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[red ninja] 12/10/2005 10:52

Bought some Californian Sonoma Merlot from Majestic the other day and noticed that it had a label "Contains Sulphites" on the back. Saw this question answered in case anyone else is interested :-

Little risk in wine's sulfites
Oct 12, 2005

As a "nightly with dinner" wine drinker, I am starting to be concerned with wine bottle labels stating "contains sulfites." How hazardous to one's health can this addition be?

Barbara Rhatigan, Bethpage

For most people, not very hazardous at all, according to the Food and Drug Administration, which estimates

1 percent of the population is sensitive to some level of sulfites. Reactions, the government agency says, can range from chest tightness and breathing difficulties to hives and anaphylactic shock. But most wine drinkers have nothing to fear.

So-called "red wine headaches" are not caused by sulfites, according to Andrew L. Waterhouse, professor of enology at the University of California at Davis. His Web site contains, among other wine-related topics, a good discussion of the sulfites issue: .edu/winecomp/so2.htm.

Sulfites, or sulfur dioxide, preserve wine by inhibiting the growth of harmful micro-organisms. When you consider that a good wine may wait around for decades before it is drunk, you can understand how crucial it is that it be protected against spoilage.

All wines contain at least some small amount of sulfites as they are produced naturally by the same fermentation process that turns grape juice into alcohol. Most winemakers also add sulfites during the bottling process.

Wine has contained sulfites for millennia. (According to wine expert Lisa Shea, the Greeks and Romans used sulfur candles to sterilize wine barrels and amphorae.) But in 1986, the FDA mandated that foods containing sulfites at concentrations of 10 ppm (parts per million) or more must carry a label that states "Contains Sulfites." The concentration of sulfites in most wines is about 20 to 30 ppm; that translates to about 80 mg in a liter, or 10 mg per glass.

Wine drinkers sometimes return from European vacation thinking that the wines there do not contain sulfites. Wrong. The United States is the only country whose government insists that wine bear a sulfite warning. Wines made for the American market in France, Italy, Spain, Australia, etc., bear the warning; the very same wines sold in their countries of origin do not.

Sulfites also are used to preserve fruit-based foods, many of which contain higher sulfite concentrations than wine's 20 to 30 ppm: Dried fruits weigh in at more than 100 ppm; grape juice and wine vinegar, at 50 to 99 ppm; and pickles and mushrooms, at 10 to 49 ppm.

There are wines made without added sulfites (there's no way to make wine without the naturally occurring ones) and, understandably, they are very perishable.

[bionicdog] 11/10/2005 22:36

Ken Forrester chenin blanc stellenbosch on special offer in Waitrose , get some.

[itsourpete] 11/10/2005 20:00

re:post 1984

"But bottles of quality French wine have been piling up on shop shelves and vineyard cellars across the country, to the point some of it is now cheaper than bottled water"


Wow - what a waste! Wine is already very cheap in France - but 'cheaper than bottled water'!!!! - ship it over here - we'll have it!

[waldron] 24/9/2005 09:03

Burgundy's Hospices de Beaune to Auction Wine Stock (Update1)
Sept. 23 (Bloomberg) -- The Burgundy vineyards gifted to France's Hospices de Beaune have sold barrels of young wines since 1859. For the first time this year, Christie's International will auction off part of the charitable hospital's private stock of wines in Burgundian bottles and magnums.

Bottles of the wines that are usually kept for guests and festivals will be auctioned on Nov. 19, followed by the traditional autumn sale of casks on Nov. 20. The two sales at the Halles de Beaune, in front of the Hospices building, the Hotel- Dieu, may raise more than 2 million euros ($2.4 million), said Francois Curiel, Christie's deputy chairman, who will be acting as auctioneer.

