All Mighty Words

By Ezilon.com Articles

What type of wine complements your Christmas celebrations?

The chilled winter months and the warm Christmas spirit create the concoction of fun, merriment and excitement! It¡¦s time to celebrate this holiday season and no celebration is complete without good food and excellent wine. The festive season is the time for experimentation for the wine imbiber. Get in the festive mood with the right selection of wine!

There are innumerable varieties of exotic wines to enhance the spirit of your Christmas celebrations. Check them out and broaden your precious wine collection.

ľ Cape Spring Pinotage

This is a deep garnet colored wine. It has a subtle elegant fragrance, spicy flavor that is chiefly associated with pinotage. The wine has a spicy finish and has an excellent value.

TASTE:
Endowed with the taste of black cherry fruit and ripe bramble with a mild flavor of mulberry and loganberry fruit, accentuated by coffee in the background.

FOOD TO MATCH:
This wine goes well with Blue cheese, goat cheese, turkey and venison.

ľ Jarvis Estate Shiraz

Jarvis Estate Shiraz is a classic wine, strongly flavored with raspberry fruits and ripe damson. It is a fruit driven wine and it appears crimson in color and also has a slight characteristic peppery taste.

TASTE:
The wine has characteristic strong Shiraz flavors and plum aromas. It has a lingering warm and a spicy aftertaste.

FOOD TO MATCH:
Blue cheese, venison and lamb complement the taste of this variety of Shiraz wine.

ľ Chateau Robert AC Bordeaux

The wine is smooth, plumy and well concentrated. It has a long and peppery finish.

TASTE:
The wine has a strong flavor of tobacco, plums, red berries and blackcurrant and it is a bit spicy. If you want to have a bit of Bordeaux go for it as the wine is made from a superb vintage.

FOOD TO MATCH:
Venison, goat cheese and casserole are the right choice of complementary food that goes with this kind of Bordeaux wine.

ľ Casa Antonete Tempranillo

This wine has a strong aroma of dark damson fruit mingled with mint and tobacco. It has a beautiful finish and at the bottle mouth there are heaps of cherry fruits and stylish damsons. The wine has an excellent value.

TASTE:
The wine has a strong taste of damson and cherry fruit. It has a flavor of loganberry and chocolates.

FOOD TO MATCH:
Blue cheese, venison, casserole, and beef can be eaten along with this wine.

ľ Bushman Blanc

This is a popular variety of white wine. Bushman Blanc has a refreshing look. If you prefer white wine you will love this particular wine.

TASTE:
It is a fresh and fragrant wine with youthful exuberance. The wine should be served chilled at a temperature of 11-12 degree C.

FOOD TO MATCH:
Salad, shellfish, pork and seafood go well with this white wine flavor.

ľ Tierra Alta Merlot

Tierra Alta Merlot is a red wine from Chile. This wine has a deep red color and it distinctly bears berry fruit and ripe plum aromas.

TASTE:
It has a strong flavor of plum and berry. Tierra Alta Merlot is a deep ruby red wine.

FOOD TO MATCH:
Wash down those yummy lamb, cream cheese and beef recipes with this tasty Chilean wine.

ƒæ Fleurie ¡VFaiveley

This is a deep ruby red wine. The wine has smooth silky body with a lingering finish. The wine will suit you if you are serious Beaujolais drinkers.

TASTE:
The wine has a strong taste of mature strawberry fruits with subtle spicy hints.

FOOD TO MATCH:
Pasta and noodles can accompany this wine on the dinner table.

Nibbling chocolate and sipping icewine (Canadian spelling), sounds like a great idea, but the exercise can be disappointing. According to some experts, chocolate goes much better with vintage port Banyuls from southwestern France. Desserts that contain chocolate and citric acid go well with icewines, particularly sparkling icewines, which is pure Canadian invention.

Ontario wineries now produce icewine from Vidal, Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Gewürztraminer. The 1999 vintage Gewurztraminer icewine from Stoney Ridge won a double gold in Verona, Italy a few years ago and is still available at the winery boutique at reasonable cost.

