Great Grape News

Australia, Mitchelton Victoria – Merlot 99
Ripe berries with touches of spices and vanilla. Very nice with or without food. $14.99 

Australia,  Mitchell – Chardonnay 99
Shows ripe melon and peaches with hints of oak and crisp finish. $9.99

California, Abbeyville – Chardonnay 99
Easy, everyday Chardonnay with lots of tropical fruit. Crisp medium finish. $6.99

California, Abbeyville – Shiraz 98
A little fruit bomb. Lots of integrated berries and cherries with nice tannins on the finish. $8.99

Bulgaria, Chateau Dalina – Merlot 99
Plush and stylish for an inexpensive wine. Soft floral notes and plum flavors. $7.99/1.5L)

Washington, Cht. St. Michelle –Merlot 98
Another winner from the state of Washington. Rich and soft fruits, incl. raspberries and plums. Touch of toasted vanilla with  great integrated tannins. $17.99
 

For a pretty complete list of wines and spirit products, or just for fun, visit us on the Internet at www.baycountryliquors.com

“Interactive Crossword”

O Cosmopolitan
2 oz. Bacardi O
1 oz triple Sec
1/2 oz. Lime Juice
Splash cranberry juice
Orange wedge
 

O & Tonic
1 1/2 oz. Bacardi O
6 oz. Tonic Water
Orange Twist
 

O & Cranberry
1 1/2 oz. Bacardi O
6 oz. Cranberry Juice
Orange Wedge
 
 

O Martini Cocktail
2 oz. Bacardi O
1/4 oz. Martino & Rossi
Extra Dry Vermouth
Orange Twist
 

Wine and Your Health 
You heard it and you read it. Wine, in moderation, is good for your health. 

Well, Danish researchers now believe that that red wine may not make a person healthy, as many studies propose, but it may be that people who drink it are smarter and live a healthier life.

Researchers further say that people that drink beer only are poorer, not as smart and have emotional problems. Now, now, don't get upset. Those are not our words, but the results of extensive studies by a group of Danish researchers whose results were published in the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine.

A study of hundreds of Danish men and women showed that socio-economic status, IQ, healthy living and red wine consumption are all related. This relationship may explain why red wine drinkers in general are healthier than their peers, researchers speculate. 

"It's not a cause-and-effect situation; it's a correlation of lifestyle and intelligence with health behavior," says study author June Reinisch, director emeritus of the Kinsey Institute in Bloomington, Ind. He continues: "What we found was that people with high social status and a lot of education had good health, and they were much more likely to drink wine." 

Scientists used 700 Danish men and woman between the ages of 20 and 34 and found a surprising statistical trend: Wine drinkers in this group on average had higher intelligence, more education and enjoyed higher socio-economic status compared to non-wine-drinking subjects. The study further explains that beer drinkers, who as a group showed significantly lower scores on the same variables. "On scales concerning personality, psychiatric symptoms, and health related behaviors, wine drinking was associated with optimal functioning and beer drinking with suboptimal functioning," the study concluded. 

In short, the study found little evidence that wine was the cause of better health, but suggested that educated, intelligent and affluent individuals tended to make good health choices in their lives and enjoyed wine.

the hot summer season, also great at parties any time of the year.

The wine you use to make sangria should be palatable, of course, but there is no reason to use expensive wine on this kind of drink

Of course, you can buy Sangria ready to drink from your favorite store, but why not have fun and make this brew by yourself. Typically it is a mix of wine, fruit and fruit juices, and brandy, served over ice. Sangria is a red wine punch, but it can also be made with white wine – it is then called “Sangria Blanco”. There is also a sparkling version, which calls for peach or nectarine.

To make your own Sangria you will need a decent quality, although not expensive, red wine. We suggest a Rioja, but any other dry red wine will do also. In a punch bowl empty a standard size (750ml) bottle. Add thin-sliced citrus fruit such as lemons, oranges or a combination and a little sugar for sweetening. Sangria is very forgiving and ingredients may be substituted with Strawberries or grapes. If you use canned fruit, add the juices for fruitier taste. Add a little at a time until you are happy with the taste. If needed, you may add a little sugar to sweeten your mix. You may also add a few ounces of brandy or orange liqueur. If you feel your Sangria is too strong, you may add soda water to “lighten” it a little, but don't forget, once ready to drink you will probably serve it over ice, which will dilute the drink a little. So be careful how much water you add. Chill you mix overnight.

