Fifteen years ago, TV's "60-Minutes" aired a program with a startling revelation. They brought to attention an observation that French people, especially from the south west of France, who regularly dine on fatty foods have less heart disease than people in North America and other countries around the world. It was called "The French Paradox." It confounded current thinking about high fat consumption causing heart disease. The Paradox was explained by a purported beneficial effect of drinking wine daily - more red wine consumption than white, but wine. What a wonderful prescription! Imagine, if you could drink wine every day and have less heart disease.

Scientific studies have shown that drinking wine in moderation may be beneficial to your health. Most studies show that moderation is one-to-two glasses a day for women, and two glasses a day for men. Consumption greater than that may result in other medical complications. Interestingly, red wine may be more beneficial than white wine for health.

Red and white wines may come from the same red grapes. Where red and white wines differ, and how they get different color, lies in a difference in production. Red wines are left in contact with the skins and stems of the grapes which give color and give red wines tannins, which are lacking in white wines. We taste tannins as slight tartness, or bitterness, and a structure or firmness in the mouth. The skin and stem contact also results in red wines having histamines which white wines do not. Some people find their nose gets stuffed, as if they have a cold, when drinking red wines. This is because histamines cause an allergic response. People who think they are 'allergic' to red wine may be able to thoroughly enjoy white wines.

All over the world, the last few decades have shown an agricultural movement towards "Organic" farming. Even before the 1990s winemakers in France and California began bio-dynamic or organic viticultural methods. This means not using chemical pesticides. It takes several years for a vineyard to convert to bio-dynamic or organic farming methods. It also takes meeting government regulations to be recognized as an "organic" wine. The wine-makers have to go through many years of testing by agricultural authorities, culminating (typically after a ten-year process) in their being certified and allowed by law to release their wine as "organic."

We hope that wine and other food stuffs grown organically will be healthier to consume. Farmers are trying to produce more and more products in pure and natural ways, just so wine-makers are 'greening' their vineyards and their wine-making facilities.

Vinissimo Boutiques in St. Martin, Anguilla and their sister Bacchus Boutique in St. Barths carry a number of wines from France which are raised by organic farming methods. Domaines Elie - Sumeire in Provence, the south of France, has a currently featured range of organic wines. These wine-makers produce a crisp white wine, from characteristic grapes grown in the south of France: Ugni Blanc, Clairette and Rolle. These grapes produce a wine with a crisp acidity and plenty of fruit which is refreshing as an aperitif, but is also very food-friendly. The Rosé is traditional for Provence - dry, a very pretty shell-pink color, and tastes like summer in a glass -- irresistible with lunch or to share at dinner if one of you is having a meat and the other a fish. They also make an interesting red wine comprised of the juice of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache grapes which combine to make a wine which is perfect for barbecued meats including steaks and baby-back ribs. All their cuvees are nice to drink chilled. Best of all -- these are great values, being under $8.00 a bottle and perfect summer-styled wines as you'd expect from France's famous region where the "Route to the Sun" ends in the vineyards and flower fields of Provence.

When you are in St. Maarten-St. Martin or its neighboring Islands, stop by Vinissimo to try these wines, or in one of the many restaurants which feature them, and perhaps you'll raise your glass to each other with that famous toast in many languages:
"A Votre Santé (French), Salute! (Italian), Salud! (Spanish), Skal! (Swedish)" -- "To Your Health!" - one can offer no better wish for another. Perhaps with wine we mean it literally -- a healthy beverage that affects us in a positive way being a health-full drink.

We all know intuitively that some matches are made in heaven. Each of us know some food matches that make our taste buds grateful to be alive including combinations that remain in our memories like ham and cheese; or are discoveries of sophisticated experiences exemplified by black truffles in scrambled eggs. In making wine-and-food pairings, each component of the pair brings something special and when you get it right, the resulting combination will be magical. A classic example is fresh raw oysters with a crisp, cold Muscadet wine; or rack of young lamb paired with a rich Pauillac (Bordeaux) wine. The pairing gives greater pleasure than each of the components alone.

