When is a day not a wine day? Wine should be a part of everyone’s evening meal. Why not have seven “wine daze” in a row? You probably drink coffee or tea every morning with your toast or muffin as it complements that food and it wakes you up for another day in the rat race. Why not enjoy wine with your dinner every night? The food and the wine harmonize together well and help you relax after a long day and it is healthy. Scientist Dr. Serge Renaud has proven, “2-3 glasses of wine a day reduces death rates from all ailments by up to 30%”.* This includes not only heart disease, but also most cancers. So include wine in moderation seven wine daze a week. Mmmmm, can't you taste it now, a roasted leg of lamb or beef tenderloin and potatoes with a bottle of 2005 Bordeaux—a great wine from a great vintage.
That is exactly what some of my friends and I did this past weekend. We opened five bottles of 2005 red Bordeaux $17-35 and were enchanted with every sip. There was not a bad wine in the group. We had two wines from the Right Bank for the Merlot fans and three wines from the Left Bank for the Cabernet enthusiasts.
Here are the wines we tasted, some tasting notes and the approximate retail cost.
Right Bank – Merlot Based Wines Tasted:
Chateau Peyroutas, St. Emilion Grand Cru 2005 - $30
With 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc this wine is soft and supple with ripe plum/blueberry fruit and some subtle spice notes. This is drinking superbly now, but could age a few years.
Christian Moueix, St. Emilion 2005 - $25
This is a very firm wine that is 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. It has blackberry, vanilla, and slight licorice aromas. It is a bit more serious now, but will mellow more with age.
Left Bank – Cabernet Based Wines Tasted:
Lacoste Borie, Pauillac 2005 - $35
This is the second label of fifth Growth Grand-Puy-Lacoste and the expertise of the winemaking shows through significantly. It is classic Pauillac with soft black fruits, oak/dryness and a touch of cigar-box that suggests sweetness. It is a blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
ChateauTour Saint Bonnet Cru Bourgeois Medoc 2005 - $15
Robert Parker considers this to be one of the big time sleepers of the vintage. It does seem a little asleep to me. It has an inky ruby/purple color with cassis and sweet fruit on the nose and palate, but it is a bit tight and tannic on the finish. However, it is an excellent quality/value wine that will not disappoint. Buy this for your mid-daze wine.
Chateau Paveil de Luze, Margaux 2005 - $28
This is classic Margaux blend of 65% Cabernet, 35% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. It has an elegant sweet nose of black and red fruit with subtle herbs. The tannins and acidity underlay the ripe, juicy fruit and the finish is velvety smooth and long. This wine is drinkable now, but also can age another 10 years. This is an excellent value wine!
Even though I enjoy the higher end ($50-60) California Cabernet's and Merlot's, I would encourage everyone to pass those bottles on the shelf and head to the Bordeaux section. You can get the same full-bodied wine with good fruit and balanced tannins in a 2005 Bordeaux for half the cost. Many of the wines in the 2005 vintage are drinkable now and affordable for even a mid-week meal. Run to your local retailer and grab as many bottles left from the 2005 vintage as you can since the 2006 bottles are beginning to hit the shelf. The 2006 vintage falls in the shadow of a great year, but in a global economic meltdown, these too may be affordable and ready-to-drink wines (albeit a bit more hit and miss). Stay tuned!
Note: If you live in Fairfield County, CT you can find or order 2005 Bordeaux from these local wine stores: Peter’s Spirit Shop, Weston, CT; Harry’s Wine & Liquor, Fairfield, CT; Elmer’s Wines, Norwalk, CT.
*Biological Research 2004;37(2):183-7 http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?pid=S0716-97602004000200002&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en
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Is it healthy to drink white wine as well, or only red wine? Are some wines healthier then others?
ReplyDeleteWhat gives wine an advantage in terms of beneficial health effects over beer and spirits is its phenolic compounds (polyphenolics and flavonoids) such as resveratrol and quercetin--powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. The skins of red grapes used to make red wine have about twice as many total phenolics as the grapes used to make white wine. Red wine gets its color by having the skins stay in contact with the juice which otherwise would be white. Also, red wine spends more time in contact with oak than white wine. Oak also contains phenolic compounds. Therefore, the higher the phenolic compund the higher the health benefit. However, there is a subcategory of flavanoids called flavonols which are present in white wine which gives white wine its yellow pigment. Quercetin is one of them. So one could conclude that a white wine with lots of yellow pigment that has been aged for a long period in oak, will have many health benefits vs. beer or spirits, but still not as much as red wine. As always, we need to remember the beneficial effects of the so-called J curve, namely moderation of just 2 glasses a day. Enjoy a glass tonight!
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