Archive for ‘Responsible Drinking’

Misleading packaging?

July 12th, 2023 | Food & Wine

I now have reached a ‘certain age’ whereby an annual check-up with my local doctor is strongly advised. After a recent blood test came the almost inevitable speech, cut down on fats, cut down on sugar, cut down on salt etc., etc…. This was accompanied by a diet sheet – three columns of food types from ‘healthy’ to ‘don’t even think about it’!

Don’t get me wrong, my results were marginal and in most cases my blood didn’t actually exceed any dangerous levels, it was more a case of take care with what you eat (which I do, more or less, as a matter of course). Indeed I follow the same mantra for food as we recommend for our wines…. eat/drink in moderation.

On a subsequent visit to my local supermarket I actually did shop with a bit more caution than usual, trying to read some of the (very) small print on the packaging highlighting the nutritional values. One of my weaknesses is a sweet tooth, and I do like an occasional biscuit with my mug of tea. (Usually only one or two a day). On the shelf my eye was drawn to a packet of oat biscuits strategically placed very near to the vegetarian/health food section. With a green packet and a small medallion highlighting the use of sunflower oil (instead of palm oil), I picked up a pack and dropped them in my basket – assuming that I had done the right thing. It seems that I was wrong.

At home, under closer inspection, I realised that these ‘pseudo health biscuits’ actually had an identical sugar content to my normal brand, and so, apart from the sunflower oil, there was almost no health benefit at all. What’s the phrase? “Caveat emptor” (buyer beware).

Wine labelling – Nutritional information

May 19th, 2023 | Responsible Drinking

 

As from December 2023 we will be obliged to add nutritional information to our labels. Of course, with the amount of information already appearing on labels (including government health warnings etc.), there is a danger that the label might eventually cover most of the bottle! This leaves us with two options, either produce bigger bottles, or add a QR code to the label linking consumers directly to the information. (The first option of bigger bottles was very much tongue-in-cheek and we have used option two).

Suffice to say that in the very near future we will start to print labels with this new QR code included. (We do already include QR codes that links to the product page of the wine being consumed). The new QR will replace this, but this new link will still include information about the wine itself, so not all will be technical information.

In the meantime, we have already posted nutritional information on our website. On each product page (English and Spanish) there is a link under the downloads (descargas) section. The same link also appears under the general ‘downloads’ header on our homepage. All of these links are clearly marked ‘Nutritional Information’.

El Mundial

June 15th, 2018 | International News

As if you didn’t know the World Cup kicked off yesterday, with the Russian hosts giving the Saudis quite a comprehensive beating (no surprise perhaps, that they ended up in probably the weakest group of the tournament).

So football and politics aside, it’s time to put your feet up, kick back on the sofa and enjoy a glass of something refreshing whilst watching the next game – and by that, I mean of course, a well-chilled glass of Castro Martin albariño.

Even if football is not your thing, then you can just as easily recline on your favourite garden chair and savour a glass or two, simply because albariño is the type of wine can you can drink just as easily on its own, even without food. On the other hand, if you are planning to stoke up the barbecue this weekend, then Castro Martin will still be the prefect choice.

Just how versatile can a wine be?

A drop of Chablis with your cornflakes?

October 10th, 2017 | Odds & Sods

On one or two odd occasions (Sunday brunch for example), we’ve probably all indulged ourselves in an odd ‘beverage’ or two – maybe a Bloody Mary, Mimosa or something similar? For me at least, drinking wine or alcohol too early in the day has never felt quite right, but that’s probably just a person thing – each to their own I guess.

In recent years however, there are some worrying trends that have developed, all related to early morning drinking. For example, a common sight at many UK airports are groups of young men and women, enjoying their traditional full English breakfast….. with drink in hand. This sometimes extends to several drinks, eventually culminating in unruly behavior, even on early morning flights. The problem appears to be that once border control has been cleared, then normal UK licensing hours don’t apply, and so travellers are free to drink what they like. It is becoming quite a problem for the airlines – air rage fueled by alcohol.

I was a little perplexed therefore to read what I assumed to be a ‘serious’ article entitled “8 breakfast wines you should be drinking” – some restaurants are now apparently offering a wine list with breakfast. The recommendations rather depend on what you are ordering, but the majority of those offered are white, ranging from crisp, fruity white, to sweet white (intended to accompany your pancakes!). There is even one suggestion that a chilled, light red could be teamed up with your bacon dishes, albeit I find that eggs are notoriously difficult to marry, and most red wines would probably be rendered metallic, harsh and astringent by a ‘runny’ egg yolk.

Personally, I think that wine with breakfast quite a bad idea, and believe that a line has to be drawn somewhere, and round-the-clock drinking should not be encouraged. Whatever happened to ‘responsible drinking’ and ‘wine in moderation’? Has that now become an old-fashioned concept?

