Due to its alcohol content, wine is often shunned as luxury in a healthy diet, a once-in-awhile enjoyment. However, next time you sip, you should do so with the added knowledge that red wine is a superfood in its own right!

Red wine is beneficial for people who have high cholesterol. In one study, those who consumed a grape supplement found in red wine witnessed a 9-percent decrease in their LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Those with high cholesterol levels experienced an even bigger drop — 12 percent. Looks like the grapes in wine are not diluted by the alcohol after all and still bear incredible benefits. The antioxidants in red wine, which are called polyphenols, contribute to a healthy heart and can prevent heart disease.

The polyphenols in red wine also bear anti-inflammatory properties, which can positively contribute to the prevention of a slew of diseases. Polyphenols may also lower the sex hormone levels and protect against breast cancer.

The benefits of red wine are also due to the compound resveratrol, which is found in the skin of wine grapes. Resveratrol has anti-diabetic effects. Studies have shown that resveratrol reduced blood glucose in animals with hyperglycemia, which may be due to the improved transport of glucose between cells.

Resveratrol has also been linked to having neuro-protective properties and may be especially helpful to those who suffer from Alzheimer’s or simply what to boost brain health. Researchers also suggest drinking one glass of red wine 3-4 times per week can starve young cancer cells, which means that red wine may play a big role in the prevention of cancer.

The benefits of red wine are plenty. Cheers to that!

Image Credit: Desegura89

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Red, red wine.

Drinking good wine with good food in good company is one of life’s most civilized pleasures. -Michael Broadbent

Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle. -Paulo Coelho

Give me books, French wine, fruit, fine weather and a little music played out of doors by somebody I do not know. -John Keats

I cook with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food. -W. C. Fields

Wine is a living liquid containing no preservatives. Its life cycle comprises youth, maturity, old age, and death. When not treated with reasonable respect it will sicken and die. -Julia Child

Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance. -Benjamin Franklin

A gourmet meal without a glass of wine just seems tragic to me somehow. -Kathy Mattea

Men are like wine – some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age. -Pope John XXIII

The wine-cup is the little silver well, Where truth, if truth there be, doth dwell. -William Shakespeare

Artists and poets still find life’s meaning in a glass of wine. -Joy Sterling

Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages. -Louis Pasteur

I think it is a great error to consider a heavy tax on wines as a tax on luxury. On the contrary, it is a tax on the health of our citizens. -Thomas Jefferson

One should always be drunk. That’s all that matters… But with what? With wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you chose. But get drunk. -Charles Baudelaire

Age is just a number. It’s totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine. -Joan Collins

I like on the table, / when we’re speaking, / the light of a bottle / of intelligent wine. -Pablo Neruda

Wine to me is passion. It’s family and friends. It’s warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It’s culture. It’s the essence of civilization and the art of living. -Robert Mondavi

Like human beings, a wine’s taste is going to depend a great deal on its origins and its upbringing. -Linda Johnson-Bell

Compromises are for relationships, not wine. -Sir Robert Scott Caywood

Wine cheers the sad, revives the old, inspires the young, makes weariness forget his toil. -Lord Byron

Either give me more wine or leave me alone. -Rumi

Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing. -Ernest Hemingway

A bottle of good wine, like a good act, shines ever in the retrospect. -Robert Louis Stevenson

[Making wine] is like having children; you love them all, but boy, are they different. -Bunny Finkelstein

Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it. -Anonymous

I love how wine continues to evolve, how every time I open a bottle it’s going to taste different than if I had opened it on any other day. Because a bottle of wine is actually alive – it’s constantly evolving and gaining complexity. That is, until it peaks – like your ’61 – and begins its steady, inevitable decline. And it tastes so fucking good. -Virginia Madsen as Maya in Sideways

Beer is made by men, wine by God! -Martin Luther

Nothing makes the future look so rosy as to contemplate it through a glass of Chambertin. -Napoleon Bonaparte

Wine brings to light the hidden secrets of the soul, gives being to our hopes, bids the coward flight, drives dull care away, and teaches new means for the accomplishment of our wishes. -Horace

Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink, I feel shame! Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this wine, they might be out of work, and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, “It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver?” -Jack Handey

Penicillin cures, but wine makes people happy. -Alexander Fleming

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Image: Michael Johnson, Derek Gavey, jenny downing

The post 30 Quotes About Wine appeared first on EcoSalon.

