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Archive for the ‘Grapes’ Category

There are many kinds of beverages in the world. And one of the most loved beverages in the world is wine.

Wine is an alcoholic drink that is derived from the fermentation of grape juice. Due to the natural chemical composition and balance of the grapes, the fruit ferments without adding sugars, acids, enzymes and other nutrients.

Although grapes are the most common fruit that is being used, other fruits, berries and even grains can be used to produce wine. For example, wines such as apple wine or elderberry wine are made from apples and elderberries, respectively. Japanese sake is made from rice. Philippine tuba is fermented from coconut sap. Generally, wines that are not made from fruit almost taste like beer. In most cases, wines refer to beverages that have high alcohol content. Read the rest of this entry »

Unless you have spent a good bit of time touring Spain’s beautiful countryside, you may not know that in many ways the country is one big vineyard. In that respect it is very much like California’s Napa Valley and Sonoma County. It is hard to drive for more than a few minutes in any direction without seeing vineyards. The same is true for most regions of Spain.

Spain has been producing wine off and on for nearly 3,000 years. Excepting a big gap between 711 A.D. and 1492 A.D., when conquering Islamic Moors outlawed wine production, it has mostly been on. In fact Spain introduced vineyards to the Americas. Spaniards sent the first cuttings to Mexico in the 16th century. By 1701 vines and cuttings were sent to Baja, California. It took until 1830 for the vineyards to work their way up to Sonoma County, thanks largely to the Spanish missionaries who also built a series of missions from south to north in California. Read the rest of this entry »

Resveratrol research has shown resveratrol to be an effective antioxidant, and an anti-inflammatory. It also has qualities that make it useful in sun damage repair, and for color correction in the skin. Longevity proponents have strong hopes on resveratrol anti-aging benefits, as this wonder ingredient has been indicated in some recent research to possess potential life-enhancement properties.

Resveratrol is not a new find; in fact, some medicines in Japan and China have been using it since the 1980s for treatment of wide range of afflictions, including fungal infections, various skin inflammations, and liver and cardiovascular diseases.

Resveratrol is a compound found in the skins of red fruits, red wine, grapes, seeds, peanuts, berries (especially, mulberries), various herbs, and propolis (a natural honeybee product) Read the rest of this entry »

It was the Phoenicians who introduced Sherry to the Iberian Peninsula, and the Romans were only too happy to carry on the tradition. Even the Moors, who generally abstained from alcohol, used it for medicinal purposes, but when Francis Drake attacked Cadiz in 1587 and returned to England with 3000 barrels, the tipple became an instant favourite with Queen Elizabeth 1 and the English Court, beginning a British love affair with the drink.

In the 17th and 18th centuries the demand for Sherry grew, and many British entrepreneurs based their businesses in the area around Jerez in Andalucia, creating such brands as Garvey and Gordon. In fact the name ‘Sherry’ comes from the English mispronunciation of the word ‘Jerez’; the Northern Europeans finding it difficult to get to grips with the guttural ‘j’ of the Spanish language. Read the rest of this entry »