Wine for Lifestyle and Health

Enjoy a glass of wine is starting become a lifestyle in big cities in Indonesia. Well, in my country there is still a pro and contra in enjoying wine, I think that is a private opinion but for some people, wine could be good for health. I never tried wine before, only alcohol-free wine for Holy Sacrament but personally, enjoy a little bit of wine is okay for me. Everything, if over-consumed is not good, so as wine. I think if we enjoy wine in considerable amount and just for special occasion like wedding party, new years eve party, and other special celebrations is great.

Wine is an alcoholic beverage typically made of fermented grape juice.

Red Wine
Is made from red grapes. A type of fermented beverage made from cultivars of Vitis vinifera, better known as the European grape. The color vary from reddish, deep purple, and even beautiful blue. The red wine colors came from the grape skin colors. The skins are in contact with the grape’s juice during the fermentation process, allowing the dispersion of both color and tannins. Best served in 16-18 Celcius degrees.

Popular varietals of Red Wine
The top red wine varietals that you may likely to encounter are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Shiraz, Sangiovese, Malbec, and Grenache.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot are three varietals red wine from Bordeaux, France. But if you are looking for Italian red wine, you will find Chianti, made from Sangiovese grape varietal. The varietals of red wine which are popular in Indonesia are Merlot, Cabernet sauvignon, Syrah/shiraz, and Pinot noir.

A little bit close to the red wine is rose wine. Rose Wine is made from red grapes too, but the color extraction process is shorter. So, the color is lighter (pink color).

Is made from white grapes or pale grapes. Grapes which are skinned before the fermentation process begins, and as a result it is pale in color rather than dark. White wines also have different flavor profiles than red wines, which tend to be more tannic as a result of the included skins.

Top rated varietals of White Wine
Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio/Gris, Riesling, Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, White Blends, and Other Whites.

White wine is better served cold (10-12 Celcius degrees). Traditionally, White wine is usually matched by white color food like fish, but you may try to match the White wine with red meat or other dishes. There is no strict or hard rules in pairing White wine with any of your favorite dishes. With a meal that contains a sauce that does not contain prominent flavours, focus on the meat or main aspect of the dish. White wine is most fit to combine with seafood like prawns and lobsters. It great to combine with chicken too. Chardonnay is fantastic to pair with chicken and some cream sauce.

Sparkling Wine and Champagne are the same, only Champagne is sparkling wine that is produced from Champagne, France. Champagne is sparkling wine with bubble and sound "pop" while opened. It tastes delicious, sweet, and special. Sparkling wine is not less precious than Champagne.

Levels of the Champagne's sweetness :
The sweetness is determined by the winemaker during the process of fermentation.
Brut : Very dry
Extra Brut : Extra dry, but sweeter than brut.
Sec : Medium sweet
Demi-sec : Sweet, considered a dessert wine.
Doux : Very sweet and considered a dessert wine.

You may rate Champagne from its price and label. Champagne price range between USD 75 and USD 150, but if you have time to search, there are many choices of fine sparkling wine that less expensive with prices range between USD 10 to USD 20.

Basics of a sparkling wine label :
Vintage and nonvintage

Vintage is harvest time. If we buy a bottle of wine that has label 2003 vintage, it means that the grapes have harvested in the year of 2003. Once in a while a grape harvest produces a crop of just one type of grape that is so perfect and that is called vintage champagne or sparkling wine is born, which is rare and expensive.

Non-vintage wines are wines produced from grapes and wines not from the same vintage. They do maintain the consistency with the taste of the wine and the other characteristics. These wines often sell better because they maintain the same flavor.

You may test the wine from its brightness, clarity, sediments, color, and legs (how long the wine stick on the glass side).

I Tim 5:23
No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities. (NKJ)

"Since I had a heart operation, five years ago, I started to drink two-three glass of wine regularly. As my doctor's suggestion," Oei Hong Kian - President Soekarno's private dentist

Many scientist have known that drink a glass of red wine in moderate amount is good for our health. The secret is polyfenol (resveratrol that is found in grape skins and seeds) one of red grape's component. Prof. Lindsay Brown from School of Biomedical Sciences in University of Queensland in Australia states that red wine has ability to prevent cancer, heart and brain protection from damage, deduct the illness caused by aging like inflammation, diabetes, and obesity.

How does it work ?

• High doses of this compound may prevent cancer by improving the process of apoptosis (programmed death of cells).
• Low dose may increase heart health by increasing cells protection and reduce damage.
• Resveratrol can help eliminate the highly reactive oxidants in the body and increases blood supply to the cells.

Many studies investigated the benefits of red wine suggested that moderate amount of red wine (one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men) lowers the risk of heart attack for people in middle age by ~ 30 to 50 percent.

Other studies also indicated that red wine can raise HDL cholesterol (the Good cholesterol) and prevent LDL cholesterol (the Bad cholesterol) from forming. Red wine may help prevent blood clots and reduce the blood vessel damage caused by fat deposits. Indeed, studies showed that people from the Mediterranean region who regularly drank red wine have lower risks of heart disease. But we can not drink wine more than it is allowed and we'd better ask our doctor first.