Hospices de Beaune white wines available in bottles include a 2000 Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru Cuvee Dames de Flandre, with a top estimate of 1,500 euros for 12 bottles, and a 1990 Meursault- Genevrieres Cuvee Baudot, with a top value of 900 euros for a case. Among the reds, a case of 1996 Mazis-Chambertin Cuvee Madeleine Collignon is priced at as much as 1,500 euros, while a dozen bottles of 1999 Beaune 1er Cru Charlotte Guigone de Salins have a top estimate of 700 euros, said Anthony Hanson, Christie's international wine consultant.

``If you're a wine snob, or you're interested in old wines, this isn't an auction for you,'' Hanson said. ``It's for Burgundy lovers and people starting their cellars who are interested in Burgundy's history and wine trade and are happy to support a charitable institution that takes care of the sick.''

Liquid Souvenir

From the best years, the auction includes four bottled reds from 1996 and six reds from 1999, along with one white and four reds from 1990, Hanson said. The 1982 wines, from a weak vintage, may be bought by people interested as a souvenir from their birth year, he said. ``It's cheaper than a Picasso print.''

Still, some wine lovers voiced disappointment at the offerings. ``If Christie's intent is to have a credible wine auction, they need to go deeper into the Hospice cellar,'' said Burgundy collector John Lonardo, 55, vice president of Kerdyk Real Estate Inc. in Coral Gables, Florida. ``Where are the great vintages from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s?''

The Hospices has no wines from the 1940s, and only a few bottles from some vintages of the 1950s and 1960s, Hanson said. ``There is no story here of stocks of missing old vintages --they do not exist.''

Oak Barrels

In all, more than 200 lots of bottled wines will be sold. Prices are a little higher than they might otherwise be because it is a charity sale, Hanson said. On top of the hammer price, buyers will pay a 15 percent premium for the bottled wines, matured in oak barrels, and 6 percent for casks, said Christie's, which will earn commission revenue from the sale.

Purchasers can either ask Burgundian wine merchants to bid on their behalf or they can send their bids to Christie's, the auction house said.

Christie's, which is owned by French billionaire Francois Pinault, won the right to handle the prestigious Hospices sale in a public tender where several auction houses vied for the business, said Curiel. The London-based auction house held its first French sale in 2001, after a reform of a law that barred foreign houses from acting as auctioneers in France.

``It's not a sale that will dramatically affect our bottom line, but it's like a seal of approval that we're doing something right in France,'' Curiel said in an interview.

`Seal of Approval'

Christie's sold about $34 million of wine at more than 50 auctions last year. Its first wine sale was organized in London in 1766 by the auction house's founder, James Christie. By comparison, Christie's sold about $1.65 billion of art and collectibles in the first half of this year.

The Hospices, a charitable hospital, was conceived in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy, after the Hundred Years War depleted the population of the town of Beaune, and completed in 1457, according to Christie's.

To reach Christie's wine department, call (33) (1) 4076-8388 (Paris) or (44) (20) 7752-3366 (London). A list of Burgundy wine merchants who can help buyers will be published in Christie's catalog for the sale, available in about four weeks. For the Hospices Web site, click .

[tiraider] 22/9/2005 10:06

latest offer from Eurotunnel;

Ever got caught up in the Christmas shopping frenzy? Well, if you want to avoid that last minute panic, why not start your Christmas shopping early? Our 35-minute crossing means you can go shopping and visit one of the many attractive French towns of Northern France.

With prices starting from £30 return per car for a day/overnight fare, no wonder we're the motorist's number one choice!

To help you make the most of your journey, our day/overnight fare is ideal. For the same price as a day return you can stay away for up to 2 days and combine a shopping trip with a leisurely weekend.

To get our best fares, book early and
travel at the quieter times.

[red ninja] 22/9/2005 09:57

Zinfandel takes top wine prize

Monday, 19/09/2005

A New South Wales wine-maker has been awarded the world's top trophy for Zinfandel wine at the International Wine Challenge in London.

The variety is unusual here, but grown widely in the United States.

