 by FuzzyBeta claim to educate the uninitiated and remove the stress of wine selection. At the cost of $3, (of course not including the cost of the iPhone and service) Wine 101 provides a list of names for red wine when you launch it. Tapping on a varietal opens a window detailing where the grape comes from, how the wine smells and tastes, and foods it might pair with.

A similar service is provided by Hello Vino, a free app, available through iTunes, which selects the perfect type of wine to go with a meal or occasion, or to give as a gift. Wine shoppers need only install the app, and answer a few simple questions to get a specific wine recommendation.

These days, I hope the only stress you have is which wine to serve with dinner. But if you’re concerned about ordering wine in a fancy restaurant, I have one word for you, Sommelier. Providing this information is their job. Ditto for a manager in a wine shop. Tapping on your iPhone for a wine recommendation while on a date is not very suave.

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According to an obituary published yesterday by the Corriere Fiorentino, Bettino Ricasoli, 87, the great-great-grandson of “Iron Baron” Bettino Ricasoli and steward of one of the leading families of Chianti Classico, has died.

Although he never published a “formula” or “recipe” for Chianti (as many erroneously claim), Bettino Ricasoli (1809-1880) reshaped the history of Chianti and Tuscan winemaking in the 19th century when he famously declared that Sangiovese (or Sangioveto, as the Tuscan clone of Sangiovese was known then) was the ideal grape for the production of fine wine there. In an often cited but rarely revisited 1872 letter to Professor Cesare Studiati of Pisa, Ricasoli described the process of study that led to the replanting of his Castello di Brolio estate in Gaiole in Chianti (one of the core townships of Chianti Classico).



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Who woulda thunk it? That a small organic wine from Chile would cause such an uproar. Palin Syrah, now in its second release, and named for the ball used to play Chilean field hockey is losing sales, at least in San Francisco. The reason? The similarity of its name to Sarah Palin, the now famous hockey mom and Vice-Presidential candidate. Before politics played a role, Palin Syrah was described as a good organic, affordable wine, now it’s likened to moosemeat and gunpowder, and it doesn’t help that it’s red. Perhaps a white wine would do better. Obama Sparkling Wine, made by Larry Mawby in Suttons Bay, Michigan might fit the bill. However, unlike Palin Syrah, this wine has political purpose. For every bottle of Obama sold one dollar is donated to the Obama campaign. I wonder if San Franciscans are also boycotting Budweiser. Given Cindy McCain’s family business, there’s no doubt Sen. John McCain’s a Busch man.



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Wine is known to protect against strokes, diabetes and dementia. So Roger Corder, professor of experimental therapeutics in London and author of “The Red Wine Diet: Drink Wine Every Day and Live a Long and Healthy Life,” performed tests to learn why. He found that procyanidins (protective anti-oxidants that improve blood-vessel function and prevent heart disease) are what make red wine so healthy. Made of Tannat grapes from the southwest of France, Madiran wine has been shown to have the highest procyanidin levels. Other beneficial grape varieties are Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Barolo.



This is a post from: The Wine Cellar Blog