Most icewine connoisseurs think Riesling icewine to be superior to any other, and in fact they go very well with dessert containing citrus, like caramelised tangerines, citrus fruit salads or compotes.,

Ginger and pear cake could be matched with a Vidal icewine, but Riesling would elevate this ingenious cake to heavenly heights. If you want to go very fancy you can cerate an icewine sabayon and sprinkle it with a few raspberries to see how divine this combination can get. Sabayon requires egg yolk, a sprinkling of sugar, a little icewine, a bain marie, and a lot of elbow grease.

An expertly made tarte tatin (an upside down stove top apple pie) is an excellent match with an iced apple wine, the equivalent of grape icewine. It is considerably less expensive, but to some, even more satisfying than regular icewine. Gewurztraminer icewines are best on their own to appreciate their delicacy and fine exotic fruitiness!
If you want an exquisite experience, try fresh a peach, apricot, pineapple and raspberry salad with a Chardonnay icewine.

When it comes to chocolate, expertly made milk chocolate truffles go well with Vidal icewines, although Vignole (another hybrid planted in New York State’s Finger Lake region) can also be a fine match.

Some wineries make icewine from grapes frozen in freezers. They are just sweet and possibly drinkable, but not be compared to icewine that are made from grapes frozen on the vine.

Icewine is nature’s gift and a celebration of mankind’s ingenuity to create a divine wine. Enjoy this truly nectar of the gods in the right context and the right time to appreciate its delicacy.

Article contributed by Hrayr Berberoglu, a Professor Emeritus of Hospitality and Tourism Management specializing in Food and Beverage. Books by H. Berberoglu

This country consisting of 13,000 islands spread over a very large area in both the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, inhabited by indigenous peoples, Chinese and mulattos. The majority of Indonesians (80 percent) are Muslims and shun pork.
The Dutch colonized the country in the 16th century and benefited from the cooking of Indonesians. Still today in the Netherlands, rijstafel, a rice feast, is a sumptuous and often served meal. It consists of simply boiled rice served in a big bowl, along with a variety of flavouring sauces and seafood stew. Diners serve themselves to the rice and take whatever sauce they prefer for flavouring.

Fish sauce is a main ingredient for other sauces, as are many chillies.

Deep-fried shrimp flavoured puffs are often served as appetizers and texture contrast.

Indonesian food is relatively spicy but flavourful. Stewing, and boiling are the most frequently used cooking techniques.

Article contributed by Hrayr Berberoglu, a Professor Emeritus of Hospitality and Tourism Management specializing in Food and Beverage. Books by H. Berberoglu

The first hamburgers in U.S. history were served in New Haven, Connecticut, at Louis’ Lunch sandwich shop in 1895. Louis Lassen, founder of Louis’ Lunch, ran a small lunch wagon selling steak sandwiches to local factory workers. Because he didn’t like to waste the excess beef from his daily lunch rush, he ground it up, grilled it, and served it between two slices of bread — and America’s first hamburger was created.
The small Crown Street luncheonette is still owned and operated by third and fourth generations of the Lassen family. Hamburgers are still the specialty of the house, where steak is ground fresh each day and hand molded, slow cooked, broiled vertically, and served between two slices of toast with your choice of only three ‘acceptable’ garnishes: cheese, tomato, and onion.
Want ketchup or mustard? Forget it. You will be told ‘no’ in no uncertain terms. This is the home of the greatest hamburger in the world, claim the owners, who are perhaps best known for allowing their customers to have a burger the Lassen way or not at all.
Library of Congress Local Legacies Project

In 1921, Walter A. Anderson (a short-order cook) and E.W. Ingram (an insurance executive) founded White Castle in Wichita, Kansas. It is the oldest hamburger chain. They served steam-fried hamburgers, 18 per pound of fresh ground beef, cooked on a bed of chopped onions, for a nickel.

The Big Mac was introduced in 1968. The price was 49 cents.

