Archive for May, 2009

You may already realize that red wine is healthy for your heart. But do you know why? And why doesn’t white wine have the same benefits? The difference is in the skins.

The skin of a grape has a high concentration of an anti-oxidant called resveratrol, which the grapevine produces. The thicker the skin of the grape, the darker the wine and the more resveratrol there will be. Thick-skinned grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Tannat and Nebbiolo  are therefore, the most heart-healthy.

Red wine goes through a period of skin contact that white wine does not, hence why red wine has the heart-healthy components and white wine does not.

Resveratrol is just one  of many heart-healthy substances in red wine, along with polyphenols, anthocyanins, and other anti-oxidants.

Toast of the Town New York, our fourth stop on the Toast of the Town roster this year, is just a few weeks away (June 15th). Tickets are going fast! New York is where Toast of the Town was born so after putting on fantastic events there for a decade, we know it will be an incredible evening. Some of the exciting participating restaurants include: Alfama, Allegretti, Barbetta, Thalassa, and the Capital Grille. But let’s take a minute to discuss some of the buzz that has already been building for this year.

We started in San Francisco, where the folks at YumSugar shared their favorite wines including a 2007 Deep Purple Zinfandel (“plummy and extremely juicy”), a 2006 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley Reserve (“smooth and not overly tannic”), a 2007 Jackson-Triggers Proprietors’ Reserve Vidal IceWine (“a full-bodied sticky”) and some top Korbel sparkling wine. Adam Levin of Snooth.com, enjoyed making up his own food and wine pairings and getting hints from the people pouring. Drinkhacker.com posted a full tasting report, saying “It’s the first time I’ve left a wine event completely stuffed — and perfectly satiated with a glass of Eagle Rare 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon (rating: A) — a unique way to finish a wine tasting event” He also calls it a “must-attend event.” He enjoyed crab dumplings, duck salad, steak tartare, lobster thermidor, ahi tuna and more.

Our next stop was a swimming success in Atlanta, at the Georgia Aquarium, the world’s largest aquarium and home to over 60 marine exhibits. Sharks and beluga whales created an elegant backdrop for the evening. Premier restaurants including Canoe, Atlanta Grill and Aqua Blue offered a wide spectrum of great tastes like shrimp lettuce wraps, steak sandwiches and crawfish etouffee.

Next, the fascinating Field Museum in Chicago was our third stop for Toast of the Town this year.  Under the watchful eye of Sue, the Tyrannosaurus rex fossil, attendees enjoyed spiced lamb tenderloin, seared arctic char, big eye tuna with grapefruit, and much more. As with any Toast of the Town, worldly wines flowed freely including selections from as far as Austria and as near as Niagara and Napa. Live jazz added to the festive gathering.

We hope to see you all in New York in just a few short weeks! Grab your tickets today! If you are a Twitter user, be sure to use #TOTT as you tweet from the event.

Vitis Vinifera is the species of grapevine that is used to make most of the world’s fine wine. While there are many grapevine species, most are harvested for grapes  and grapejuice alone and are not suitable for winemaking. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Syrah, Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Semillon, and most other grape varieties (there are thousands!) are all of the vitis vinifera species. Each variety of vitis vinifera can have many clones too, contributing even further to the wonderful complexity of wine!

Some other common grapevine species are: Vitis Labrusca and Vitis Riparia

We recently launched the exciting new white wine Vinturi on our site. The red Vinturis have been immensely popular, (receiving over 200 rave customer reviews) . People love the sleek design, ease-of-use and most importantly, the incredible results it can have on wine’s flavor and aroma. It seemed only natural to offer a white version. So, why do you need a different aerator for white wines?

It’s true that many white wines do not need aeration. But young, full-bodied whites like Viognier or old, luscious whites like white Burgundy, can greatly benefit. A white with exotic aromas needs a delicate touch of air that can make those aromas really sing. The white Vinturi aerator is specifically engineered with smaller, more delicate pores that are gentle on a white’s unique composition.  The wine travels through the Vinturi faster so that the wine receives just enough aeration, without being broken down. Watch our video demo, to learn how it works: