If we believe what we read in the press red wine has many health benefits. It seems, however, that if you are overweight all of the potential benefits are blocked. New research had found that when given to overweight men Resveratrol the active compound in red wine had no positive effects.

I have read a lot about the benefits of drinking wine, most people are prepared to admit it offers some health benefits when drunk in moderation. This is the first time, however, that I have come across anything claiming it can prevent hearing loss. The research claims that the chemical resveratrol found in grapes and red wine has a protective effect and can help to reduce the damage caused by loud noise. It is based upon a study where healthy rats were given the chemical before being exposed to loud noise for a period of time. As always I remain sceptical but will be sure to have a good dose of red wine just in case.

Experts have found that that wine drinkers lifestyles can be generalised according to their preferred wine colour. They studied the social habits of wine drinkers and found that those who drink red are more likely to have a degree, be married and drink more frequently. White wine drinkers on the other hand were home-lovers who enjoy a holiday in the UK and are content with their position on the career ladder.

The study looked at 2,000 adults comparing their earning, career prospects and personal attributes. More than half of red wine drinkers were university graduates and typically earn between £40-£45,000 a year. Only a quarter of these, however, were happy at work and 65% were wanting to scale higher up the career ladder. In comparison white wine drinkers earn around £25-£30,000 a year with only 43% having attended university. Despite 81% of this admitting they were near the top of their career, only 42% were ambitious and wanting to achieve further.

Red wine drinkers were more likely to be happily married whilst white wine drinkers in contrast were more likely to be single with 85% saying they were not looking for a relationship. Red wine drinkers were more likely to holiday overseas with white wine drinkers choosing to holiday within the UK. Personality wise red wine drinkers see themselves as confident, relaxed, strong and intelligent whilst white wine drinkers describe themselves as practical, bright, shy, quiet and reserved.

A world wine shortage has been predicted after experts forecast production will slump to the lowest level in 37 years. Output has been affected in many areas by adverse weather conditions with France’s harvest being affected by winter drought, hailstorms and an arid summer and Italy's crop also suffering weather damage although on a less severe scale. Production is also expected to fall in Argentina, Spain, Hungary and New Zealand. The fall is expected to push up prices as demand exceeds supply.

Research carried out by Rutgers University has found that even moderate drinking such as two glasses of wine can halve the amount of brain cells we produce. The research found that moderate drinking can decrease the production of adult brain cells by as much as 40% with long term effects including impaired memory. I guess this outweighs all the so called positive effects that a daily glass of red wine is supposed to give you.

This giant wine bottle is 30ft long and weighs three tonnes. It was made specially for the Sixth Yantai International Wine Expo held in Shandong province. It was designed so that all the visitors could try the same wine. I wonder how many litres of wine it actually contains.

I am always pleased when I find another excuse to drink wine. A study has found that drinking one or two glasses of wine a day can protect women against brittle bones. Those who drink a moderate amount of alcohol were less likely to develop osteoporosis. The findings come after another study which found drinking three glasses of wine a week can half the risk of arthritis in women. I’m convinced .

French farmers attempting to create the best beef in Europe have been rearing their cows on fine wine. In an experiment three cows were fed local wine over a period of four months. The mix of barley, hay and grapes apparently produced very happy cows and ending up producing exceptionally succulent meat. Like humans, cows have a recommended daily unit allowance with each cow being allowed between a litre and a litre and half of wine in a day. The downside of the experiment is that the wine adds up to £80 to the cost of a prime beef cut of meat. Still, it’s and interesting idea.

Some friends of mine brought us a bottle of this parsnip wine. It’s not something I have seen before and not being able to imagine how parsnip wine would taste I was very curious to try it. It really does need to be served chilled because it is incredibly sweet. It tastes almost like a pale cream sherry. It really is a bit too sweet for my taste but my husband seemed to like it.

This is an interesting idea, it’s a wine fridge that stores the bottles upright. Aimed at those that want to store opened bottles of wine it is made to take 750ml bottles. The fridge has a large front viewing window so you can see exactly what wine it contains and has room for eight bottles of wine.