In 1999 there were more than 25,000 McDonald’s in 115 countries.

Hamburgers and Cheeseburgers comprise 71% of the beef servings in commercial restaurants. (2001)

Burgers account for 40% of all sandwiches sold. (2001)

8.2 Billion burgers were served in commercial restaurants in 2001.

65% of all hamburgers and cheeseburgers are consumed away from home. (2001)

The record for the largest hamburger is held by Rutland, North Dakota. In 1982 the town made the World’s Largest Hamburger, 3,591 pounds, which was consumed by some 8,000 people.

The Hamburger hall of fame is located in Seymour, Wisconsin.

Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield, Pennsylvania has offered a 6 pound hamburger, named Ye Olde 96er (6 pounds = 96 ounces) since 1998. It comes garnished with 2 whole tomatoes, 1/2 head of lettuce, 12 slices of American cheese, a cup of peppers, 2 whole onions, plus large quantities of mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard. No one has been able to finish one.

Liberty Cabbage was the alternative name created during World War I, used to refer to Sauerkraut, to avoid using words from the enemies language. A hamburger was referred to as a ‘Liberty Sandwich,’ and German Measles were ‘Liberty Measles.’

The word hamburger probably existed by the end of the Middle Ages. In 1802 the Oxford English Dictionary defined ‘Hamburg steak’ as salt beef. Referring to ground beef as ‘hamburger’ dates to the invention of the mechanical meat grinder during the 1860s. ‘Filet de boeuf a la Hambourgeoise,’ was sold in Boston in 1874, while Hamburger Beef Steak appeared on the Lookout House Restaurant menu in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the mid-1870s. During the last years of the 19th century ground round or hamburger became associated with a hot sandwich, and early 20th century illustrations depict hamburger served on sliced white bread or toast. ‘Hamburger Steak, Plain’ and ‘Hamburger Steak, with Onions,’ was served at the Tyrolean Alps Restaurant at the 1904 Saint Louis World’s Fair.
The modern hamburger (on a bun) appears during World War I. The White Castle restaurant chain was established in 1916 at Wichita, Kansas and by the early 1920s sold hamburgers. Some scholars say the first hamburger served on a bun appeared in 1917 at Drexel’s Pure Food Restaurant, Chicago. By 1920 hamburgers on buns were sold in San Francisco and Cincinnati, and by the mid-1920s, hamburgers were recognizable to most Americans.
University of California, Davis, Nutrition Department

Sandwich in all its forms (4×4, sub, buns, wraps, panini just to name a few) has become ubiquitous in North America. Practically everyone in a fast moving economy indulges in a sandwich at least once a week, some practically daily. Danish on the other hand like open-faced sandwiches, which must be plated and consumed by means of a knife and fork. Germans call this belegtes brot.

The forerunner of sandwich were invented by Earl of Montague (1718 – 1792), the fourth Earl of Sandwich was Lord of Admiralty twice from 1748 – 1751 and 1771 – 1782.

The Earl was a notorious gambler, running from one pub to another looking for gamblers. These extensive excursions in search of gambling companion left little time for the Early to eating properly as it befits a Lord of Admiralty. Instead, he instructed his servants to serve him a slice of roasted meat between two slices of bread; this became famous in 1762 as a novel fashion to eat “on-the-run”.  Elisabeth Leslie first mentioned the term sandwich in North America in her cookbook published in 1827.

Ever since Americans of all walks developed an insatiable appetite for sandwiches of all kinds. Today an advanced fashion of sandwich is being touted it being a filling wrapped with Middle Eastern flatbread or pita.  Whether this can be called a sandwich at all is questionable, but then again the idea of eating a slice of roasted meat between two slices of bread instead of a meal is questionable itself from a gastronomic perspective.
Article contributed by Hrayr Berberoglu, a Professor Emeritus of Hospitality and Tourism Management specializing in Food and Beverage. Books by H. Berberoglu

There are many claims about the origin of peanut butter. Africans ground peanuts into stews as early as the 15th century. The Chinese have crushed peanuts into creamy sauces for centuries. Civil War soldiers dined on ‘peanut porridge.’ These uses, however, bore little resemblance to peanut butter as it is known today.

