“In what could lead to a major advance in the treatment of prostate cancer, scientists now know exactly why polyphenols in red wine and green tea inhibit cancer growth. This new discovery explains how antioxidants in red wine and green tea produce a combined effect to disrupt an important cell signaling pathway necessary for prostate cancer growth.
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Cheers!
It’s the weekend again – time to put our Hannumas/Christmakah presents to good use. This year I got my better half the Vinturi Wine Aerator after using one at a friend’s house.
I won’t say too much about the hilarious variety of anatomically-related sounds that this thing makes, but nevertheless – it is a miracle for cheap wine lovers everywhere. A wine aerator allows you to pour wine into an opening, which narrows and allows the wine to pull in air as it passes into the glass (thus, the glamorous marketing pun on the Venturi effect).
This mimicks a very rapid decanting for red wine, something no reasonable person does with the type of red wine (cheap) that my income bracket generally drinks. In our experience using this sucker over the past two weeks (it’s the holidays so…yeah that’s been quite a bit), we’ve noticed that wine becomes softer, has better mouthfeel, and generally tastes….more expensive. Woohoo! 3 buck chuck becomes…6 buck chuck?
We decided to put this to the test with the ultimate taboo of the wine-based dinner party: the good ol’ box -o- wine! The box of wine is the ultimate wine democratizer – more practical than the heavy glass Jug-o-wine (I miss those Ernest and Julio Gallo ads!), and capable of lasting through nearly one weekend during a camping trip in the Kentucky hills years ago.
The fact is, if I want 5 liters of wine, it would cost me a pretty penny! But if I want it in a plastic bag..inside a box…with an air-tight spout allowing it to last a couple of months – it’s about the price of a case of pure, clean Natural Light.
Then comes Target onto the scene. Recently, our friendly high-end big box retailer has been bringing the mass-marketed box -0-wine to a new level with their Wine Cube, a dandy little two-bottle boxed wine in a variety of blends. This isn’t great wine, or even really good wine. But it’s alright wine…which quite frankly, kicks Franzia right where it hurts.
This lead us to a basic scientific question. Could wine aeration improve boxed wine? Lets watch the scientific process do its magic:
Question: Could our box-o-wine improve with the wine aerator?
Hypothesis: Your damn straight it could.
Methods/Results: A quick A-B blind taste test proved (N=3 individuals), with 100% certitude, that yes – the wine aerator vastly improved the nose, body, and finish of the Wine Cube, which was a 50% Cab/50% Merlot California blend.
Research Qualifications: I know, I know – I wasn’t supposed to drink any %&*#ing Merlot!.
Conclusions: So there it is…the Vinturi works. SCIENCE!
From Sideways:
Miles Raymond: Let me show you how this is done. First thing, hold the glass up and examine the wine against the light. You’re looking for color and clarity. Just, get a sense of it. OK? Uhh, thick? Thin? Watery? Syrupy? OK? Alright. Now, tip it. What you’re doing here is checking for color density as it thins out towards the rim. Uhh, that’s gonna tell you how old it is, among other things. It’s usually more important with reds. OK? Now, stick your nose in it. Don’t be shy, really get your nose in there. Mmm… a little citrus… maybe some strawberry…
[smacks lips]
Miles Raymond: … passion fruit…
[puts hand up to ear]
Miles Raymond: … and, oh, there’s just like the faintest soupçon of like asparagus and just a flutter of a, like a, nutty Edam cheese…
Jack: Wow. Strawberries, yeah! Strawberries. Not the cheese…
As a regular drinker of whatever’s cheapest, such as Burnett’s Vodka and Mickey’s Fine Malt Liquor, I think it’s safe to say that when it comes to alcohol I do not enjoy the finer things in life.. Every now and then maybe I’ll indulge on some Patron or wine, but spending that much money on some alcohol is just a bit crazy to me. Oh, and I’m poor and can’t afford any of that stuff too. That might have a hand in it as well. While browsing around on the internet, I came across a list of the most expensive alcohol that ever existed.. This is crazy.
The Wray and Nephew Rum that was displayed at Rumfest, Europe’s first Rum festival has been dubbed the most expensive rum of all time. This bottle of rum, made by the Jamaican distillers was one of the four unopened bottles at the time. It was bottled back in 1940. The reason this rum became so rare is because the supply ran out following the then famous Mai Tai cocktail (1934) which used 17 year old Wray and Nephew Rum. The managing director of the Rum Festival at the time said that it was too tempting to leave it unopened. We are not sure if it has been opened yet.
Before I write any more on this section I apologize to anyone who might take offense to me using the word “whiskey” instead of “whisky.” It is just a personal preference. Anyway, for a whooping $75,000 dollar The Macallan 1926 Fine and Rare steals the show as the most expensive whiskey of all time, at least at the moment. You certainly won’t be able to find this particular whiskey at your local bar or the liquor store.
The highest amount ever paid for a bottle of tequila is $225,000. The platinum and gold plated bottle of Ultra Premium Tequila Ley .925 was bought at an auction in Mexico city in 2006. The tequila in the gold and platinum plated bottle is triple-distilled mix of 8-, 10- and 12-year-old agave plants and is produced by Hacienda La Capilla Distillery in Los Altos, Jalisco.
With a price tag of $160,000 1787 Chateau Lafitteis is considered to be the most expensive wine of all time. The bottle originally belonged to the US President, Thomas Jefferson whose initials are etched into the bottle. Thomas Jefferson was an avid wine collector and some lucky (rich) wine collector paid $160,000. Besides the age, Thomas Jefferson’s initials etched into this bottle made it even more of a rare find and is considered to be the most expensive wine ever bought and sold.
When it comes to vodka, the first thing that comes to mind is Russia. Surprisingly, the most expensive vodka comes from the lands of Scotland. The Diva Vodka is the world’s most expensive vodka which almost looks like a perfume bottle. Every bottle of the Diva vodka contains precious and semi-precious stones, including diamonds.The vodka is triple distilled and then passed through a sand of crushed diamonds and other gems.
Well, seems like cognac which is considered to be one of the most expensive drinks in the world takes the crown. Henri IV Dudognon Heritage which costs around $2,000,000 is the most expensive alcohol in the world. This particular cognac was aged for 100 years in barrels that were air dried for five years before use. The final product is 41% alcohol (82 proof). Besides the content, the bottle itself has quite a few characteristic. The bottle is dipped in 24k gold and sterling platinum and adorned with 6,500 brilliant cut diamonds.