Not that I need another reason to drink red wine, but if I did, scientists now believe it could help you live longer. It seems that an ingredient in red wine boosts the body’s cell energy. Resveratrol has the ability to work against cancer, heart disease and obesity and has already been found to improve the health of mice and increase their lifespan when combined with a high fat diet. Well I’m convinced, time for some wine.

Not that I need another excuse to drink wine but if this article is to be believed red wine could reduce your chance of getting fat. Research has shown that a compound found in red wine can help control obesity. The substance, called piceatannol delays the generation of fat cells and prevents them from growing into mature fat cells. Well I’m convinced, time for a glass of wine.

If you like me are partial to a little bit of cheese and wine, then you might want to rethink your wine choices. Whilst many people, think a red wine is the perfect accompaniment to a good cheese it seems a white wine might be better. According to this article white wine is a much better choice with cheese than red. The main reason is that red wines are generally more strongly flavoured than whites and as such can overshadow all but the most robust cheese. White wines on the other hand are more versatile and compliment a much wider range of cheeses. It seems the tannins in red wines simply dominate the flavours of most cheeses so experts recommend drinking white instead to get more from your cheese experience. Whites that have been “oaked”, that is left in oak barrels should also be avoided with cheese.

This is interesting it’s a papier mache wine bottle. The bottle has been invented by British inventor Martin Myerscough who is currently in talks with supermarkets who he hopes will use his invention. Called the Greenbottle it is made completely of papier mache meaning it has a carbon footprint of just 10% of the equivalent glass wine bottle. It is biodegradable so you can compost it and it should break down within a few weeks. The bottle itself does not actually come into contact with the wine but includes a plastic liner within the box which is presumably not recyclable, similar to the idea of cardboard wine boxes which are currently available. It’s an interesting idea but I wonder how many wine manufacturers will choose to put their wine in paper bottles rather than glass ones.

If this article is correct then you might want to consider the music you are listening to when drinking a glass of wine. A study published in the British Journal of Psychology found that people who drink wine whilst listening to music perceive the wine to have the same characteristics of the particular artist. Those drinking Merlot for example should try listening to Tom Jones for the best earthy and full bodied taste experience. Pinot Grigio on the other hand would be best enjoyed when listening to Lady Gaga.

The study looked at 250 students, half of whom were male and half female. They were given either a Cabernet Sauvignon or Chilean Chardonnay and played one of four songs on a loop for 15 minutes. The songs included Carmina Burana by Orff  which was chosen because it is powerful and heavy. The Waltz of the Flowers from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker chosen because it is subtle and refined. Just Can't Get Enough by Nouvelle Vague chosen for being zingy and refreshing and Slow Breakdown by Michael Brook which is mellow and soft. A fifth group drank the wine with no music. The wines were given the highest ratings for being powerful and heavy by those who drank them to the tune of Carmina Burana. Those that listened to Michael Brook rated the wine as mellow and soft more than other tastes. The results of the study showed consistently that emotional connotations of the music influenced the perception of taste.

If you need another reason to drink wine then this article is worth a read. It suggests that a glass of wine a day can help to strengthen the bones. A study has found that drinking moderate amounts of wine can reduce the risk of osteoporosis. The study looked at 1,000 pairs of female twins and explored the relationship between diet and fracture risk. Dietary patterns were monitored and correlated to the number of broken bones. The results found that moderate wine intake was associated with higher bone mineral density. Other alcoholic drinks such as beer and spirits do not appear to have the same effect.

It looks like the recent hot weather could be good news for English wine. It seems the so called Indian summer has led to a last minute surge in the ripening of grapes providing perfect conditions for UK winemakers. According to this article the recent high temperatures have created the perfect balance of acid and sugar in the grapes. Although this years grape crop is likely to be smaller than usual, what grapes there are should produce a sensational wine. It could be a vintage to stock up on, when it starts to go sale.