In 1890, an unknown St. Louis physician supposedly encouraged the owner of a food products company, George A. Bayle Jr., to process and package ground peanut paste as a nutritious protein substitute for people with poor teeth who couldn’t chew meat. The physician apparently had experimented by grinding peanuts in his hand-cranked meat grinder. Bayle mechanized the process and began selling peanut butter out of barrels for about 6¢ per pound.

Around the same time, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in Battle Creek, Michigan, began experimenting with peanut butter as a vegetarian source of protein for his patients. His brother, W.K. Kellogg, was business manager of their sanitarium, the Western Health Reform Institute, but soon opened Sanitas Nut Company which supplied foods like peanut butter to local grocery stores.

The Kelloggs’ patent for the “Process of Preparing Nut Meal” in 1895 described “a pasty adhesive substance that is for convenience of distinction termed nut butter.” However, their peanut butter was not as tasty as peanut butter today because the peanuts were steamed, instead of roasted, prior to grinding. The Kellogg brothers turned their attention to cereals which eventually gained them worldwide recognition.

Joseph Lambert, a Kellogg employee who had worked on developing food processing equipment, began selling his own hand-operated peanut butter grinders in 1896. Three years later, his wife Almeeta published the first nut cookbook, “The Complete Guide to Nut Cookery” and two years later the Lambert Food Company was organized.

In 1903, Dr. George Washington Carver began his peanut research at Tuskeegee Institute in Alabama. While peanut butter had already been developed by then, Dr. Carver developed more than 300 other uses for peanuts and so improved peanut horticulture that he is considered by many to be the father of the peanut industry.

C.H. Sumner was the first to introduce peanut butter to the world at the Universal Exposition of 1904 in St. Louis. He sold $705.11 of the treat at his concession stand and peanut butter was on its way to becoming an American favorite!

Krema Products Company in Columbus, Ohio began selling peanut butter in 1908 ~ and is the oldest peanut butter company still in operation today. Krema’s founder, Benton Black, used the slogan, “I refuse to sell outside of Ohio.” This was practical at the time since peanut butter packed in barrels spoiled quickly and an interstate road system had not yet been built.

In 1922, Joseph L. Rosefield began selling a number of brands of peanut butter in California. These peanut butters were churned like butter so they were smoother than the gritty peanut butters of the day. He soon received the first patent for a shelf-stable peanut butter which would stay fresh for up to a year because the oil didn’t separate from the peanut butter.

One of the first companies to adopt this new process was Swift & Company for its E.K. Pond peanut butter ~ renamed Peter Pan in 1928. In 1932, Rosefield had a dispute with Peter Pan and began producing peanut butter under the Skippy label the following year. Rosefield created the first crunchy style peanut butter two years later by adding chopped peanuts into creamy peanut butter at the end of the manufacturing process.

In 1955, Procter & Gamble entered the peanut butter business by acquiring W.T. Young Foods in Lexington, Kentucky, makers of Big Top Peanut Butter. They introduced Jif in 1958 and now operate the world’s largest peanut butter plant ~ churning out 250,000 jars every day!

Courtesy of the Peanut Advisory Board www.peanutbutterlovers.com

By : Tina Halford

When traveling to a foreign country, one of the biggest worries is “is the food safe to eat or will it make me ill?” The infamous effects of consuming the local food and drinking water abroad have acquired many names: Montezuma’s Revenge (Mexico), The Pharaoh’s Curse (Egypt), etc. The most frequent cause, by far, is poor food hygiene and contaminated water. You should prepare yourself for all possibilities if you are to stay clear of these effects altogether.