When we put wine or food in our mouths we are putting some 10,000 taste buds to work. Separate the taste at the tip of your tongue from that at its center and back. Wine appreciators make wine flow over all parts of the mouth, aerating the wine by causing it to ripple like a brook over stones, bringing out the flavors. Food tasters also move the food around in the mouth, chewing it and passing it over all areas of taste buds. Human taste buds can only distinguish four tastes: sourness (acidity) at the upper edge of the tongue; sweetness at the tip of the tongue; bitterness at the back of the tongue; and saltiness at the front edge of the tongue.

A modern wine lover uses the principle of complimentary tastes, rather than simply choosing white wine for fish and poultry and red wine for meat and game. What is especially important is the way the food is prepared and any sauces that accompany it, not just the main ingredient.

Why not try "complementarity" this year when you plan wines for your holiday dinners. Consider a roast turkey dinner with stuffing and mushroom gravy: there is a somewhat bland turkey enhanced with stuffing and gravy that add spiciness, saltiness and richness. Imagine the pleasure of a crisp wine, with a little fruitiness or sweetness, whether red or white, to complement these tastes in the dish. You might choose a white wine that has a little sweetness, fruit and acidity like a white Cotes de Gascogne (we love one called Colombelle from Vinissimo). If you prefer, or also want to offer red wine, find one with sweetness and richness, like a varietal Merlot; or the crisp fruitiness of a Beaujolais. Serving salty ham with a raisin sauce, uses the sauce's sweetness to complement the ham's saltiness. Use the same idea in choosing a sweet-fruity, spicy wine to match the ham such as a Gewurtztraminer from Alsace. In choosing a wine for dessert, the wine will be more enjoyable if it is sweeter than the dessert. You may appreciate discovering a fortified, sweet wine from the south of France called Maury Mas Amiel which is memorable with chocolate desserts.

While many wines are food-friendly, in another article we'll discuss foods that are wine enemies and how to solve that problem. We suggest when planning a wine and food match, write out your menu including the sauces and tastes, take it to a reputable wine boutique and ask their trained professional, called sommelier in French, for help in match-making to make your traditional holiday dinner more memorable by the perfect pairing of wine with your menu. The right wine match need not be expensive, and will make your dinner an event.

A gift of sweets is appropriate for all occasions. Giving sweets is perhaps the most time-honored of favorite gifts. In Europe, centuries ago, a special Christmas gift might be an orange, because an orange was a rare, sweet luxury. Perhaps this year as an alternative to the usual fruit or candy you can give a sweet wine as a sophisticated gift.

Sweet wines suit many occasions and compliment many foods. Try one as an aperitif. The French say they open the palette. On another occasion you might end the meal with a sweet dessert wine. A menu starting with Foie Gras, the gastronomic specialty of French cuisine would be ideally accompanied by a sweet white wine from the southwest region of France such as Jurançon or Pacharenc. These wines are less well known outside of France, but a delight to discover.

Another sweet wine from the south of France, from the south-central region (Languedoc), is Maury Mas Amiel. This is a fortified dark red sweet wine that is an excellent match for chocolate and chocolate desserts. If you were driving through the wine country in the south of France, you might see areas of raised soil that seem to be gardens of large glass vessels, covered with a sun-screen. In these bottles, wine is maturing in the warmth of the sun. The process takes several months to complete. The wine is placed in large glass vessels called "demi-johns" and are maintained at a constant temperature by their being half-buried in the earth. The "fortification" process involves the addition of sugar to feed the fermentation and creates the delicious Maury Mas Amiel.