Festive drinks

December 12th, 2015 | Fiestas

mulled wineThe choice of what you drink over the holidays may depend, to some extent, on what you are eating. Having said that I should add that I am actually a great believer in the idea of drinking the wines that you really enjoy drinking, regardless of whether they are considered the perfect match for your food. Personally, I always enjoy a nice glass of Champagne, not just over the holidays, but actually at any time of year. I don’t need an excuse…

My focus today however, is more to do with winter warmers rather than just wine, and so is perhaps aimed more at our northern hemisphere drinkers, rather than those enjoying their festive turkey bathed in warm sunshine. Those lucky enough to live in the mountains, or maybe just spending their holidays in the snow, might be sipping a hot gluhwein, or my personal favourite aprés-ski tipple, jagertee (black tea, wine, rum, brandy, orange juice & spices). Two cups of jagertee and I could conquer the Hahnenkamm!

The choice of winter drinks is endless, and is not restricted to just mulled or spiced wines – many of the recipes can also be applied to cider or ales, and then don’t forget your liqueur coffees or chocolate based drinks. The list goes on, for example you might easily be offered a choice of toddies, nogs, punches, cocktails, nordic glöggs or Olde English wassail.

Final reminders: You can still drink albariño over the holidays, and……. make sure you are stocked up on Alka Seltzer (or milk thistle)!

Superbowl? Get splifficated!

January 31st, 2015 | Oddballs

drunkThis Superbowl weekend many of us will settle down in front of the TV, beer in hand, to watch the big game. (Even I am prepared to admit that there won’t be too many drinking albariño on this particular occasion). Of course we always recommend that any drinking should be in moderation, because there is always the danger that you could end up pot-shotten!

Splifficated? Pot-shotten? Sounds like I’ve had a drop too many myself….. In fact these are old English words for drunk, and believe me there are many more, and will continue to be more with every year that passes. From a list of nearly 200 words one of my personal favourites is pixilated, which is not as you might imagine, a new expression – this description actually dates back to 1848. Some of my others from the list include, tap-shackled, reeling ripe, peloothered and drunk as a wheelbarrow! Click on today’s picture to enlarge, and see the list.

drunkThis Superbowl weekend many of us will settle down in front of the TV, beer in hand, to watch the big game. (Even I am prepared to admit that there won’t be too many drinking albariño on this particular occasion). Of course we always recommend that any drinking should be in moderation, because there is always the danger that you could end up pot-shotten!

Splifficated? Pot-shotten? Sounds like I’ve had a drop too many myself….. In fact these are old English words for drunk, and believe me there are many more, and will continue to be more with every year that passes. From a list of nearly 200 words one of my personal favourites is pixilated, which is not as you might imagine, a new expression – this description actually dates back to 1848. Some of my others from the list include, tap-shackled, reeling ripe, peloothered and drunk as a wheelbarrow! Click on today’s picture to enlarge, and see the list.

A bottle a day?………

January 17th, 2015 | Responsible Drinking

BottleDoes the idea of drinking a bottle of wine per day seem just a little excessive to you? Well according to the study of yet another alcohol ‘expert’, drinking 7 bottles a week, or say 365 bottles a year, will not do you any harm. In research carried out by former World Health Organisation alcohol expert Dr Kari Poikolainen, he claims that we can consume up to 13 units of alcohol per day without any ill effect. With a 75cl bottle of our Castro Martin albariño containing only 9 units, this would mean that drinking 1½ bottles per day would be just about within the limit!

My own personal belief is pretty much the same as the advice that we are usually given. Enjoy your wine, but take it in moderation – indeed I have always thought that a glass of wine with your meal is possibly a good way to aid digestion, or is that just another misleading ‘expert’ opinion? On the other side of the coin there are those who would argue that wine is a toxin and should be avoided altogether, but then this is perhaps a rather extreme view. Surely the solution to this ongoing conundrum must lie somewhere between the two.

BottleDoes the idea of drinking a bottle of wine per day seem just a little excessive to you? Well according to the study of yet another alcohol ‘expert’, drinking 7 bottles a week, or say 365 bottles a year, will not do you any harm. In research carried out by former World Health Organisation alcohol expert Dr Kari Poikolainen, he claims that we can consume up to 13 units of alcohol per day without any ill effect. With a 75cl bottle of our Castro Martin albariño containing only 9 units, this would mean that drinking 1½ bottles per day would be just about within the limit!

My own personal belief is pretty much the same as the advice that we are usually given. Enjoy your wine, but take it in moderation – indeed I have always thought that a glass of wine with your meal is possibly a good way to aid digestion, or is that just another misleading ‘expert’ opinion? On the other side of the coin there are those who would argue that wine is a toxin and should be avoided altogether, but then this is perhaps a rather extreme view. Surely the solution to this ongoing conundrum must lie somewhere between the two.