Avoiding the main causes of illnesses is relatively easy. Stay away from eating raw or undercooked meat, and be cautious of seafood. Be wary of poorly cooked cream sauces and unpasteurized dairy products. And always wash fresh fruit, even if served at a restaurant. Thoroughly-cooked and packaged foods are usually safe, as is bottled water. Buy from stores instead of street vendors, as they sometimes rebottle tap water and pass it off as genuine. Alcoholic beverages, carbonated soft drinks, and properly boiled teas and coffees should be safe as well. Since local hygiene and food preparation standards vary from country to country, check out reports or blogs from people who have had experience vacationing in your destination. Don’t assume local restaurants will be overly cautious about their food preparations, and if you feel that their standards are lacking, go somewhere else; it is not worth ruining a trip over.

Most hotels exercise caution with their water and have appropriate filtering systems in place. If you find that this is not the case, you may have to resort to using bottled water only, even for brushing your teeth. For hand washing, you can always use convenient antibacterial wipes, so bring a supply wherever you visit and clean your hands before handling any food.

Sometimes the problem is simply that we aren’t used to the purifying agents and chemicals used by other countries. In this case, even clean drinking water will cause illness and discomfort. Egyptian water, for example, has a reputation for causing stomach cramps and diarrhea. The main cause is usually not bacteria, but in how the water is treated; however, over a long period of use the body can acclimatize to it quite easily. Good water filters can help reduce these chemical compounds, so consider taking one. There are also products that can kill 99% of bacteria in water supplies. Sticking to safe bottled water is still the best way to reduce the chances of being affected.

Finally, a word about medications. Nausea is often a side effect of vaccinations taken to combat the common illnesses in certain countries, so consult with your doctor on which inoculations you absolutely need. Malaria shots are infamous for making travelers feel unwell. As always, good research can prevent unnecessary hassle and headaches.

Stomach cramps and nausea can put a sour twist on even the most wonderful of vacations, so follow this advice and stay healthy, happy, and relaxed on your journeys. For more advice and answers to your travel questions, visit TripMama’s Travel Forums, where you will find our Online Travel Community eager to help and share their experiences.

New Zealand’s wines seem to have captured the imagination of enthusiasts everywhere. Regardless of where you go, people seem to lavishly praise the wines of this small, isolated country. Only 30 years ago few people knew New Zealand as a wine producer. Today wine enthusiasts go to great lengths to acquire a bottle or even a case of fine New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir. Even the famed Champagne house Deutz acquired land, and produces traditional sparkling wines.

If you take a mirror image of a map of New Zealand and turn it upside down, the country resembles the  “ boot “ of Italy. New Zealand’s two largest islands are separated by a narrow strait near the  “ ankle “. As in
Italy, the foot is warmer than the top; this being the southern hemisphere –
farther from the equator. Although grapes grow throughout the country, the better quality fruit originates in regions with moderate Mediterranean-type climates.

GRAPE VARIETIES
New Zealand made a name for itself with Sauvignon Blanc, but there are many other white grapes – Riesling, Muller-Thurgau, Chardonnay, Semillon, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris – planted.

For red wines, growers gravitate towards Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and even Syrah.

Clearly, cool climate grapes thrive and yield excellent wines.

Unlike Australia, New Zealand wines have an excellent acid backbone, gentle fruit, fine aromas and a succulence few other wines can match
New Zealand wines seem to be better suited to food than drinking on their own, although a glass of fine Sauvignon Blanc prior to a meal can do wonders for your appetite.

KEY REGIONS
A string of mountains runs along the north-south backbone of the country, creating pockets of intriguing microclimates each of which favours distinct and different varieties.

AUCKLAND: several of the oldest wineries started in this warm area around the commercial and financial center of the country’s biggest city.
Waiheke Island and Kumeu are two regions with excellent reputation for quality. Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot thrive well.

GISBORNE: the region is best known for its Chardonnay and fragrant Gewurztraminer grown on north-facing vineyards.

HAWKES BAY: on the cooler part of the north island, the region’s gravelly soils produce the best Merlots, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

MARTINBOROUGH; protected by a range of hills from warm northern breezes, the deep, loamy soils yield excellent Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.