The most famous of sweet wines is Sauternes, from Bordeaux. This wine is not fortified, but rather the result of the wine maker picking grapes as late as possible in the season when the amount of natural sugar in the grape juice is at a maximum level. Then when the micro climatic conditions are right, nature helps out with "noble rot." This is a fungus (Botrytis) that grows on the grape skin. It punches holes in the grapes' skin allowing evaporation of the grape juice, concentrating the sugars, yielding a higher sweetness than normally found in grape juice. The new world's counterparts in California are created in the same way.

Another new world adoption of European traditional wine-making are the "ice wines" famous amongst American wineries around Niagara Falls, the NY State side; or by Canadians on the other side of the Falls. Ice wine was first developed in Germany. When mature grapes are chilled to freezing, with ice crystals forming inside the grape poking holes in the skin, this then mimics the process of the noble rot in sauternes, concentrating the sweetness of the juice inside these grapes. This concentration elevates the sugar levels and when conditions are just right they are ready to make ice wine.

Sweet wines are wonderful with sweet desserts. The key to matching a sweet wine with a sweet dessert is to be sure that the wine itself is sweeter than the dessert to be eaten. The Vinissimo Wine Shops, in St. Martin, St. Barth's and Anguilla always have a nice selection of sweet wines and an attentive staff to help you discover these wonderful treats.

As we begin the winter holiday season and prepare to order turkeys, hams and lamb, and plan gathering our family and friends around festive tables, we'll also provision wine. But what wines will go with the feast this year?

Wine can add festivity to any holiday gathering. In planning wine and food pairings, remember that the "Traditional roasted Turkey and Holiday Ham or Roasted Lamb" will be served with gravy, various sauces from buttery and rich to zesty. Perhaps your traditions include ethnic, or spicy side dishes: tart onions, sweet potatoes with marshmallows and garlic laced dishes from mashed potatoes to pastas.

Going back to basics on varietals is a good start. For reference, I'll list some currently popular, widely available, varietals with their characteristics and how to match them with styles of food on your holiday table:

WHITE WINES
1) Sauvignon Blanc (aka Fume Blanc) has a delightful crispness and sometimes a "grassy" taste. It's tartness and green apple character suggests how to use it to best effect-aperitif, surely, bring out the olives, radishes, stuffed celery and deviled eggs. But, Sauvignon blancs are also classic pairings with
shellfish so pair them with mussels or oysters.

If your holiday is Italian style, and includes a stuffed clam dish like "clams-casino," you'll find sauvignon's crispness cuts the fat of the bacon stuffing and adds to your enjoyment of the dish.

2) Chardonnay-oaked or unoaked, is one question. Oaked chardonnay wines match well with rich foods like turkey if served with creamy mushroom gravy.
In Sint Maarten, I like to have a rich baked-stuffed lobster for Christmas (have you tried it at La Veranda Café on the Hollywood Casino balcony?), and here a chardonnay reigns supreme. Their smoothness and vanilla character are a match made in heaven for any buttery sauce or rich dish. The clean, un-oaked chards pair better with leaner meat like the ham or turkey with simple au jus or mustard sauces.

3) Pinot Grigio (Italy) or Pinot Gris (Alsatian) are interesting wines which combine crispness and the fruitiness of peaches--it will match well with your turkey and ham both and of course a side of pasta. If Pinot grigio is your wine, you will need to tone down any sweetness in the sauces or the fruitiness of the pinot grigio will be a dull shadow of its normal character.

4) Gerwurtztraminer-an Alsatian varietal, now also from the USA's west coast produces an "exotic" wine, easily recognized by its aroma of lychees. It is a very food-friendly wine, especially with Asian foods and strong spices. We pair this wine with a Holiday Ham served with a raisiny or pineapple-sweet and sour sauce. Note, you'll find a wide range of expression from slightly sweet and fruity to quite spicy in Gerwurtztraminers. We suggest you taste-test before the big holiday to know which maker's selection to match with your feast.

