Listen Up Women. Drinking Your Way to Fewer Pounds?

Below is an interesting article from Time Magazine on how alcohol may effect weight loss in women. It feels like a few of the points are not completely backed up factually, but worth a peruse none the less. Personally, I find it hard to believe that alcohol consumption can increase weight loss. As a guy, I know that drinking often leads to eating. However, there is an interesting point made about womens metabolism and how it relates to the breakdown of Alcoholic calories. Remember good old fashioned healthy eating and working out? Diet’s are often unhealthy ways to indirectly solve the problem.

I’d like to here your thoughts. Whether it’s personal experience or factual evidence to back any of this up.

For anyone trying to lose weight, one of the first indulgences to get cut from their diet isalcohol. After all, alcohol packs 7 kcal/g — a good-size glass of wine packs more than 150 calories — an extravagance that could stymie efforts to slim down. But maybe it’s time to put that wine glass back on the table. New findings from researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston reveal that women who drink moderately are less likely to gain weight over time than those who don’t. Before you
start stocking your kitchen with vodka instead of vegetables, however, experts caution that the relationship between alcohol and weight may not be that simple. (See 10 myths about dieting.) Led by Dr. Lu Wang, preventive health experts at Brigham conducted the first long-term study of women’s drinking habits and weight gain. The study involved 19,220 women over the age of 38 who were of normal weight. Researchers asked the women about their alcohol consumption over the past year, and recorded how much of four different types of alcoholic beverages they consumed — beer, red wine, white wine and liquor. The researches measured the average ethanol content of each beverage, and then calculated each volunteer’s average alcohol intake; they also weighed each woman five times over the course of the follow-up period. After 13 years, women consuming the highest amount of alcohol per day (more than two drinks daily) were 30% less likely to be overweight and nearly 70% less likely to be
obese than non-drinkers, the team found. “We certainly don’t want to encourage nondrinkers to adopt alcohol as a method for weight control, but we were surprised by the strength of the association,” says Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s and a co-author of the study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
(See the top 10 bad beverage ideas.)
The scientists controlled for a suite of obvious factors that could have separately contributed to the women’s weight, such as age, smoking, physical activity and other lifestyle and behavioral habits. But even after accounting for these potential confounders, the link remained between higher alcohol consumption and a lower risk of being overweight or obese. The association led the team to consider several possible explanations. First, it could be that women who drink more simply substitute alcohol for other sources of calories — in essence adopting a form of the liquid diet. Indeed, when the researchers analyzed the data, it appeared that the women who drank the most got fewer of their total calories from nonalcoholic sources than other women, but also consumed the most calories overall. Women having one to two drinks daily, for example, consumed 1,738 kcal/day, compared to the 1,670 kcal/day of teetotalers, but they took in 177 fewer kcal/day from nonalcoholic sources. Whether or not this substitution is a conscious decision on the women’s part still isn’t clear, and the study wasn’t designed to find out.
(See a special report on the science of appetite.)
Second, there is evidence that alcohol may cause physiologic changes to appetite and metabolism that may drive women to lose weight as they drink more. Women may metabolize alcohol differently from men, using a more inefficient, high-energy process
that causes them to burn more of the calories from alcohol than men, which in turn leads to a net loss in caloric intake. But more research is needed to determine exactly how women process alcohol and the different ways in which the liquid calories are absorbed by the body. “It’s very likely there is a combination of physiologic, metabolic and some behavioral changes,” says Manson regarding the association between drinking and weight.

It’s worth noting that while replacing some foods with alcohol may seem like an enticing weight-loss loophole, it isn’t necessarily good for health. “Displacing 200 calories or so from food with alcohol probably has a detrimental effect on diet quality and on overall health,” notes Dr. David Katz, director and co-founder of the Yale University Prevention Research Center. “If you look meticulously at nutrient intake there might be important deficiencies there.” That underscores the complex effect that alcohol has on the body, especially in women: excess alcohol can lead to a greater risk of developing breast cancer, while moderate consumption of a glass of wine a day may help reduce heart disease risk. So whatever potential gains a nightly beer or glass of red may have on slimming down love handles, the benefits must be balanced against the other potential gains and risks of alcohol consumption.