MARLBOROUGH: tucked in the northeastern corner of the south island it is justly famous for its Sauvignon Blanc, but this is not the only grape that does well. Riesling, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grow very well and yield fine wines.

WAIPARA; just north of Christchurch, the capital, fine Pinot Noir are produced; they can compete with th3e best in Burgundy. Funny enough, some New Zealand vignerons opened a store in the heart of Burgundy’s Beaune to compete with local wines.

CANTERBURY; a vast plain surrounding Christchurch and which extends to southern Alps is better known for its Riesling and Pinot Noir due to its cool climate.

CENTRAL OTAGO; located neat Queenstown, this is the coolest grape growing region of New Zealand. The wines reflect the climate with their bracing acidity and bright flavours. Much of the fruit for sparkling wines originate here.

New Zealand’s best overseas market is the U K, but the U S A, Canada, and Scandinavian countries are gradually discovering the elegance of New Zealand’s wines. Approximately 80 percent of the production comes from two wineries – Montana and Corban’s. Chances are Montana will become the only big winery. However, the small wineries compete favourably with quality and prices that make up for their small production.

The following wineries enjoy a fine reputation: Babich, Cooper’s Creek, Delegat’s, Esk Valey Estates, Fairhill Downs, Forrest Estate Winery, Goldwater Estate, Kim Crawford Wines (now owned by Vincor an Canadain Wine conglomerate and the 4th largest winery organization in North America), Kumeu River Wines, Lincoln Vineyards, Palliser Estate Wines, St Clair Estate Wines, Seifried Estate, Thainstone Vineyard, Vidal Estate, Villa Maria Estate and Voss Estate Vineyards.

Article contributed by Hrayr Berberoglu, a Professor Emeritus of Hospitality and Tourism Management specializing in Food and Beverage. Books by H. Berberoglu

Approximately three decades ago, few people associated Australia with wine. Today the country enjoys an enviable wine reputation world over.
Australia has become a dominant wine force in many English-speaking countries i.e the UK, the USA, Ireland, Canada and even New Zealand. The success of Australian wines hinges on a number of very astute decisions of industry executives and investors. First and foremost, Australia’ s climate and soil are very conducive to viticulture. Grapes are always picked ripe, sometimes even over-ripe. There are very few restrictions in both growing grapes and making wine. Most are made for quick consumption, their prices are reasonable, they appeal to young palates (fruit-forward and up-front), and marketing techniques better than most traditional producers.

Today, Australian wines fare well even in some European countries like Sweden, Switzerland and Germany a wine producer itself. However, Australian conglomerates intend to introduce their style of wine to the French too. To that end, some wineries purchased huge tracts of land in Languedoc (France) and are now making wine from the fruit they grow.  Europeans, including the British, are happy to buy them and if trends continue Canadians and Americans will consume even more than now since they have discovered the merits of Australian-made French wines!

Australia is not a natural grape growing country. When the first British set foot on Australian soil in 1788 under the direction of Captain Arthur Phillips, there were no vines, but the party had brought some cuttings and after a few false starts, colonists were able to grow grapes successfully and made wines that actually were given awards in England. Over two centuries, significant progress was made, and today Australia produces fruit-driven, appealing, high-alcohol wines at reasonable cost.

Australians treat wine as an agricultural product and understand the importance of marketing. They spend a lot of effort and funds to promote their wines, and hide little, if anything from the consuming world, whereas traditional European producers have always tried to make wine appear to be a mysterious and magical product. Yes, wine can be ephemeral and deliciously mysterious, but there is no mystery in making honest wine. If you have quality grapes and know how to make wine, the result will be at the very least good, and at best outstanding.  Presently Australia has approximately 140,000 hectares under vines producing some nine million hectolitres of wine, of which approximately 1/3 are exported. The best markets are: the UK, the USA, Canada, Germany and some Commonwealth countries.