A drink too far?

August 18th, 2014 | Responsible Drinking

NovinophobiaSome of you may know that I go running along our local seafront every morning – the same route used by young people returning from our local bars and discotheques. On some days I actually encounter the revellers themselves but more often I simply encounter the trail of havoc that they leave behind. Broken glass, empty bottles, plastic bags, food wrappers, emptied litter bins, broken plants and trees, and other things too unpleasant to mention. Each day our local council dutifully sends cleaners to gather up the debris, but unfortunately this carnage only leaves me with a feeling of despair….. nearly all of this misbehaviour is down to the effects of alcohol, and therefore only succeeds in damaging the reputation of our industry.

The specific reason that I feel compelled to write about this once again is that a Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Misuse, formed in the UK, is now calling for the calorie content and health risks associated with alcohol to be spelled out clearly on all wine and beer labels, in a similar style to cigarette health warnings. The group has also supported calls for a minimum price per unit of alcohol to be introduced to increase the cost of the cheapest drinks bought in supermarkets and off licences.

Unfortunately the ‘Botellon’ as it is known in Spain is fuelled by the Supermarkets, whereby drinking in bars and discotheques is supplemented by much cheaper alcohol purchased over the counter. I did read somewhere that on one of the recent Bullfighting weekends in Pontevedra (mentioned in a recent post) some 19 young people were admitted to our local hospitals with varying levels of alcoholic poisoning.

Of course, I doubt very much that these problems were caused by albariño, but unfortunately we simply find ourselves listed  in the general category of alcohol, and most of the anti-alcohol lobby does not discriminate sufficiently between the different types. After all, I’m sure that the vast majority of us are quite responsible drinkers!

NovinophobiaSome of you may know that I go running along our local seafront every morning – the same route used by young people returning from our local bars and discotheques. On some days I actually encounter the revellers themselves but more often I simply encounter the trail of havoc that they leave behind. Broken glass, empty bottles, plastic bags, food wrappers, emptied litter bins, broken plants and trees, and other things too unpleasant to mention. Each day our local council dutifully sends cleaners to gather up the debris, but unfortunately this carnage only leaves me with a feeling of despair….. nearly all of this misbehaviour is down to the effects of alcohol, and therefore only succeeds in damaging the reputation of our industry.

The specific reason that I feel compelled to write about this once again is that a Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Misuse, formed in the UK, is now calling for the calorie content and health risks associated with alcohol to be spelled out clearly on all wine and beer labels, in a similar style to cigarette health warnings. The group has also supported calls for a minimum price per unit of alcohol to be introduced to increase the cost of the cheapest drinks bought in supermarkets and off licences.

Unfortunately the ‘Botellon’ as it is known in Spain is fuelled by the Supermarkets, whereby drinking in bars and discotheques is supplemented by much cheaper alcohol purchased over the counter. I did read somewhere that on one of the recent Bullfighting weekends in Pontevedra (mentioned in a recent post) some 19 young people were admitted to our local hospitals with varying levels of alcoholic poisoning.

Of course, I doubt very much that these problems were caused by albariño, but unfortunately we simply find ourselves listed  in the general category of alcohol, and most of the anti-alcohol lobby does not discriminate sufficiently between the different types. After all, I’m sure that the vast majority of us are quite responsible drinkers!

No more headaches!

December 2nd, 2013 | Responsible Drinking

HangoverSulphur dioxide (SO2) is widely used in winemaking as a preservative and antibacterial agent, but for some people it can have a very unpleasant side-effect. The quantities used in a finished wine are strictly regulated and are so small (measured in parts per million) that they shouldn’t really cause any health problems. However, it is alleged that some people can suffer from headaches or have breathing difficulties triggered by drinking these trace amounts of SO2 (although this statement is probably quite unfair as there are other compounds, such as tyramines and histamines that can also contribute to the problem).

Eliminating the need for sulphur in wine would therefore be more than welcome news for these consumers, and it might just be that researchers at Penn State University have come up with a suitable alternative – chelator. Chelation is a process where molecules bind with metal ions, and it is suggested that this technique could be used to remove trace metals in wine. By simply adding compounds that bind to the iron, such as phytic acid (found naturally in grape juice), oxidation in wine is prevented. In addition to this it was also discovered that these chelators could inhibit the formation of acetaldehyde, which robs a wine of its fruity, freshness and is the precursor of vinegar-like acetic acid. Celebrations all ’round…. well, maybe not quite yet.

The question is how much this could it affect the other properties of wine or whether it could have any other, unwanted side-effects, such as changing the way a wine matures over time. Only time and a lot more testing will reveal the answers, but the days of adding sulphur to wine might just be numbered.