Jane Wilson, from Mudgee, says despite its rarity, it is proving popular.

"It was one of our most popular wines anyway, so we knew it won a gold in February, and it's virtually walked out the door regardless, so we've had to hang on to the last few cases we've got, and release them just on the mailing list because it's been a very popular wine for us," she said.

[english bigblls] 17/9/2005 17:19

Oh right, cheers waldron.

[waldron] 17/9/2005 09:33

cheers guys

enjoy your weekend

English B, there's already a MALT thread.

[red ninja] 17/9/2005 09:19

A Western Australian Shiraz :-

Palandri Pinacle Shiraz 2002 : £5 from Waitrose.

I noticed this had been tipped recently in the Times and Independent so decided to try it out. A very good value fruity clean fullbodied Shiraz in many way much more European in nature than South Australian Shirazes. Well worth a try.

[english bigblls] 17/9/2005 00:45

For those who also enjoy something a bit stronger after the wine bottle has finished:

[bionicdog] 16/9/2005 20:33

This is well worth a bash if you can get hold of it and I don't really enjoy white as a rule. Perhaps the 14% had something to do with swaying me.

[itsourpete] 16/9/2005 18:06

Waldron - Champagne from America! Indeed! Thanks for the Pete Collective prompt - I've signed up!

Pete aka Pete

[waldron] 09/9/2005 11:12

Pete's on a mission

A man named Pete is on a mission to find 1,999 other people with the same name to set a record.

Pete Trainor has set up a website to try and get 2,000 Petes together at the same place at the same time, reports the Sun.

He had originally planned to gather together 99 other Petes, but the goal posts were moved when a man named Mohammed broke the record by gathering together 1,500 men with the same name in Dubai.

Now the race is on to get the Petes to sign up at thepetecollective.co.uk.

Pete claims on his website that he decided to make the record bit following a bet with friends.

He has so far had just 46 people sign up for his bid so he has a long way to go to get into the Guiness Book of Records.

He said: "If you're called Peter then you're equal. We're all made of the same stuff and we all have the same title on our envelopes."

[thamestrader] 04/9/2005 21:09

Sampled some Indian whites today.

Tried Sula sparkling white "brut" with brunch - not a sparlkling fan, but this was probably OK as sparklings go. But hey, unlimited consumption was included in the price for brunch.

Moved on to their Sauvignon Blanc in the evening (with shredded duck in hoi sin sauce) and was reasonably palattible. 450 rupees retail in Maharashtra state, about £5. Wouldn't pay a penny more. (Well actually I did - 2000 rupees in the hotel!).



Further to previous posting, also tried the Grovers "reserva" red, thoroughly excellent - and the same price (why?).

[red ninja] 03/9/2005 08:19

Merlot drinkers might think about trying :

PALANDRI Estate Merlot 2002 : bought at Somerfield £6.99

I sometimes find Merlot a bit harsh, but impressed with the smooth rich (but not to intense) flavour of this one.

[grupo guitarlumber] 02/9/2005 05:48

nice one TT

will include on food thread if ok with you.

[thamestrader] 02/9/2005 04:50

Sampled some Indian red wine last night. "Grovers" Cabernet Shiraz, and really rather good it was too. Produced near Bangalore under French supervision with grape breeds imported from France. Went well with beef teriyaki.

Although I paid 2000 rupees in my hotel, its retail price is actually 350 rp, about £4 - way beyond the reach of your average Indian, but good value by UK standards. Certainly as good as anything in Sainsburys for that price.

They also do a "Reserva" which I will try next.

[abitgreen] 01/9/2005 13:48

lol I wasn't saying it's a good combo, just interesting the effect the nuts have on your pallate

[thamestrader] 01/9/2005 13:09

Salted peanuts go with wine about as well as a stiff gin & tonic goes with, well, any food really.

Dry roasted nuts and Young's Ordinary Bitter - now there's a match made in heaven.