Australia produces mostly red wines using Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Mourvedre, Grenache, Cabernet Franc, and blends of them. These are soft, fruity, full-bodied, very appealing wines that can be consumed shortly after purchase and do not require long cellaring, something young consumers appreciate. Australian red wines exude fruit, sometimes maybe even too much, and little tannin, but this is precisely what makes them appealing to young people who have been the best customers.

For white wines vignerons prefer Chardonnay, Semillon, Colombard, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Marsanne, Viognier and Muscat. Australian Chardonnay, which young North Americans seem to associate with white wine has been particularly successful because of its immediate appeal, Fruity ( pineapple and tropical fruits ), soft, medium to full-bodied Australian Chardonnays appeal to a young, untrained palate, since they are easy to drink and can be easily appreciated. Always reasonably priced, Australian Chardonnays have captured a huge market share, which continues to expand.

Australian wine winemakers blend to achieve a desired balance and their techniques end up yielding better end-products than components would if bottled unblended. Southcorp and Fosters Group are two wine conglomerates dominating production and marketing. Both maintain marketing offices in Canada and the USA to constantly refine plans with the objective of expanding their market share. Their success has prompted French wineries and government agencies to take note. Both are seriously rethinking their marketing strategies in an attempt to recapture at least some of the lost market share.

Unquestionably, Hunter Valley, McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Margaret River, Murray Valley, and Riverland are the big producers, but Australia still has other regions such as Tasmania that can potentially become very important. Some wineries have already vinted great, acid-driven Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling more appealing to jaded palates, willing and bale to spend more for their drinking pleasure.

Australia also produces some outstanding and very expensive wines capable of aging for decades. One such is Grange Hermitage consisting mainly of Shiraz, a grape variety imported from the Rhone Valley in the 19th century. It adapted to local conditions so well that it yields a completely different wine to its counterpart in France. The French understand the notion of terroir (combination of soil and climate) very well, and once again their theory has been proven to be correct – that grape variety alone cannot be considered the only determinant of taste. Only two decades ago Canada’s largest wine consuming provinces, Ontario, Quebec and B C were selling a few Australian wines; now the choice is significant and growing.

L C B O, the world’s single biggest beverage alcohol purchaser, offers at least 40 Australian reds and 30 whites. In addition L C B O ‘s Vintages division features a good number of fine Australian wines in its monthly releases. (For a gratis and complete monthly list contact L C B O). Also  practically all Ontario agents endeavour to sell privately imported wines, called “ consignment products “.

Here are some of the best L C B O general list Australian wines:
Chardonnay, Banrock Station
Black Opal Chardonnay, Mildara-Blass
Jacob’s Creek Cgardonnay
Sauvignon Blanc Bin 95, Lindeman’s
Riesling Bin 7, Leasingham
Limestone Coast Chardonnay, Lindemans
Barossa Semillon, Peter Lehmann
Diamond Sauvignon Blanc, Rosemount Estate
Chardonnay/Semillon, Rosemount Estate
Poacher’s Blend, St Hallett

Red Wines
Shiraz Banrock Station
Black Opal Cabernet/Merlot, Mildara-Blass
Black Opal Cabernet Sauvignon, Mildara-Blass
Black Opal Shiraz, Mildara-Blass
Shiraz, Deakin Estate
Jamieson’s Run Coonawara Cabernet/Merlot/Shiraz, Penfold’s
Limestone Coast Shiraz, Lindemans
Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, Rosemount Estates
Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, Seppelt
Gamekeeper’s Reserve, St. Hallett
Long Flat red, Tyrell’s
Long Flat Shiraz, Tyrell’s
Red Label Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, W. Blass
South Australian Shiraz, w> Blass
Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon, W. Blass
Bin 555, Wyndham Estate

Article contributed by Hrayr Berberoglu, a Professor Emeritus of Hospitality and Tourism Management specializing in Food and Beverage. Books by H. Berberoglu

By : Mike Roussell

Green tea is an extremely effective tool in weight loss. Is it a miracle cure? No, there is no such thing, however the use of green tea is worthy of regular and consistent consideration in your nutritional diet, as its benefits and contributions to weight loss are both unique and considerable. Let’s take a closer at the benefits of green tea to your overall health in this section and then in part two, focus more specifically on the exact benefits that green tea has in the quest of weight loss and healthy weight management.