There are no rules when it comes to making your own Sangria and your imagination may take you to a wonderful, refreshing drink

You are ready to serve your greatest bottle of wine to your guests. While trying to pry the cork from the bottle, the cork begins to crumble instead of coming out in one clean piece.

This may happen especially in older bottles where the cork has dried on the outside and has become brittle.  While this can be annoying, it is not the end of a great dinner. Here are a few things you can try.

Don't panic. You want to avoid pushing the cork or fragments into the wine. Try a different corkscrew, perhaps from a regular spiral to an auger. An auger corkscrew has a more flattened spiral shaped and therefore digs better into the cork.

A trick that is often used by wine stewards is to use two corkscrews. Point each in a slightly different angle to each other. Try to work them in from opposite sides until they meet at the bottom of the cork, now gently try to pull the cork.

A type of cork remover commonly used when a spiral one does not work is the “Ah So”. This remover has two prongs, which slide between the bottleneck and the cork. Once inserted, gently using a twisting motion, pull the “Ah So” and the cork out of the neck.

Now, if everything fails and the cork crumbles into pieces and the remains fall into the wine, it's not a disaster. Simply pour it into a glass pitcher or decanter through a fine-meshed strainer or coffee filter. Enjoy your wine.

I take the politically correct position and say it's neither a wine nor a beer, but a beverage by itself. By the way, did you know that “Sake” is “Salmon” in Japanese, but it is pronounced as “Shake”? The legal name of Sake is Seishu

There are several types and official grades in Japan.

Jummai-shu (Pure rice sake)
This type is only uses rice and water as ingredients without the additional of alcohol, sugar or anything else and is the most natural rice wine. Under the US tax law, only Jummai-shu (pure rice wine) can be imported. This type of sake is also brewed in California.

Ginjo-zukuri (Special brewed sake)
This sake is always severed ice-cold. All other types of sake have been fermented at 20C(68F) in the final step of fermentation. Ginjo is fermented very slowly at low temperatures and it uses at least 60% polished rice. It is usually light-bodied and produced in small quantities. Professional tasters are unanimous in regarding it as ultimate achievement of the brew's art. In North America, it's often labeled as draft sake. Alcohol content is about 16%, which is about standard for all Sakes.

Honjo-zo (Regular brewed sake)
This type is produced by using less than 120 liters of 100% raw alcohol to each metric ton of white rice during the brewing process. This results in a very rich and smooth Sake most Japanese consumers prefer. It's also called Hon-zukuri or Honjo-zukuri.

Official Grades of Sake
The body that grades or classifies Sake is the Japanese Central Advisory Committee on Alcohol Beverages. This committee responsible for regulating the industry as well as for collecting taxes on sake in Japan. Under this system, Sakes produced in Japan are classified into three ranks: 
     TOKKYU (Special Class), 
     IKKYU (First Class), and 
     NIKYU (Second Class). 
It is important to note that the grading system is not an indicator of quality, but rather a means of taxation.

How to serve Sake
Sake should be consumed young. Unlike some wines it does not become better with age, but actually falls apart and all you can do is pour it down the drain.

Sake can be served as warm or cold except Ginjo-zukuri (which is always served cold). Sake is warmed in three ways: 

Lukewarm (Nurukan)
This is the traditional (old) way and brings the sake's temperature to 104F. Because it quickly cools from that temperature the also changes with the change. Re-heating Sake can be done, but is not recommended because it looses some it's flavors and alcohol contents each time it is heated.

Warm (Kan)
The temperature is raised to about 155F. This is the standard way of ordering sake in today's Japan and Europe. At this temperature the taste of the sake is preferable even after they have cooled a bit.

Hot (Astukan)
Of course, we Americans have to be different. Most Sake in the U.S. is consumed at about 140F. This is the standard way to serve sake in North America. Hot Sake can be quite nice during the winter months, but beware, hot Sake goes through the human system much quicker and it does not take much to become alcohol impaired.