Warm up cold winter days with a glass of Glögg.

With or without snow there’s not too many things as heart warming as glögg (Swedish traditional mulled wine) around Christmas. The rich smell is so welcoming it’s no wonder it’s such a successful way to treat your friends. Last winter I had to warn my guests that even though the wine was served hot it was not low on alcohol.

Like other Swedes I’m used to buying glögg already spiced at the Systembolaget, which is the one and only company that can sell liquor in Sweden. Systembolaget has an impressive selection of wine from all around the world and they have over 40 different kinds of glögg, both with and without alcohol. There is even a white glögg which is commonly served cold as an apertif at parties around Christmas. With a selection that great it’s hard to even think of making your own unless you’re a Swede living abroad. Being one of those people, I started making my own and can’t ever imagine going back. At Christmas I want my own glögg. And the glögg has to be done with some drama by caramelizing the sugar.

Glögg

One bottle of red wine (a decent full bodied wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah)

Spices
3 cinnamon sticks
One teaspoon whole cloves
One teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 orange peels
5 whole cardamoms
One small piece of ginger, chopped
20 raisins
A couple of dried figs

For caramelizing
one cup (240 ml) rum
1/3 cups (75 ml) brown sugar

To serve with
Blanched almonds
Raisins

Heat up the wine but be careful, the wine should not boil. Drop all the spices into the warm wine, turn the heat off and let rest covered for at least 4 hours (best overnight).

Sieve the spices from the wine and heat it up in a saucepan. Again make sure it doesn’t boil. In the meantime prepare a stainless strainer filled with the sugar. When the wine starts to get hot, place the strainer over the saucepan. Pour the rum over the sugar and light the alcohol steam below. Let some of the sugar drip into the wine mixture before adding to the wine (if you wait for all the sugar to melt, the alcohol will disappear with the flames). Take the saucepan from the heat and cover with a lid to stop the flames. If you think the glögg is too sweet you may add some more wine or rum.

Serve the glögg in small cups together with some blanched almonds and raisins in every glass. Glögg is also great with gingerbread cookies.

Illustrations by Johanna Kindvall

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While the growth of organic wine in the market place hasn’t been particularly explosive, it has been steadily increasing its market share since the 1990’s. With overall wine consumption growing in the U.S., buying organic wine makes sense for those of us concerned with supporting organic farming practices.

Some confusion exists over what constitutes organic wine. Technically speaking, few wines qualify for certification according to the high approval standards set by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), which mandate organic wine be free of any sulfites. Sulfites are a naturally occurring compound and almost all winemakers add sulfur dioxide to their wines for consistency and preservation. (For more on sulfites in wine, check out this great Kitchn blog post.) Therefore, generally speaking, organic wine means wine made with “organically grown grapes.”

The question remains, however, is organic wine any good? A few of us at EcoSalon decided to see for ourselves and gathered together to taste a selection of organic red wines. We chose four reasonably priced organic wines that are considered best sellers at Whole Foods. Parducci 2006 Zinfandel, Boneterra 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Vida Organica 2010 Malbec, and Green Truck 2008 Petite Sirah. I’ve summarized our findings below.

Parducci 2006 Zinfandel, Mendocino County, California

Personally, I’m not a huge zinfandel fan. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that this zinfandel did not have the full-blown fruitiness of most zins. This version is mildly plummy and very agreeable. Parducci, “American’s Greenest Winery,” is a family-run winery that prides itself on its sustainable business practices. Retails for $10.99.

Bonterra 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendocino/Lake County, California

This cabernet sauvignon was distinctly peppery. Unexpectedly bright for a cabernet, robust and highly drinkable. Everyone gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up. Bonterra Vineyards has been farming organically since 1987 and makes both organic and biodynamic wines. Retails for $11.99.