Putting these results in the context of previous work showing the heart benefits of moderate drinking, Katz prefers to look at it this way: “This study suggests that you can probably make room for moderate alcohol consumption and not have it result in weight gain. But we certainly don’t want to suggest to people to go out and drink more alcohol as a weight control strategy.”
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/
0,8599,1970612,00.html#ixzz0hdg83zPt

Red Wine with Meat and White Wine with Fish

I recently came across a new emagazine about wine called,  The Anderson’s Grapevine. It was a article entitled ’6 common wine myths’. The sixth ‘myth’, in summary, tried to debunk the age old rule of, “drink red wine with meat and white wine with fish”.  Not only did they give no factual evidence, their conclusion was actually not completely accurate!

The overall rule with wine is, drink what you like. Of course! But, there is actually scientific facts that show red wine does not pair well with some types of fish. Here is a brief explanation from Inside Science (source www.physorg.com),

Hmm. Red, Rose, or White?

The research, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found that the small amounts of iron found in many red wines caused those who eat fish to have a strong, fishy aftertaste.

Researchers had wine tasters sample 36 red wines and 26 white wines while dining on scallops. The wines varied by country of origin, variety and vintage, but the samples that contained irons were consistently rated as having a fishy aftertaste.

When the scientists increased the amount of iron in a particular wine, the nastiness of the aftertaste increased. The reports of the bad aftertaste went away when a substance that binds to iron was added to the offending wines.

Fish were then soaked in high-iron wine and several compounds related to the “fish” taste increased measurably.

Source: Inside Science News Service, By Jim Dawson

Whether it’s a myth, scientific fact, or a golden rule, the issue is that food pairing is an incredibly intimidating issue that wine presents it’s consumers. Fear not fellow vino lovers! There are many tools out there that can help even the novice of wine drinkers pair wine with food. Just Google the phrase “wine with food chart”, and you’ll get countless results, some are better than others. My recommendation is to buy one that is in a chart form (pictures are a plus), is laminated (for klutzes like me), and in small enough to fit in a purse or jacket pocket.  The one above is actually an example from Kendall Jackson Winery. On The Wine Merchants website, we offer a basic Wine and Food Pairing Guidelines.

As you can see from the above chart (get out your reader’s!), white wine goes well with lighter, more mild fish. To The Anderson’s defense, they were only making a short statement, basically stating that you should drink what you like. Rules are meant to be broken, right? Check out another great article on pairing fish with wine here.

If you are intimidated by wine and food pairings, or want to try something new, OR you just want the opinion from someone more educated in the field, Visit The Wine Merchant. Then, (either before or after) make sure to stop by the Hyde Park Fish Market next door for Cincinnati’s Freshest fish selection! You’ll get 10% off your bottle of wine if you go to the fish market first!

If you come across any other interesting scientific facts about wine, throw it our way! Maybe we’ll write about it! We’d love to here your comments!!

- Logan Wallace

Is expensive wine really better?

Yes and no…seriously.

As with most consumer goods, more expensive items are often sought after because of their quality, history, and of course supply and demand  (limited availability).

The first, quality,  for most consumers is the most important. But, isn’t “quality” subjective? Yes and no.  Of course you should always drink what you like. What if every told you how great a wine was and it had been top rated by Robert Parker (world renowned wine critic) and the like, but when you tried the wine, it did not suite your fancy. Who’s wrong? Neither.

Wine critics are supposed to taste and judge wines based on their attributes in comparison with other wines within the same varietal, etc.  When it all comes down to it what matters is what you, the consumers, think.  The common saying, “A _____ is only worth what one is willing to pay for it.”

When people drink wine, they form an opinion of that wine based on assortment  factors.  In my opinion, the two most prominent would be taste (duh), and experience.

