Naked Wines Share Discussion Threads

[bionicdog] 03/4/2012 15:45

Two more experiments if you can bare it. Firstly grape juice , then alcohol free wine.

[ducatiman] 02/4/2012 20:46

Well folks it looks like my wine drinking days could be over. half a glass of red tonight and within 30 mins a savage migraine on the left side. Took over an hour and 2 paracetamols before it cleared. Very strange but it is definately the wine that is the trigger. Maybe it will be temporary, I hope so as I love wine.
Will mention to doc next time I am there but suppose I will be told not to drink wine then.

[bionicdog] 02/4/2012 20:28

Biodynamic preparations

For a vineyard to be considered biodynamic the wine-grower must use the nine biodynamic preparations, as described in 1924 by Rudolf Steiner. These are made from cow manure, quartz (silica) and seven medicinal plants. Some of these materials are first transformed using animal organs as sheaths (NB: the animal organs are not used on the vineyards). Of the nine biodynamic preparations three are used as sprays (horn manure, horn silica and common horsetail) and the other six are applied to the vineyard via solid compost:[14]
Preparation 500 - Cow manure is buried in cow horns in the soil over winter. The horn is then dug up, its contents (called horn manure or '500') are then stirred in water and sprayed on the soil in the afternoon. The horn may be re-used as a sheath.
Preparation 501 - Ground quartz is buried in cow horns in the soil over summer. The horn is then dug up, its contents (called horn silica or '501') are then stirred in water and sprayed over the vines at daybreak. The horn may be re-used as a sheath.
Preparation 502 - Yarrow flowers are buried sheathed in a stag's bladder. This is hung in the summer sun, buried over winter, then dug up the following spring. The bladder's contents are removed and inserted in the compost (the used bladder is discarded).
Preparation 503 - Chamomille, the German chamomile (Matricaria chamomila) flowers are sheathed in a cow intestine. This is hung in the summer sun, buried over winter, then dug up the following spring. The intestine's contents are removed and inserted in the compost (the used intestine is discarded).
Preparation 504 - Stinging nettles are buried in the soil (with no animal sheath) in summer, are dug up the following autumn and are inserted in the compost.
Preparation 505 - Oak bark is buried sheathed in the skull of a farm animal, the skull is buried in a watery environment over winter, then dug up. The skull's contents are removed and inserted in the compost (the used skull is discarded).
Preparation 506 - Dandelion flowers are buried sheathed in a cow mesentery (peritoneum). This is hung in the summer sun, buried over winter, then dug up the following spring. The mesentery's contents are removed and inserted in the compost (the used mesentery is discarded).
Preparation 507 - Valerian flower juice is sprayed over and/or inserted into the compost.
Preparation 508 - Common Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) made either as a fresh tea or as a fermented liquid manure is applied either to the vines (in this case usually as a tea) or to the soil (in this case usually as a liquid manure).

[bionicdog] 02/4/2012 20:25

Hope you don't mean biodynamic cultivation. Sounds good , but that is the mumbo jumbo that consists of burying quartz in a cow's horn in the soil etc etc as well as organic farming methods. Personally , I'm rather concerned about the move back to the dark ages and magic. Organic wine , why not , biodynamic wine , no thanks.

[goodgrief] 02/4/2012 20:17

Not sure I'd trust the French... they used to mulch their vineyards with the garbage from Paris!!

[bluebelle] 02/4/2012 19:54

duc
Sorry to hear your problem. Don't know whether it might help, but I have a place in the Loire valley and buy almost all of my wine in France. Over the last couple of years, especially in our area, there is a big move towards 'bio' cultivation (not just for wine) where the vines are grown with the minimum of chemical pesticides, fertilisers etc. and no additives. Plenty of good whites are made in the area around Saumur, for example, Vouvray and many others.
I've seen Loire wines in Waitrose (at prices not much different to what you pay locally in France) and Yapp do some 'mail order' as well. I haven't bought from either for a while but it might be worth asking if they do 'bio's if that's the problem.

[bamboo2] 01/4/2012 12:01

duc, doc sounds like a good idea. Aspirin, salicylate and sulfur allergies tend to result in the swelling of tissues around the mouth for example, or hives on the skin, rather than headaches [in my experience]. Let us know how it goes.

[ducatiman] 31/3/2012 20:16

pinot was superb but then spent 1 hour in bed with a headache. just gone . Docs I think.

[bamboo2] 31/3/2012 19:21

re, "shorecrab - 5 Mar'12 - 15:19 - 2473 of 2487 Bought 10 mixed bottles from the Co-op a few days ago. The stand out has been La Chiave Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2010 - rounded and savoury. A steal at around four and a half quid."