That’s the claim made in this article. Researchers have found that on average we spend 24 days a year struggling with the symptoms of a hangover, which equates to 1,452 days during the average adults lifetime. The results come from a survey of 2,000 adults and was carried out by YorkTest.It comes as no surprise that Saturday and Sunday were the most common days to be hungover. Nearly half of those surveyed also admitted to having rung in sick following a heavy night of drinking with a third having been warned by their boss over their behaviour. I  would be curious as to the age group surveyed. I can admit to often being being hangover when I was a bit younger but now being a little older and wiser I struggle to remember the last time I suffered the effects of an alcohol fuelled night out.

A few weeks ago I read an article about Waitrose stocking a range of Indian wine. Whilst I haven't been able to get my hands on any myself yet, I was interested to see that it has proved to be rather popular. The two varieties Ritu Viognier, 2010 and Zampa Syrah, 2008 went on sale at the discounted prices of £8.49 and £6.99 and quickly sold out with sales far exceeding expectations. So much so that Waitrose are now adding them to their permanent range. Time to get down to Waitrose and find out what all the fuss is about I think.

Waitrose has recently started selling two new wines from India. The upmarket wines are made from traditional French grapes varieties viognier and syrah which are gown in the Maharashtra region of India. They are said to be the perfect complement to spicy food. Although it is not known for its wine India has been cultivating grapes for around 6,000 years with grape production believed to have been introduced by Persian traders in around 4,000 BC. Although growing conditions in the area are good Indian wine has always been thought inferior to traditional producers and has failed to thrive. Perhaps we might start seeing more Indian wine on the supermarket shelves if this range proves to be popular. I will certainly be popping into Waitrose for a bottle. If you want some the Ritu Viognier costs £6.99 and the Zampa Syrah £8.49.

I am a fan of wine boxes for everyday drinking and cooking so was interested to see that they have got smaller. The normal sized 3 litre box has reduced to a slightly smaller 2.25 litres. It seems with the price of wine boxes having gone up they have become less popular and fewer people are choosing to buy them. The boxes then have been downsized with a smaller price tag of around the £11.39 mark rather than the previous price more than £15. Sainsbury’s who have made the change have said it has resulted in an increase in sales of more than 5%. Personally it has been a while since I brought wine as I am currently unable to drink so have not noticed the change. I do tend to buy more premium boxed wine, however, paying in region of £20 to £25 a box. I wonder whether these have also been downsized or if it is just a change to the Sainsbury’s brand?

For me, sadly, it’s very little at the moment being halfway through my pregnancy but it seems the average Briton drinks 5,800 pints in their lifetime and suffers from 726 hangovers. They will also drink 8,700 glasses of wine. The results are based upon a survey of 2,000 people. It found that most people drink at least three nights a week and have nine drinks in total which works out to 468 a year. Over half of people regularly drink in their home but it seems only 17% of people now regularly visit the pub. The survey which was carried out by Benenden Healthcare Society also revealed that the average Briton starts experimenting with alcohol at the age of 14. Four out of ten people admitted they can’t go longer than a week without having a drink, whilst 10% would make it through just 2 days before opening a bottle. The results certainty make interesting reading.

As a lover of wine I am always looking for more excuses reasons to drink it. This latest one seems a little bizarre. It claims that drinking wine can protect you from sunburn. It seems that a substance in grapes can protect the cells from damage caused by Ultraviolet rays. The flavonoids in the grapes can stop the chemical reaction that causes cells to die and therefore stop skin damage. So based on this, I will making sure to always have a cold glass of wine in hand when sitting in the sun.

A 200 year old bottle of wine has recently been sold for £75,000. The wine which is a 1811 Chateau d'Yquem has beaten the record for the most expensive bottle of wine not sold at auction. It was purchased by French collector Christian Vanneque. He intends to put the wine on display in his new restaurant. Despite the price it is still not the most expensive wine ever sold, this honour goes to a bottle of 1947 French Cheval-Blanc which sold at auction for £192,000 last November.

