People who know me, or perhaps those who have read our blog before, will know that I am a pretty huge Liverpool F.C. supporter, and that we actually have one small corner of our wine cellar dedicated to my favourite team…. a small shrine if you will.

A week or two ago I was browsing the LFC website, when I came across a t-shirt design that made me smile. By complete co-incidence it was almost a carbon copy of our new A2O label design – a sort of  ‘Da Vinci-esque’ logo, using architectural construction lines. Of course I could not resist, I had found yet another perfect excuse to add to my already substantial collection of Liverpool shirts!

What is it they say? Great minds think alike (or is it that fools seldom differ?)

People who know me, or perhaps those who have read our blog before, will know that I am a pretty huge Liverpool F.C. supporter, and that we actually have one small corner of our wine cellar dedicated to my favourite team…. a small shrine if you will.

A week or two ago I was browsing the LFC website, when I came across a t-shirt design that made me smile. By complete co-incidence it was almost a carbon copy of our new A2O label design – a sort of  ‘Da Vinci-esque’ logo, using architectural construction lines. Of course I could not resist, I had found yet another perfect excuse to add to my already substantial collection of Liverpool shirts!

What is it they say? Great minds think alike (or is it that fools seldom differ?)

At the beginning of this month a UK government health minister revealed that in future wine labels might be required to include yet more information, this time relating to calorie content. Wine labels are already crammed with consumer advice, and this is made even more complicated by the fact that each country has its own regulations.

This latest idea suggests that wine consumers are becoming overweight and obese owing to excessive alcohol consumption, although I would have thought that this problem is perhaps more related to beer than it is to wine. Having said that it is perhaps true to say that alcohol can be underestimated when it come to calories, one pint of lager beer for example can contain 250 calories, whilst one single glass of wine might be anything from 140 up to 230 calories (depending on the wine style).

Perhaps I am biased but I still believe that wine is sometimes unfairly blamed for specific health problems. For example, binge drinking is rarely associated with wine, liver disease is more often caused by spirits, and I am still of the opinion that weight problems are probably more related to beer drinking. Of course, wine is not completely blameless, but it does often get dragged into the argument. 

The calorie count in wine comes from the sugar and alcohol, but there is no hard and fast rule as to which type of wine contains the most carbohydrates – it is perfectly possible to find a slightly sweet, low alcohol wine that has less calories than a dry, high alcohol wine. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s not all about sugar, indeed there are more calories in the alcohol itself which is why it is so difficult to provide a standard calculation.

The good news is that besides the carbs and calories, there are also nutrients in wine that come from the skin of the grape itself. Generally speaking red wine contains more minerals and antioxidants than white wine, but any colour of wine, in moderation, is not bad for you!

At the beginning of this month a UK government health minister revealed that in future wine labels might be required to include yet more information, this time relating to calorie content. Wine labels are already crammed with consumer advice, and this is made even more complicated by the fact that each country has its own regulations.

This latest idea suggests that wine consumers are becoming overweight and obese owing to excessive alcohol consumption, although I would have thought that this problem is perhaps more related to beer than it is to wine. Having said that it is perhaps true to say that alcohol can be underestimated when it come to calories, one pint of lager beer for example can contain 250 calories, whilst one single glass of wine might be anything from 140 up to 230 calories (depending on the wine style).

Perhaps I am biased but I still believe that wine is sometimes unfairly blamed for specific health problems. For example, binge drinking is rarely associated with wine, liver disease is more often caused by spirits, and I am still of the opinion that weight problems are probably more related to beer drinking. Of course, wine is not completely blameless, but it does often get dragged into the argument. 

The calorie count in wine comes from the sugar and alcohol, but there is no hard and fast rule as to which type of wine contains the most carbohydrates – it is perfectly possible to find a slightly sweet, low alcohol wine that has less calories than a dry, high alcohol wine. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s not all about sugar, indeed there are more calories in the alcohol itself which is why it is so difficult to provide a standard calculation.

The good news is that besides the carbs and calories, there are also nutrients in wine that come from the skin of the grape itself. Generally speaking red wine contains more minerals and antioxidants than white wine, but any colour of wine, in moderation, is not bad for you!

It was only a day or so ago that I was writing about the abuse of alcohol, and how (as responsible producers) we should never condone heavy drinking. I’m sure that I have written on many previous occasions about the huge number of health warnings appearing on wine labels around the world, and this trend continues with every day that passes. One by one countries are adding compulsory warnings to their labels, the most stringent of which is probably the US. The vast majority of warnings are quite obvious and just plain common sense, such as, do not drive or operate machinery, do not drink whilst pregnant, do not allow children to drink etc. The collective message? Use alcohol responsibly and never abuse its use…..