For example, I remember tasting a standard second tier Louis Martini Napa  Cabernet Sauvignon. Under any other circumstances, this wine would have probably tasted pretty similar to many other Napa Cab’s that I’ve had. BUT, this was no ordinary tasting.

As an employee of a distributor that had won an incentive trip to Gallo owned properties in Napa and Sonoma, we were partaking in an amazing private candlelit dinner in the cavernous sub floors of the Louis Martini vineyards in Napa.  In this situation, the experience of tasting the wine was as much, if not more of a part of my opinion than was the actual characteristics/flavor profile of the wine itself. Not to take anything away from the wine, because the entire group of wine sales rep’s and managers all agreed how much that particular wine surprised us.

An additional factor is cultural differences. For instance, the French have different standards for a Syrah wine than do the Australian’s (Shiraz) and American’s (Syrah).  Opinions are based on history, and what that culture is used to.

After going off on a tangent, I’d like to tie this all back together:?  As a wine drinker’s pallet develops, their desire for a more unique and complex wine also grows. Often, this search goes hand in hand with a higher cost to find that wine.  So goes the trend. In addition, there is the (sometimes pretentious) desire to have something that others don’t and therefore create a statement and impress your peers.  Something that can often be seen in the automobile and fashion industry. The obvious result of this mindset is a higher price paid for exclusivity.

When it’s all said and done, there are always exceptions to every rule. Can a $10 bottle of wine stand up to a $50 bottle? Not often, but yes.

So the million dollar question, “is a $900 bottle worth the money?”

The answer, “it damn well better be!”

- Logan Wallace

I’m just getting into red wine. Where should I begin?

When someone comes into our shop and asks me this question, I get very excited!  Kudos to that person for trying something new, and for stopping by The Wine Merchant for direction on where to begin!

My first question is always, “Have you ever had red wine?”, followed usually by “what didn’t you like about it?”

9 times out of 10, the person was turned off because of the dryness, which comes from the tannins in the wine.  It’s that feeling of someone taking a squeegee and pulling it over your tongue, leaving you longing for a glass of water:(

So, if in fact that is your issue with red wine, then how to you begin your journey into the world of red wine?  My recommendation is almost always t0 begin with domestic red blends or Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.

Most of the $8-$15 domestic red blends tend to have riper fruit flavors with a slightly higher content of sugar (higher degree of brix or °Bx).  The result, a fruit forward, soft, and more approachable wine.  Less tannin (the dryness that comes from the skins of the grapes), means less dry.  I usually refer to these wines as great crowd pleasers or party wines.  They are wines that are less offensive to the masses.

The other recommendation that I suggest is to choose a Washington state Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.  Due to the climate and soil in Washington, many of the wines take on that beautiful silky soft texture and loads of  wonderful dark fruit.  The result, very approachable wine with plenty of structure to hold up to most food combos.

The next time you hear someone claim that they hate red wine or just can’t get into it, keep in mind that maybe they just haven’t been introduced to that segment properly.  Instead of chastising them, your first question  should instead be, “what was it that you didn’t like about the red wine that you had?” Followed by a comment such as, “…you should stop by The Wine Merchant in Oakley and have them help you pick out a red wine that you just might fall in love with!”

- Logan Wallace

Robust Reds Tasting Lineup

Tomorrow’s wine tasting is sold out, but if your coming or just curious, here is the lineup for the Robust Red’s Wine Tasting: Domaine Mas du Bouquet Cote-du-Rhone, Abadia Acon Roble, Rip Snorter Shiraz/Cabernet, Sourverain Merlot, Chateau Larrivaux, Camaleon Cabernet, Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet, & Zerba Wild Z R…ed Blend.

All wines will be on sale at a reduced price. Can’t wait!See More

Best of Cincinnati? You Vote!

We’ve never gotten into the whole “Best of…” thing, but thought we’d give a go this year. Hey, free advertising is hard to come by!

Click on the piggie to go to City Beat’s Best of Cincinnati site to vote.

Click the Piggy!

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