That’s according to this article which suggests the French may be losing their love for wine. In two generations French wine consumption has dropped by three billion bottles, the equivalent of a bottle per adult per week. Researchers believe that the culture of wine drinking in France is being lost with the younger generations being less likely to drink a bottle with food and more likely to drink simply for pleasure. It seems the French are now drinking wine occasionally rather than on a regular basis, a change which has occurred within the last two generations. The research looked at successive generations and their approach to wine drinking. The over 65s were most concerned with wine heritage and more likely to drink it daily. The middle groups were more occasional drinkers and were more likely to drink socially with friends. With the under 30s, however, wine consumption was the exception rather than the rule. It seems it is decline in younger drinkers that is largely responsible for the decline in consumption.

This is interesting it’s a scheme being run in Hackney that uses refillable glass wine bottles. Launched by Borough Wines the scheme offers red, white and rose wines in a single use glass bottle for £10. However, if you bring your own bottle and fill it up from one of the barrels then you can get a whole litre of wine for £6, a 50% saving. The refill scheme works by buying large boxes of quality wine which it then decants into barrels and is able to sell at bargain prices. I think it’s quite a good idea. It would certainly save on the amount of bottles I have to take to the bottle bank every week. It’s just a shame no one does this in my area.

If you like wine (lets face it who doesn’t) and you shop with Abel and Cole, then now is a good time to place a meat order. They currently have a special offer running which means you get a free bottle of wine when you spend over £30 on meat. All you need to do is place your meat order as normal and enter the code from the website to get your free bottle. It is worth at least £10 and you can choose from red, white or rose depending on your preference. I am yet to try the wine but received one with my order today as well as a free bottle of organic tomato ketchup.

If you fancy visiting some UK based vineyards this summer, this article highlights ten which might be worth a look. On  the list are Biddenden Vineyards in Kent and Tenterden Vineyard, both of which I remember visiting some years ago. A few others are within easy reach such as Bookers Vineyard in Sussex and Denbies Wine Estate near Dorking, so they will be on my list for future day trips.

That’s according to this article which suggests visiting the pub five times a week is good for you as long as you drink in moderation. Research has shown that drinking two pints or the similar units of wine on a regular basis can actually be good for your liver. In fact drinking in moderation can actually be better for you than drinking only occasionally or not at all with only excessive alcohol intake causing damage. Frequent but moderate alcohol consumption can reduce the chances of a fatty liver, the main cause of liver disease by up to 60%. Based on this, I’m off to open a bottle of wine.

According to this article a record amount of English wine was produced last year. Over 4 million bottles was produced as an increasing amount of farmers have turned towards wine production. This is the highest volume of wine ever produced, breaking a previous record of 3.5 million bottles. Figures show that there is 75% more land turned over to wine over the last five years. In addition to this last years cold and wet late summer provided good conditions for sparkling wine which thrives in cool weather. Currently the biggest producers are Chapel Down and Nyetimber who both specialise in sparkling wine. Waitrose have also recently entered the market and in 2009 started planting chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes, although these vines will take another 2 years before they start producing grapes. With more English wine being produced it would be nice to see some on sale in the local supermarket.

If you are partial to a bottle of Jacobs Creek then you might want to check the label more carefully. According to this article there have been a number of cases of fake wine being sold under the label. The wine which comes from China has been sold to retailers for £2.00 a bottle. It does, however, contain inferior wine. The bottles which are sold for the same price as the genuine product often contains spelling mistakes in the small print on before the label so it might be worth reading the label more carefully before purchasing.

According to this article drinking a glass of wine or a pint of beer a day can cut your chances of developing dementia. Research has shown that people who drink between two and three units of alcohol a day were 29% less likely to develop dementia than those who were teetotal. Drinkers were also 42% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The results led the researchers to the conclusion that moderate alcohol consumption can actually have a protective effect against dementia. They believe it works by lowering cholesterol levels, stopping blood from clotting too much and improving insulin sensitivity to blood sugar levels. However, prolonged heavy drinking can have the opposite effect and is thought to be responsible for one in ten cases of dementia.