The only problem is that new research (God help us) has now apparently determined that even moderate drinking can be related to the onset of dementia in later life. The risk, ranging from mild cognitive impairment to full blown dementia, was higher among those who reported drinking more alcohol. It’s hardly surprising that regular binge drinking (for example, our regular weekly Botellon here in Spain), increases the risk dramatically. Among the thousands of men and women they studied, those who reported heavy bouts of drinking – at least one episode per month – were more likely to experience dementia-like problems. The more regularly they binged, the more the risk increased.

Apparently alcohol can cause your blood pressure and blood cholesterol to rise which, in turn, can damage the blood vessels supplying the brain, causing problems such as vascular dementia.

Of course, this is only one side of the story, as on the other hand there is still research claiming that taking alcohol (in moderation) can help your digestion, and possibly keep your heart in good shape. So it’s not all doom and gloom for wine drinkers!

It was only a day or so ago that I was writing about the abuse of alcohol, and how (as responsible producers) we should never condone heavy drinking. I’m sure that I have written on many previous occasions about the huge number of health warnings appearing on wine labels around the world, and this trend continues with every day that passes. One by one countries are adding compulsory warnings to their labels, the most stringent of which is probably the US. The vast majority of warnings are quite obvious and just plain common sense, such as, do not drive or operate machinery, do not drink whilst pregnant, do not allow children to drink etc. The collective message? Use alcohol responsibly and never abuse its use…..

The only problem is that new research (God help us) has now apparently determined that even moderate drinking can be related to the onset of dementia in later life. The risk, ranging from mild cognitive impairment to full blown dementia, was higher among those who reported drinking more alcohol. It’s hardly surprising that regular binge drinking (for example, our regular weekly Botellon here in Spain), increases the risk dramatically. Among the thousands of men and women they studied, those who reported heavy bouts of drinking – at least one episode per month – were more likely to experience dementia-like problems. The more regularly they binged, the more the risk increased.

Apparently alcohol can cause your blood pressure and blood cholesterol to rise which, in turn, can damage the blood vessels supplying the brain, causing problems such as vascular dementia.

Of course, this is only one side of the story, as on the other hand there is still research claiming that taking alcohol (in moderation) can help your digestion, and possibly keep your heart in good shape. So it’s not all doom and gloom for wine drinkers!

It’s probably quite appropriate that in this age of instant information this relatively new technology is known as a QR, or Quick Response Code (to give it it’s proper title). I believe that this two-dimensional matrix barcode was originally developed for the car manufacturing industry, where it was used for marking cars and their parts. (You may have noticed it years ago at your local car dealership, or even on the documentation of your new car). Its big advantage over the usual UPC barcode is that it’s much quicker to read, and by virtue of its design, has a much larger storage capacity.

Originally its use was confined to industry, but now, with the advent of smart phones, we are all pretty much carrying around a portable QR scanner in our pockets (or handbags). By downloading a simple App we now have the ability to gather information on pretty much anything, including our favourite wine cellar, Bodegas Castro Martin. On a recent visit to London I even saw them being used outside restaurants to replace the traditional curled-up menu in a glass box, so that a potential customer can now browse the menu at his or her leisure.

From the 2011 vintage QR codes will be added to all our labels, for you to download instantly all the relevant information about the contents of your glass. 

………beam me up Scotty!

It’s probably quite appropriate that in this age of instant information this relatively new technology is known as a QR, or Quick Response Code (to give it it’s proper title). I believe that this two-dimensional matrix barcode was originally developed for the car manufacturing industry, where it was used for marking cars and their parts. (You may have noticed it years ago at your local car dealership, or even on the documentation of your new car). Its big advantage over the usual UPC barcode is that it’s much quicker to read, and by virtue of its design, has a much larger storage capacity.

Originally its use was confined to industry, but now, with the advent of smart phones, we are all pretty much carrying around a portable QR scanner in our pockets (or handbags). By downloading a simple App we now have the ability to gather information on pretty much anything, including our favourite wine cellar, Bodegas Castro Martin. On a recent visit to London I even saw them being used outside restaurants to replace the traditional curled-up menu in a glass box, so that a potential customer can now browse the menu at his or her leisure.

From the 2011 vintage QR codes will be added to all our labels, for you to download instantly all the relevant information about the contents of your glass. 

………beam me up Scotty!