Vida Organica 2010 Malbec, Argentina

This Argentinian malbec was a general crowd-pleaser. It is a very mellow, non-offending, soft wine with low tannin. A good everyday wine and complement to lighter fare. Quite a reasonable buy at $8.99.

Green Truck 2008 Petite Sirah Mendocino County, California

Unfortunately, we were not impressed by this Green Truck Petite Sirah. This was the last wine we tried, and you’d think that our standards would gradually decrease by wine number four given the mood-mellowing effects of three earlier wines. Not the case here, I’m sorry to say the words we bantered about to describe this wine included “raw,” “rustic,” “leathery,” and “crude.” Too bad, as the name is such a fun play off the “Red Truck” label often sold at Trader Joe’s. Retails for $10.99.

The post Organic Red Wine Taste Test: The Winners and Losers appeared first on EcoSalon.

You’re planning a dinner party for all your food-savvy urbanite friends. These days, living in the city isn’t stopping you from sourcing your dinner goods locally. Produce from the farmers market. Check. Cheese from a local artisan. Check. A dash of basil and thyme grown in your own kitchen herb garden. Check. Now it’s down to the drinks. A bottle of wine from the winery down the street? Check.

Forget bottling wine in the shadow of romantic rows of grapes, extending endlessly over acres of rural vineyards. If you want to keep up with the foodie underground crowd, your wine better be as urban as you are.

Although the grapes still come from rural areas, vintners that want to keep their lives in an urban environment are increasingly choosing to make their wines smack dab in the middle of cities. The East Bay in California is now home to 21 different wineries (registered under the East Bay Vintner’s Alliance), offering venturous vino lovers the chance to buy their wine directly from wineries without the hassle of travel as well as creating a cheaper way for potential vintners a cheaper chance at breaking into the wine industry. Renting out an urban industrial space close to home can come at a much lower cost than buying a full-on vineyard and committing to a rural move.

Bringing wine-making to the urban environment is nothing new. According to the Wall Street Journal, most of the wine sold in the U.S. before Prohibition in the 1920s was made in warehouses around San Francisco. But the urban revival isn’t just benefiting vintners that prefer sticking to their urban roots, it’s also helping to make the wine-making process more communal. With closer access to wine-making facilities, urban residents have the chance to learn and take part in the whole process, from watching wine being made to even crushing the grapes themselves.

The Brooklyn Winery in Brooklyn, New York, which will be opening this fall, will offer its customers the chance to take part in every element of the wine-making process – like sampling grape varietals and racking your wine when the time comes to separate the wine from the sediment and yeast. The trend isn’t just limited to the coasts, in Cincinnati volunteers can help crush grapes at Henke Winery, which produces about 1,500 cases annually.

Urban wineries are popping up around the country, and the movement is getting a significant following from urbanites buying locally crafted bottles, to even making it themselves. Hip Chicks Do Wine in Portland, Ore. produces 5,000 cases annually and invites customers to come and taste at their urban Southeast Portland location. Those with a hankering for launching into their own urban wine ventures in London can take advantage of The Urban Wine Company, a collective of wine growers all over the city and surrounding areas. That means more locally crafted wines and more people that are taking part in the whole wine-making process and not just consuming it without thinking about where it comes from.

So pop open that bottle and raise your glass to the urban wine revival!

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s new column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground. Each week, Anna will be taking a look at something new and different that’s taking place in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to culinary avant garde.

Photo Credits: Oncle Tom, USA Today

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No downer beef, if you please. But gimme slabs of chocolate and cheese –  and all of the other upper foods that help effect serotonin and dopamine, the two neurotransmitters in the old brain. Who says the Gods must be crazy? We’ve sampled the forbidden fruit and want more! Give us more!

Dopamine is related to pleasure and euphoria while serotonin has to do with mood, memory and sleep. Both of these pathways can be stimulated by food, as well as by exposure to light and exercise.

No food, of course, should replace prescribed medication for serious depression (unless your doctor and nutritionist sign off on it). But for many of us, who are only slightly depressed from the realities of life, they can provide a little boost (yippee!) as well as antioxidant properties and nutritional fiber.