I drink rather a lot of wine but was unaware that more than a quarter of alcohol sold in licensed premises is counterfeit alcohol. According to this article fake alcohol is a growing problem with organised gangs making it on an industrial scale. In many cases the alcohol sold is simply a cheaper version of what you think you are purchasing with cheaper wine often being poured into more expensive bottles, however, some also contain dangerous levels of chemicals. One way to avoid getting caught out is to check the label more carefully. In the video that accompanies the article we are shown a bottle of wine which looks very much like the real thing but upon closer inspection it contains several spelling errors. I personally, don’t check the label that carefully as wine is often an impulse buy driven by a special offer, however, I will paying more attention with future purchases.

If this article is to be believed Australians are increasingly choosing wine over beer. If the trend continues it is thought wine sales will overtake beer sales within 10 years. In fact the consumption of beer has dropped by almost half to its lowest level in 50 years. Wine sales, however, have increased three fold over the same period.

This is interesting its a wine that contains a venomous snake. Produced in a village in Vietnam the wine contains snakes and scorpions. It is made with either a cobra or scorpion encased in the wine. The poison of the creature, however, is cancelled out by the alcoholic content of the drink and the fermenting process. The wine is thought to have many health benefits and is used to treat various problems such as back pain, rheumatism and lumbago. It is also thought to increase male virility.

This is interesting its a wine bottle that has been designed to catch the sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Chef Martín Berasategui designed it as a way of decanting the wine whilst it is in the bottle. The bottle has a chamber at the base which captures the sediment rather than it being poured out with the wine. It also acts as a decanter because of its special shape.

According to this article a New Zealand wine will become the first to display the carbon emissions per glass. Mobius Marlborough sauvignon blanc will show the full environmental impact of each individual glass serving on its label. The information will of course be different depending on where it is sold. Bottles sold in New Zealand are expected to carry a figure of 140g of CO2 whereas bottles shipped to Australia will display something in the region of 190g. Wines shipped to the UK will have a much higher figure. It will certainly be interesting to see the information but I wonder how much it will affect which wines people choose. I would happily buy English wine but it is impossible to find in the supermarket.

This is the world’s largest wine glass which has recently been unveiled in Lebanon. It measures 94.48 inches high and 65 inches in diameter and beats the previous world record which was set in 1998. It holds an amazing 100 bottles of wine.

According to this article this years wine harvest could be one of the best vintages in a decade. This is mainly because weather conditions over the last nine months have been almost perfect for vineyards with a hard winter, mild spring and hot June. The 2010 wines which will start to appear next spring could prove to be one of the best vintages yet. Grape yields have also been much greater than usual with one vineyard reporting a harvest of 250 tons this month, the biggest yield in three years. I wonder then whether we might see the supermarkets finally starting to stock some English wine.

I don’t really need a reason to drink wine but I find I can justify it a little more when I find articles like this. The article suggests that drinking red wine can help you to live a longer and healthier life. American researchers have found that resveratrol which is found in the skin of red grapes can reduce inflammation that leads to heart disease, stroke and Diabetes. It has also been shown to prolong the life of roundworms and flies. Researchers now want to study its effect on humans but early signs indicate that it could help reduce the development of type 2 diabetes, ageing, heart disease and strokes. This seems like another excuse to have a glass of wine.

Divers have found what is thought to be the world’s oldest champagne. It is thought to pre-date the French Revolution and has been found on the Baltic seabed. 30 bottles of the Clicquot which was produced between 1782 and 1788 were found in a shipwreck on the Baltic seabed. It is thought the champagne could fetch around £45,000 a bottle at auction.

According to this article last years Bordeaux is already selling for £1,000 a bottle. The vintage which is yet to be bottled is thought to be one of the best in recent years due to the perfect conditions of last years wet spring and hot summer. Despite this there is some surprise that it is fetching such high prices. It seems the price isn’t putting people off though with investors and wine lovers willing to pay to get their hands on a bottle. Unfortunately its a little out of my price range.