RED WINES
5) Cabernet Sauvignon with its black current (casis) flavors and structure from the tannins will be excellent with your New Years lamb. I find it a bit too tough of character for the more delicate turkey and prefer merlot. Holiday Hams can stand up to a cabernet quite nicely, but the sweetness of your sauce will make a difference as cabernet is not especially good with sweet, tropical fruit flavors. A Christmas duck would pair nicely with a structured, flavorful cabernet:

*those from California have a lot of oak which gives them more vanilla character and a round mouth-feel,

*those from France, especially Bordeaux, which are blended with merlot, may be more elegant and a *better pairing for lamb and duck feasts.

6) Merlots have a plumy taste with soft tannins and low alcohol. Merlot is my favorite red wine with turkey and ham and is very nice with lamb. It is found in France as both the varietal alone in the South and also as the famous Bordeaux-blend of cabernet and merlot characteristic of the famous Bordeaux appellation.

7) Syrah or Shiraz is characterized by a fresh strawberry fruit, which can be light and easy to drink or complex and heavy. I would choose the lighter ones to serve with turkey and ham, but the complex, heavy-bodied syrahs are a nice complement to lamb. You'll find the best wines from this grape today from Rhone Valley in France and Australia.

8) Champagne: a variety of expressions and moods. Lighter, crisp champagnes are the best aperitif wines, but some of the more full-bodied champagnes can be nicely matched to a holiday feast. Add sparkle--make an occasion of the occasion. A really big treat would be a rose champagne like the one from Billecart Salmon (available at Vinissimo) which is a perfect complement to any center of the feast, turkey, ham, fish and lamb.

If you are celebrating your holidays in St. Maarten, Anguilla or St. Barths, remember that Vinissimo Boutiques and Bacchus of St. Barths have a very price-friendly range of good value wines of each of these varietals. The sommeliers there can also assist you to find fine wines that are made up of these grapes and help you to match your menu, recipes and the wines for the most festive of holidays.

Whether you're in St. Maarten and having summertime for your winter or summer vacation, or you're experiencing the real summer of the northern hemisphere, and it's a wonderful hot, sunny day, what wine do you feel like drinking?

If you're a wine-lover, drink a summer-wine. You could choose a cold, crisp white. But, here's an idea--think pink! Not only is pink color of summer fashion; but it can also take you to some easy-drinking, satisfying wine for hot weather and summer food.

Pink wines are called Rosé, or "Blush," wines. Blush was a marketing name given to pink wines in California in the 1980s to encourage people to try them when they found wines called "Rosé" weren't selling and they had tons of red zinfandel grapes and no market.

There are two really distinctive styles of pink wine and you can have basic expectations from the country of origin. The classic rosé wine of Europe is a dry, fruity wine; a delight to drink when served chilled with a nice lunch and the right food combinations. The blush, or white zinfandel, from California is sweet, many wine-lovers disparagingly refer to it as alcoholic strawberry soda.

In the States, a lot of wine stores sell primarily the sweet versions of rosé and white zinfandel because it's so popular now. But in Europe, and in St. Martin and its neighboring Islands, it's easy to find the fine, easy-drinking dry variety of rosé produced in the south of France which are excellent values.

This is another example of how frequently wines develop in style and taste as a consequence of their region, the life-style and food of its people as well as the terroir. The rosés of France come from the warmer southern areas. The most well known are from Provence, around the French Riviera with its famous beaches and resorts like St. Tropez, Cannes, and Nice. But the southern Rhone Valley also produces lovely rosés as does Spain, Portugal and even Germany.

Many people who became wine lovers in the 60s and 70s first tasted inexpensive Portuguese Rosés--names that bring back fond memories of my youth--Lancers and Mateus. Dry rosés are great wines for summer, a treat for lunch at the beach or on a picnic in your local park or wilderness.

The pink color of rosé wines comes from contact with the grape skin during the early stages of wine production. This "skin-contact" also gives European-styled rosé wines their structure, complex flavors and dryness from the tannins in the grape skin.

