Okay, here we go, and this won’t be the end of it. I have been drinking Meukow Cognac watered with Crispin hard apple cider, and, OMG, boy (or boi), is it good!
France has the lowest death rate from heart disease in the industrialized western world, despite the French habits of smoking, eating fatty foods and shunning exercise. Only Japan, with its low-fat diet of fish and rice, has a lower rate. Is this because of wine consumption, or is it merely portion control? Who knows... In any case, I can’t drink 35 bottles of wine a day, which is the equivalent of what the mice drank in the well-known longevity experiment.
One notable observation is that post mortem studies show that dead alcoholics have relatively "clean" arteries. Of course, for this group, the dangers of alcohol abuse greatly outweigh any benefit from alcohol. We’re not gonna go there, LOL. :=P
But wine is a very good thing, something that humans have imbibed for thousands of years. Wine is a mild natural tranquilizer, serving to reduce anxiety and tension. As part of a normal diet, wine provides the body with energy, with substances that aid digestion, and with small amounts of minerals and vitamins. It can also stimulate the appetite. In addition, wine serves to restore nutritional balance, relieve tension, sedate and act as a mild euphoric agent to the convalescent and especially the aged. (Gawd...)
Some wines taste better, but a lot of ppl have trouble describing wine. For your benefit, and as my first installment on wine, I present the following, gleaned from the University of California at Davis Wine Aroma Wheel (and the Ashland Vineyards site). The wheel itself is a little hard to decipher, hence this representation, but with a little practice you will soon be coming up with even more better descriptive terminology than what is offered up here. :=)
| General | Specific | More Specific |
| Fruity | Citrus | Grapefruit |
| Lemon | ||
| Berry | Blackberry | |
| Raspberry | ||
| Strawberry | ||
| Black Currant (Cassis) | ||
| Tree Fruit | Cherry | |
| Apricot | ||
| Peach | ||
| Apple | ||
| Tropical Fruit | Pineapple | |
| Melon | ||
| Banana | ||
| Dried Fruit | Strawberry Jam | |
| Raisin | ||
| Prune | ||
| Fig | ||
| Other | Artificial Fruit | |
| Methyl Anthranilate | ||
| Spicy | Spicy | Licorice/Anise |
| Black Pepper | ||
| Cloves | ||
| Floral | Floral | Geranium |
| Violet | ||
| Rose | ||
| Orange Blossom | ||
| Micro- | ||
| biological | Yeasty | Leesy |
| Baker's Yeast | ||
| Lactic | Yogurt | |
| Sweaty | ||
| Sauerkraut | ||
| Other | Mousy | |
| Horsey | ||
| Sherry | Oxidized | Oxidized |
| Pungent | Cool | Menthol |
| Hot | Alcohol | |
| Chemical | Pungent | Sulfur Dioxide |
| Ethanol | ||
| Acetic Acid | ||
| Ethyl Acetate | ||
| Sulfur | Wet Wool, Wet Dog | |
| Sulfur Dioxide | ||
| Burnt Match | ||
| Cabbage | ||
| Skunk | ||
| Garlic | ||
| Natural Gas, Mercaptain | ||
| Hydrogen Sulfide | ||
| Rubbery | ||
| Petroleum | Diesel | |
| Kerosene | ||
| Plastic | ||
| Tar | ||
| Earthy | Moldy | Moldy Cork |
| Moldy | ||
| Earthy | Mushroom | |
| Dusty | ||
| Woody | Burned | Smoky |
| Burnt Toast | ||
| Coffee | ||
| Phenolic | Medicinal | |
| Phenolic | ||
| Bacon | ||
| Resinous | Oak | |
| Cedar | ||
| Vanilla | ||
| Caramel | Caramel | Honey |
| Butterscotch | ||
| Diacetyl (Butter) | ||
| Soy Sauce | ||
| Chocolate | ||
| Molasses | ||
| Nutty | Nutty | Walnut |
| Hazelnut | ||
| Almond | ||
| Herbaceous or | ||
| Vegetative | Fresh | Cut Green Grass |
| Bell Pepper | ||
| Eucalyptus | ||
| Mint | ||
| Canned/Cooked Green Beans | ||
| Asparagus | ||
| Green Olive | ||
| Black Olive | ||
| Artichoke | ||
| Dried | Hay/Straw | |
| Tea | ||
| Tobacco |
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