This is an interesting idea, it’s a wine vending machine which has recently been introduced in Pennsylvania making it America’s first. The machine allows customers to select a bottle of wine from the screen. They then need to swipe their drivers licence, look into the camera and blow into a breathalyser to be able to purchase the wine. The machine is one of two on trial but if successful up to 100 of them could be rolled out across the state.

In what seems to be something of a triumph for English wine a little know sparkling wine has won a major trophy. Carmel Valley Wines in Cornwall recently won the International Wine Challenge Trophy beating more than 450 other wines. Carmel valley won the sparkling rosé category beating the more expensive wines from top champagne houses.  It is the first time an English wine has ever won the award. The wine Camel Valley Bacchus 2007 retails at £26.50.

This is interesting its an individual serving of wine in its own plastic container. Called cup-a-wine it has recently gone on sale at Marks and Spencer and is proving to be rather popular. That’s despite the fact that the idea was rejected as unworkable on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den programme. The product is a single serve plastic container of French wine with a tear off lid. It comes in small 125ml and medium 175ml. They cost £2.25 each and currently include a Shiraz, Rose and Chardonnay. When launched they quickly sold out. They are proving to be popular for picnics and lunches.

It seems English wines have done rather well at this years International Wine Challenge with two vineyards winning top awards. The Carmel Valley winery in Cornwall won a gold for its 2008 Pinot Noir Rose Brut and Nyetimber based in West Sussex also won gold with its 2001 Blanc de Blancs. The wines were tasted by a panel of 400 judges who awarded scores for faithfulness to variety, country, region and vintage. Although the top three gold medal winning nations were France with 75 medals, Australia with 65 and Portugal with 35, it seems English wines are starting to gain more recognition.

There have been quite a few stories recently about supermarkets moving to plastic wine bottles in order to reduce emissions and cut waste. Whilst that is a good thing they could be compromising the taste of the wine if this article is to be believed. The article cites new research which suggests white wine stored in plastic bottles loses its freshness within six months. Apparently the flavour and chemical composition of wine changes within six months of being packaged in plastic bottles or bags which are often used in wine boxes. This is because the wine starts to oxidise after this time. The wine has been shown to remain stable in glass bottles, however, and red wine remains more stable than white. I tend to not buy plastic bottles of wine but I do buy wine boxes fairly often. Whilst the boxes never last as long as six months in our house I do wonder how many months they have been sitting in a warehouse before they reach me, perhaps I should switch to bottles.

Marks and Spencer will convert its range of mini wines from glass to plastic bottles. The supermarket is introducing the measure on all its 25cl bottles which will now be made out of an environmentally friendly plastic. The small bottles of wine are popular as an in-flight drink and also sell more in the summer when they are used for picnics. Marks and Spencer currently sell around 100,000 mini bottles a week and will be the first UK retailer to convert it’s entire range of small bottles to plastic. The new bottles have the advantage of being 88% lighter than the glass alternative meaning they will reduce distribution emissions. They are also 100% recyclable and have the advantage of having a longer shelf life.

This replica wine fountain has recently been unveiled at Hampton Court Palace. It is similar to those that would have been used by Henry V111 and has been created after the remains of a 16th century fountain were found at a archaeological dig at the palace in 2008. It stands 13ft high and is made of timber, lead, bronze and gold leaf. The best thing about it, however, is that it is a working replica. At weekends and bank holidays it will serve red and white wine priced at £3.50 a glass. I like the idea of a wine fountain I wonder if I can convince my husband to build one.

A bottle of Dom Perignon has broken the record for the most expensive wine ever to be sold at a British bar. The bottle of methuselah 1996 Rosé Gold was sold by a top London hotel for £35,000. In addition to the wine the buyer who is thought be a Russian billionaire left a £10,625 tip and paid the £4,375 service charge making the total bill £50,000. That’s the equivalent of £1,562.50 per glass. I hope it was worth it.