Thanks for the reco, just opened the 'chiav', and thankfully not a hint of chaviness. This is just great. Also got the good value co-op sicillian red at an equally sicilly price. Will let you know how it goes....

duc, enjoy the pinot.

[ducatiman] 31/3/2012 17:00

bamboo, thanks for the reply. Yes I have had a bug recently but it is definately the white wine that has been kicking off the very violent headaches. I am now half way through a glass of pinot noir (early start). So will know soon if the reds are doing the same. My french chef friend nodded his head immediately I told him, so assume it is a common phenomena.

[bionicdog] 31/3/2012 15:32

It's not cheap , a 2001 is worth around eighty quid with the VAT.

[enia] 31/3/2012 15:15

drank an unbelievable cotes de roussillon last night at a friends house ! domaine gauby muntada !! dont know if you can get it in england but it was 2001 ! i did not realise roussillon made wines like this !!

[bamboo2] 31/3/2012 14:02

hi duc, are you sure it's an allergy? There are a few nasty bugs around at the mo.
I know some have problems with sulphites, which are both naturally present in grapes, and also added during processing.[stops fermentation] It is possible to obtain reasonably priced good wines without added sulphites. [last one I had was a delicious malbec].

hope it gets better!

[ducatiman] 31/3/2012 13:55

I love my wine, both red and white. Unfortunately over the past week or two I have developed a very nasty allergic reaction to white wine (hoping it is only white) I only have to drink 1 glass and it triggers a violent headache.
A french chef friend says this is a common condition and is chronic. I am rather hoping that I will still be able to drink reds, trial this evening. My chef friend thinks I will be ok with red.
Anyone ever heard of this or suffer from it, tia, duc.

[bionicdog] 30/3/2012 18:05

25% of any six bottles at Morrisons. I couldn't find six bottles worth having!
Oyster bay SB would work out at £5.84 , but other than that ....

[bamboo2] 28/3/2012 22:08

GPs should advise drinkers to keep a daily record of their drinking


The new UK alcohol strategy includes a plan to ensure that General Practitioners (GPs) advise heavy drinkers to cut down (The Government's Alcohol Strategy, 23 March 2012, downloadable from There is good evidence that this can reduce how much people drink. The big question is, what should GPs say to their patients?

A new study published online by the scientific journal Addiction analysed the advice given by GPs in all the major clinical trials evaluating this kind of advice, looking for common components linked to the largest reductions in drinking across the different studies.

Among the many different components of the advice, such as providing information on the harms of excessive drinking, trying to boost motivation and self-confidence, and advising on avoidance of social cues for drinking, they found that the most effective piece of advice was to encourage the patient to monitor his or her alcohol consumption, typically by keeping a daily record.

Lead author Susan Michie, Professor of Health Psychology at University College London, explains why self-monitoring is such helpful advice: "In brief interventions, it's important to advise people how to reduce their drinking rather than just saying they ought to drink less. Getting patients to record how much alcohol they drink each day provides a concrete, easy task that raises their awareness of their behaviour and how well they are doing in staying within limits that they set themselves. This may seem like common sense but common sense needs to be supported by hard evidence for it to be acted upon in official policies."

[marwalker] 19/3/2012 17:57

Anyone else a Wine Society member ?

I've bought a few from them ...... however the ones which are their own selection seem to be just too smooth for my taste with the result that a lot of the character has been taken out of the wine.

[goodgrief] 05/3/2012 16:01

50p!!! You furking cheapskate...

[shorecrab] 05/3/2012 15:51

I can recommend the Kenyan PF1 from
It's fab stuff but it might be a bit cheap for you.

[goodgrief] 05/3/2012 15:47

Lend us the price of a cup of tea will ya mate? Times are hard!

[shorecrab] 05/3/2012 15:45

There's a recession on and I don't like reducing the volume. Good wine is good wine, and if it's cheap that's all to the good.

[volsung] 05/3/2012 15:37

I have a blue plastic bag GG. How dare you!

[goodgrief] 05/3/2012 15:26

Should that be drunk with or without the brown paper bag?

This thread is a bit like taking a late-night walk along Oxford Street! :-)

[shorecrab] 05/3/2012 15:19

Bought 10 mixed bottles from the Co-op a few days ago. The stand out has been La Chiave Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2010 - rounded and savoury. A steal at around four and a half quid.

[volsung] 05/3/2012 14:49

Must pop into Lidl this week