The Carlton Restaurant

Red wine, in moderation, has long been thought of as heart healthy. The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants may help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of “good” cholesterol and protecting against artery damage.

While the news about red wine might sound great if you enjoy a glass of red wine with your evening meal, doctors are wary of encouraging anyone to start drinking alcohol. That’s because too much alcohol can have many harmful effects on your body.

Still, doctors do agree that something in red wine appears to help your heart, though it’s unclear just exactly what that “something” is. Researchers think antioxidants, such as flavonoids or a substance called resveratrol, have promising heart-healthy benefits.

Antioxidants aren’t the only substances in red wine that look promising. The alcohol in red wine also appears to be heart healthy. Find out what’s known — and not known — about red wine and its possible heart-health benefits.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/red-wine/HB00089

A History of Mulled Wine: The word “mulled” simply means heated and spiced. Many liquids can be mulled – mead, cider, and of course wine. Mulled wine is a traditional favorite in cooler locations, and goes well with the various celebrations that come around the end of the year.

Mulled wines have a long history. In medieval times these wines were called Ypocras or Hipocris, named after the physician Hippocrates. They were thought to be very healthy, and indeed, with wine at the time being far more sanitary than water, these heated drinks probably did keep people healthy through the cold winters.

Moving forward to the 1500s, cookbooks listed methods of mulling “Clarrey”, or Bordeaux. Recipes involved honey, cinnamon, cardamon, galingale and of course French wine. Mulled wine was a favorite in Victorian England, and Negus – a type of mulled wine – was even served to children at their birthday parties. Today, mulled wine is a staple at many holiday parties.

Mulled wines today are as varied as sangria recipes. There are different styles in every part of the world – some favor using white wine, others red. Some add in only a few spices, while others pour in oranges, cloves, twelve spices and more fruit for color! Your mulled drink is limited only by your own imagination!

Source: http://www.wineintro.com/mulled/history.html

Just a few health benefits of drinking wine:

- While wine offers certain medical benefits, it may slightly increase the risk of contracting certain kinds of cancer of the digestive tract, particularly the esophagus. There is also a slightly increased risk of breast cancer.

- Red wine, typically more than white wine, has antioxidant properties and contains resveratrol, which seems to be important in the cardio-protective effects of wine.

Source: http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/08/21_wine.html

Here are some wine facts and statistics that might interest  you.

Age of vine before producing useful grapes—3 years   Age of vine before full production—5 years

Productive lifetime of a vine—30-35 years

Grape clusters in bottle—4-5

Grapes in a bottle—500-600

Clusters on a vine—40

Grapes in a cluster—75-100

Grape clusters in one glass of wine—1

Vines per acre—500-1300

Pounds of grapes produced by one vine—8-12

Tons per acre—4 (average—can vary greatly)

Gallons of wine per ton of grapes—120

Gallons of wine per acre—less than 500

Barrels per acre—13.5

Bottles per vine—4-6

Bottles per ton—500—700

Bottles per acre—4,000

Cases per barrel—24.6

Glasses per acre—16,000

Glasses in a bottle—5-6

Bottles per 60 gallon barrel—300

Calories in a 5 ounce glass of dry wine—100-125

Fat in a 5 ounce glass of dry wine—0

Carbohydrates in a 5 ounce glass of dry wine—1-2

Information provided by The Vines Blog

http://www.vinesofmendoza.com/blog/2009/06/17/fun-wine-facts-for-wine-wednesday/