Counting Calories

America has regulated that all food has a nutrition label on it, as well has beverages, so how come alcohol does not have to abide by these rules. Maybe the government worries that sales would drop if people knew what they were drinking? Any type of alcohol is high in calories, whether it is wine, beer or hard alcohol. Wine typically ranges from 100 to 250 calories for a 6 oz portion. This is based on whether it is white or red, sparking or still or if it is a dessert wine. It is also based on how much alcohol content is in the wine. The more alcohol in the wine, the higher the calories.

This is a calorie chart that http://winefolly.com posted.

The French are best known for ...

French is the biggest wine producer in the world, producing 7 to 8 billion bottles every year. They are most known for buying wine from Bordeaux. Bordeaux is a region of French that is known for making excellent wine, such as Napa Valley in the United States. Most mixtures from Bordeaux are a combination of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

I went to Gary's wine house and asked for a recommendation of a French Bordeaux and they assisted me on buying a great staff pick. This wine is called, "Pierre De Montignac" and its year was 2010. The bottle was just under $15, which is a steal considering it was imported AND a staff pick. The wine was just the right combination of Merlot and Cabernet and went down smooth. I highly recommend it to try it or even give it as a gift.

Legs for Days

Many people judge the quality of wine based on it's "legs" or "tears." For those of you who are unaware of what wine legs are, they are streaks of liquid that form after you swirl wine in a wine glass.

It has been said that when the streaks are more distinct, the quality of the wine is better. This however is a myth. The streaks come from a number of combinations - alcohol content, water, and surface tension. To get the the bottom of it, wine legs stem from physics. Next time you swirl your glass around, look closely and you will see two sets of legs, one running up and one running down. The streak running up has to do with the amount of alcohol the wine has. The streak running down has to do with water evaporation. The alcohol runs up because alcohol evaporates faster than water. Who knew there was so much physics and chemistry in wine!

Legs form when you try this with a $60 bottle of wine as well as with a $10 bottle of wine, so the whole "quality" thing is a myth. So next time your friends say "Wow look at those legs that must be great wine," be sure to correct them!