To compile a list of those happy foods, I went to Mindy Dopler Nelson, a post-doctorate research fellow at Standford University specializing in nutrition biology. Before handing over her list, she told me not all foods affect people the same way.

Mindy Dopler Nelson, PhD, Stanford University

“What gives you comfort is going to vary across culture, age, gender and psychological factors as a result of your life experiences,” says Nelson. “Each hormone or neurotrasmitter in the brain has to bind to something to make it active. What it binds to are called receptors and they aren’t the same in everyone.”

Researchers have found that if you are exposed to high fat and sugar early in life, you tend to develop more of a craving for it to boost your spirits. There also is a genetic factor. Some of us (35% of the population) simply don’t have as many receptors and tend to be overweight due to a need for more happy foods to get the same effect as those with ample receptors. In other words, you might be satisfied with just one piece of California Brittle from a box of Sees Candies while gluttons like me must devour the box. I love you Mary! I love you soooo much!

“One food across the board everyone is going to agree with is chocolate,” adds Nelson. ” That’s because it contains the chemical phenylethylamine which releases dopamine.” The compound is thought to be  responsible for the high you experience after eating chocolate because it releases natural feel-good chemicals called endorphins in your brain.

According to All Chocolate, PEA is released by the brain when people are falling in love, and this might explain why chocolate and Valentines Day are so closely linked.

Here is Nelson’s breakdown of what you can choose to beat the blues:

Image:  Suavehouse

Chocolate: Chocolate is a stimulant that will release the dopamine that creates that pleasure feeling. It’s in the cocoa. There’s more of it in dark chocolate than in milk chocolate. But there’s something about the fat in the milk that also will make you feel good. Some people associate a comfort food with a high-fat food. There also are antioxidants in the dark chocolate, but watch the dosage! Excess can be harmful for your liver and pile on the pounds. Dopamine has an amphedamine effect, hence the term chocoholic. You also cannot ignore the fact it contains mucho caffeine that will keep you up at night. (And if you don’t get enough sleep it will effect your serotonin level.)

Image:  FotoosVanRobin

Cheese: The thing to be careful about is the fat, but if you go with the potent tasting cheeses, you can usually still get the phenyl while eating a moderate amount. You eat less because it is so strong. And remember, go organic when you can.

Image: Saquan Stimpson/Monstershaq

Almonds: As a raw snack food, they have good fats associated with reducing the risk of heart disease. But eat them in small doses because they also can promote weight gain and headaches. Many amines can cause headaches triggered by foods like almonds, so people prone to migraines are told to stay away from them.

Image: hikljgk

Red Wine: Wine has the phenyl in it, as well, and you also get the benefit of the antioxidant resveratrol, which helps your heart. Many people like to pair wine with other upper foods like chocolate and cheese. Although we think more is better, when it comes to wine and beer, this is a case where you need just enough. More is not better.

Image: Avlxyz

Tomatoes: In addition to having phenyl, they have lycopene, an antioxidant associated with reducing the risks of some types of cancer, especially prostate cancer. Imagine a glass of wine with cheese and tomatoes, sliced apples and chocolate to top it off!

Image:  Beeside

Apples: The skin, especially in red apples, has antioxidant properties, plus the benefits of fiber which is a tectin that can help lower cholesterol. It binds it. That’s why the American Cancer Society touts apples as a great snack. You can overdose on these, too, because of the natural sugars. But they are an ideal choice when you eat a reasonable portion.

Nelson adds that additional foods high in tyrosine get converted to dopamine, but there is no guarantee that just because a food is high in these compounds, the tyrosine or tryptophan will cross the brain barrier to increase dopamine or serotonin.

Among these foods are chicken (390 mcgs of tryrptophan); salmon (250 mcgs of tryptophan); tofu (280 mcgs of tryptophan); eggs (200 mcgs of tryptophan); milk (220 mcgs of tryptophan) and yogurt (140 mcgs of tryptophan).

Main image: Zara

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