Wine dotes you and protects you...

Just came back from gym, had a great work out after lazing around for so long. Have you ever felt just like me about how much you need to protect your health more? Well, while exercise is one of the most highly recommended element to add in, why not consider adding in some wine?

And no I'm not trying to kill you or shorten your lifespan, I'm trying to help strengthen your life a little here. Many of us would probably nod our heads profusely if I were to ask if you have ever heard that alcoholic stuff should always be avoided simply because it is harmful to our body. Before this perception continues to take it roots in your mind forever, let me attempt to lift you away from it and be glad and jump to joy that not all alcoholic drinks are "evil"!

Wine, standing out from all the other alcoholic drinks, have been proven to have the ability to gear our body system better! If you happen to see my cbox by the side of the blog, you would see my recommendations to have max just 1 glass of red wine a day and not more. Why? Well, in the case of wine, more is never better.

According to New York Reuters Health, while the consumption of one glass per day appears to aid in reducing the risk of heart disease, but having two or more each day actually showed signs of offsetting the benefits by increasing the risk of some cancers. So do remember to cap your wine consumption ya? Enough for the restrictions, let us now divert our attention to find more reasons to love wine.

If you wanna know how much wine loves and protects you, here's a summary for you:
For men, wine loves you too much to see you suffer from cardiovascular disease and cancer, and hence while it does not stop you from contracting these totally, it does reduces the risk for you. As for women, cheers and be a woman wine drinker as a new study from Harvard University has shown that woman wine drinkers tend to have fewer kidney stones and also find their mental functioning more well preserved!!!Moderate, and yes I emphasize moderate wine, can also help to reduce stroke risk as well as reduce the risk of Arteriosclerosis (the gradual build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries). Oh and in case women out there are now sad because you wonder if the cardiovascular benefits runs only in the genes of men, allow me to cheer you up because you are entitled to that privilege too!! Additionally, wine consumption may also help lower the risk for upper digestive tract cancer as well as lower lung cancer risk.

With so many benefits in store in that glass of wine, are you still resistant and feel that it will only do you harm? But hey, before you say "No" to my question and decides to run to the nearest store to grab a bottle of wine to share the good news with your loved ones, maybe you can take my suggestion to choose a bottle of red wine rather then a bottle of white wine as it's been proposed that the effects of the benefits tend to be stronger for that by red wine! Most importantly, remember, the benefits will only open itself to you if you stay a moderate drinker! This is highly recommended. May the love of wine walk us through our lives! Cheers everyone!

*Dear readers,
Hope my casual writing style tonight will not cause you to feel bored or turn away. Do feel free to give me any comments or feedback on areas I can improve on. If there is any topic regarding wine appreciation you would like to know, do leave me a comment in the cbox on your right and while I cannot promise I can give the best answer, I will promise I will try my best to help bring the topic to life!=)

P.S. The above information has been gathered from:
- http://www.beekmanwine.com/prevtopab.htm

If you are the vine...

If you are the vine, you will love cold winters because that's when you can hibernate and charge up your strength for the coming year's fruit. If you are the vine, you will love the mixture of some rain in the midst of the warm summer because that's when the fruit ripens gradually and evenly. If you are the vine, you will fall in love also with the dry autumn when harvesting takes place as the dryness will help keep the flavour of the grapes. Trust not the humid weather at this point in time as it will result in dilution of the juice.

Apart from the seasons of the nature, feel and indulge yourself, if you are the vine, in the heavenly balance of temperture that God so beautifully created between the 30 and 50 degrees latitude in each hemisphere. Let your texture be enhanced as you soak yourself in the soil and the love of human hands.

Ah~~yes the human hands. With the advancement of technology, machine harvesters is no longer a foreigner in the territory of the vineyard. Many use it today for its efficiency and ease. But let it not deprive us of our beauty. Let it not destroy us with all the shaking done by the machine. And if you are the vine, you will be most happy to know that hand picking is still done across the globe. Despite the back-breaking hard work and great amount of time consumption, no one knows us better then our very own "parents" who cultivate us. Thus although the process of picking grapes is tough but it is definitely all worthwhile. As hand-picked grapes tend to produce less damaged grapes then machine harvested grapes, this helps to retain our beauty and texture. Additionally, sub-standard grapes can also be left behind to ensure the top quality of the delicious wine that will be served to our admirers.

Hmm...are you now in the midst of the vineyard enjoying the warmth of the evening light as i close off this indulgence of the day? Enjoy~~because if you are the vine you will love the evening light!

*Do stay tune as i learn and share my very own humble style to the lovely you!
P.S. Knowledge has been inherited from
-"The Joy of Wine" by Jane Hughes

The Historic Trace of Wine

If you are holding a glass of wine in your hands now, how about drifting a little into the land of classical age - the roots of wine drinking. It all started in the Middle East. Relate back also to the many paintings in the Ancient Egyptian civilization times wherein you get to see scenes of people carrying jugs of wine. Wine, being well-known in the Old Testament as well as being used as a strong metaphor for life. How influential, don't you think?

Through the evolution and the revolution, wine has land itself in many different parts of the world today. Unlike in the past when only a handful of varieties were available for the wine lovers then, wouldn't you agree that being a wine lover today is so much more privileged? With the new found soils and lands, more styles of wine have been discovered. Some of them were probably not created intentionally through the extensive efforts of design, but rather it was a must given the lack of techniques back then, which slowly but surely brought blessing to some of the wine lovers today.

Take for example fortifying wines. This took off in the 16th and 17th centuries, when people had to "fortify" wine by adding grape brandy to wine in order to ship them without allowing the wine to turn into vinegar. It was done back then because the wine makers realised that by so doing, the brandy actually helped to protect and stabilise the wines throughout the journey. Additionally, it was also noted that by adding brandy before or during the fermentation process, it affects the end product directly. And there you go, we have with us now the many different types of fortified wines to be used as dessert wines or even as a must have in many of our savoury food recipes. Thus, in an ironic way if you would allow yourself to see it in this way, if not for the weak structure of wine that prevents it from withstanding the rigorous journey, the wide varieties of fortified wine might probably never see the light of the world and we would have lost the chance to fall in love with them forever.

P.S The above information has been gathered from:
- "The Joy of Wine" by Jane Hughes
-"recipes4us" under the Marsala Port & Sherry information section

A Wine Lover?

If you think that wine appreciation is all about the snobbish domain or for the filthy rich people out there, think again. If you look closer, it wouldn't be long before you realise the tinge of elegance and mystery that the small glass of red wine carries.

I wouldn't dare term myself as one who knows a lot about wine, but I definitely have the passion. The aroma and the texture that is hidden in every bottle of red wine just stirs my emotions and draws me into having my very own love affair with wine. I believe every day millions are probably falling in love with wine like I am now. Being an amateur, I still have a long way to learn. However, i would wish to share some of the basics of wine appreciation in my very personal blog. I hope that through the humble information provided, more understanding and interest about wine will spread and influence all out there.

My very personal blog will also not just be about wine appreciation. Other interests of mine as well as my very personal daily happenings will also be posted. It may be simple, but if you happen to pass by, please know that you are my honoured guest here.

Thanks for viewing.