HangoverSulphur dioxide (SO2) is widely used in winemaking as a preservative and antibacterial agent, but for some people it can have a very unpleasant side-effect. The quantities used in a finished wine are strictly regulated and are so small (measured in parts per million) that they shouldn’t really cause any health problems. However, it is alleged that some people can suffer from headaches or have breathing difficulties triggered by drinking these trace amounts of SO2 (although this statement is probably quite unfair as there are other compounds, such as tyramines and histamines that can also contribute to the problem).

Eliminating the need for sulphur in wine would therefore be more than welcome news for these consumers, and it might just be that researchers at Penn State University have come up with a suitable alternative – chelator. Chelation is a process where molecules bind with metal ions, and it is suggested that this technique could be used to remove trace metals in wine. By simply adding compounds that bind to the iron, such as phytic acid (found naturally in grape juice), oxidation in wine is prevented. In addition to this it was also discovered that these chelators could inhibit the formation of acetaldehyde, which robs a wine of its fruity, freshness and is the precursor of vinegar-like acetic acid. Celebrations all ’round…. well, maybe not quite yet.

The question is how much this could it affect the other properties of wine or whether it could have any other, unwanted side-effects, such as changing the way a wine matures over time. Only time and a lot more testing will reveal the answers, but the days of adding sulphur to wine might just be numbered.

Coke or cocktail?

May 28th, 2013 | Responsible Drinking

Coke cocktailI found a website the other day that included suggestions for Albariño cocktails. Of course making a spritzer with white wine is quite common, but purist that I am, I really don’t believe in mixing our wine with anything….. just enjoy it chilled, on its own, as nature (or should I say Angela) intended when she lovingly created it!

Then I came across another article about the Kalimotxo – a ‘blend’ of red wine and Coca Cola that has been around since the 1970’s. Of course I had heard the rumours of Chinese millionaires enjoying their bottle of 1st growth Bordeaux wine made into a Coca-Cola spritzer, and I should add that I haven’t tried it myself, so perhaps I shouldn’t criticise it. Having said that, surely mixing any wine with Coca Cola can’t be a good thing? Now, I’m not knocking Coca Cola either because sometimes when I need a sugar hit, or when I’m super-thirsty, then a chilled can of Coke can really hit the spot – it might dissolve my teeth, but it does quench a raging thirst.

The recipe for this Kalimotxo ‘cocktail’ is actually quite simple (like the people who drink it I am tempted to say): empty half of a two-litre Coke bottle and add one litre of red wine to the mix, then add ice to taste. Both delicious and classy at the same time!

It is said that the name originated from a Basque festival when someone was served a sour bottle of wine and so mixed it with some Coca Cola to add a bit of sweetness. The inventor named it after a chicken character called Calimero, and moxto, which I think means mixed in Basque. In other parts of the world is it sometimes called Rioja Libre, which is a play on the more famous (and perhaps more palatable) cocktail of Cuba Libre – the Coke and white rum mix that we know and love.

Coke cocktailI found a website the other day that included suggestions for Albariño cocktails. Of course making a spritzer with white wine is quite common, but purist that I am, I really don’t believe in mixing our wine with anything….. just enjoy it chilled, on its own, as nature (or should I say Angela) intended when she lovingly created it!

Then I came across another article about the Kalimotxo – a ‘blend’ of red wine and Coca Cola that has been around since the 1970’s. Of course I had heard the rumours of Chinese millionaires enjoying their bottle of 1st growth Bordeaux wine made into a Coca-Cola spritzer, and I should add that I haven’t tried it myself, so perhaps I shouldn’t criticise it. Having said that, surely mixing any wine with Coca Cola can’t be a good thing? Now, I’m not knocking Coca Cola either because sometimes when I need a sugar hit, or when I’m super-thirsty, then a chilled can of Coke can really hit the spot – it might dissolve my teeth, but it does quench a raging thirst.

The recipe for this Kalimotxo ‘cocktail’ is actually quite simple (like the people who drink it I am tempted to say): empty half of a two-litre Coke bottle and add one litre of red wine to the mix, then add ice to taste. Both delicious and classy at the same time!

It is said that the name originated from a Basque festival when someone was served a sour bottle of wine and so mixed it with some Coca Cola to add a bit of sweetness. The inventor named it after a chicken character called Calimero, and moxto, which I think means mixed in Basque. In other parts of the world is it sometimes called Rioja Libre, which is a play on the more famous (and perhaps more palatable) cocktail of Cuba Libre – the Coke and white rum mix that we know and love.

Monthly Archives

Categories

ARE YOU OF LEGAL AGE? This site is intended for those of legal drinking age. By entering, you confirm that you are of legal drinking age in the country where this site is being accessed. ¿ERES MAYOR DE EDAD? Este sitio está destinado a personas en edad legal para beber alcohol. Al ingresar, confirma que tiene la edad legal para beber en el país donde se accede a este sitio.