Green tea finds its roots in China, Asia, Japan and the Middle East. Its health benefits date back centuries, as far back as 1911 when Zen practitioners reported the healing properties found in the regular consumption of green tea. Over the last 10 years, green tea has migrated and found its way into the Western world. With health benefits dating back centuries, it serves us well to closely examine and consider the use of this simple and enjoyable addition to our diets.

Below you will find a list of the long purported health benefits associated with regular (daily) ingestion of green tea. Many of these have been scientifically researched and proven effect to the applicable claim. Others have not yet been academically signified, however they are widely accepted as true due to the lack of need to scientifically prove these claims; the benefits have been so long-standing and evident in regular users of green tea for centuries, thus the validity of the claim is acceptable.

*Anti-Cancer Properties- In 1996, New Scientist Magazine performed a study that indicated positively that green tea protects against a range of cancers; most specifically, prostate, breast and lung cancers.

*Increased Metabolic Rate- The University of Geneva as well as the University of Birmingham conducted trials and research on green tea and its relationship to metabolic rate. Conclusively, they found that green tea raises the metabolic rate, speeds up fat oxidation and improves insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. All this translates to quicker and absolute weight loss. They also found green tea increases energy and endurance thus leading to more productive lifestyles and exercise routines. All this equates to weight loss for green tea users.

*Improved Fat Metabolism- As suggested in the study above, it has been proven that green tea increases endurance by improving fat metabolism. Clearly this translates to greater weight loss with less, yet easier, effort.

*Possible Anti-Diabetes Effect- As of January 2008, there is epidemiological (study of controlling and preventing diseases) evidence that suggests strongly that regular drinking of green tea may help in preventing diabetes.

*Boosts Mental Alertness- The amino acid L-theanine found in green tea diligently alters the attention networks in the brain resulting in a calmer, yet more alert, state of mind. This was proven scientifically in September 2007 by a research team at The City University of New York.

*Boosts the Immune System- Studies in 2003 at the Brigham and Women’s Hospitals showed that green increases the anti-bacterial proteins that fight infection up to five times greater than those in the study who did not regularly consume green tea.

*Lowers Chance of Cognitive Impairment- A 2006 Japanese study showed that elderly Japanese people who drank two cups of green day a day had a 50% lower chance of developing cognitive impairment in comparison to those who either drank fewer amounts of green tea, or none at all. This is believed to be the result of the amino acid EGCG found in green tea.

*Lower Stress Hormone Levels- Stress levels have been found to be lower in green tea drinkers due to the lowering of cortisol, which is a hormone linked to stress and stress symptoms.

*Inhibition of HIV Virus- A June 2007 study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that green tea can lead to the inhibition or repression of the HIV virus. Many doctors today recommend that those individuals suffering from HIV complement their medicine with regular green tea consumption.

*Inflammatory Bowel Disease- Various amino acids found in green tea have been shown to decrease the inflammation found in this disease.

*Decreased Bad Breath-Certain polyphenols found in green tea assist in inhibiting the growth of bacteria that causes bad breath. This has been shown by researchers at the University of Illinois in Chicago

With all these health benefits provided by green tea it is no wonder that we all do not regularly consume green tea; for to aid in our overall health, without question, it is an addition to our diet that needs to be strongly considered. In regard specifically to weight loss, a few important aspects were touched upon above.

Green tea increases the rate of the metabolism, increases endurance and increases energy by accelerating fat metabolism. These elements are all critical in the quest of weight loss.
Further, in assisting in managing healthy weight, green tea has been shown to lower cholesterol which is vital in healthy weight maintenance.

Green tea may not be a miracle cure for weight loss, however with all the other health benefits it provides, green tea needs to be a part of anyone’s nutritional diet that is serious about maintaining a high quality of life while looking their absolute best!