There are lots of occasions for rosé wines. They are interesting to order when several diners want to share a bottle but are having dishes that would otherwise suggest a white wine for one and a red for the other. For example if you're having fish and your dinner companion is having meat-rosé goes with both! Another occasion for rosé is when red wine seems too heavy: hot days and evenings when red wine might raise your body temperature and you'd feel uncomfortable. Rosé wines fit casual events and ethnically diverse food including: burgers, hot dogs, pork, ham, Asian dishes, and are perfect for Sunday Brunch. There's no better way to celebrate being in St. Martin, at the beach, or back home to herald the summer. Rosés go with Valentine's Day, however, you might want to enjoy a rosé Champagne for its added romance.

If you're in St. Martin, St. Barth's or Anguilla and want to feel very French-at-the beach, stop by one of the Vinissimo or Bacchus Boutiques to try one of the many reasonably-priced, dry rosé wines from the South of France. It's a taste of summer in a bottle. Drink them at home in the winter doldrums and it will bring you right back to the beach. You may become a blush-wine-lover even if you never want to let a white zinfandel touch your lips. You can also have a real treat with the rosé Champagne of Billecart Salmon-pure bottled delight.

Do you plan to drink a bottle of wine, maybe a very special one, to celebrate special occasions? Surely! But to make every day an event, discover the many well-crafted varietal wines at every day prices. All you have to learn is which grape variety you appreciate most on your palette and you can start small in price and type. You can only do this by tasting-tough job, but you have to do it, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

After learning to recognize the most common grape varieties, you can refine your choice by learning which vintners bottle the grape varietal you like, at a value price, and keep consistency between years and bottles. Good vintners are producing oceans of these wines now, many being crafted with care to give a lot of pleasure. Vinissimo in St. Martin is proud to introduce this year a value-priced line of varietal wines from France that will surprise your palate and your budget that are now available in its shops by the wine maker Louis Chatel.

The most common white wines bottled as varietals around the world include: Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Chardonnay, the most famous, was produced for centuries in France and is the grape of white Burgundies. It is typically round in the mouth and fragrant to the nose. In old world tradition, it can be developed by a variety of technical approaches and it became the standard of California white wine in the New World, where it was matured in oak, which gave California chardonnay its distinctive vanilla notes. When chardonnay wines are made by methode-champenoise, chardonnay grapes even produce lovely champagnes. The chardonnay grape grows easily around the world so it is now the most widely grown grape globally. It is also quite variable in taste and nose depending on its growing conditions, region and wine making techniques.

Sauvignon Blanc grapes yield wines that are dry, acid, sort of sharp edges and a very characteristic "nose" or smell that doesn't vary as much from country to country as chardonnay will, so it's a good starting wine to learn to recognize by its nose.

The most popular red wines bottled around the world by varietals are: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Cabernet is the world's most famous red wine. Cab usually produces a powerful wine, sometimes described as masculine, because of its complex "structure," deep color, and a characteristic nose that is typical of dark fruits (black currant) independent of the soil in which it was grown.

Merlot, is the opposite, more "feminine," round and soft with lushness and was often blended with Cabernet in Bordeaux to soften the cab. Merlot came into its own when planted in the Languedoc as it has a more juicy expression there then elsewhere in France. It's also become one of the most widely grown grape varietals in the New World: North and South America, Australia, New Zealand and even South Africa.

The Louis Chatel line will serve as an example of how to search out some of great value wines. First, the category of the wine. The name "vin de pays d'oc" can be broken down: "Vin de Pays," means simply "country wine." In France, this is a superior table wine. The region designation "d'oc" is French slang for the Languedoc. This is a large southern region of France which was given this strange name because the people there had a particular quirk of language, using "oc" instead of "oui" for "yes." Even though the ancient Romans, who settled this region when France was called Gaul, grew grapes and made wine here, this area was not widely cultivated for wine production in more recent times. In 1855, French regulators made up their famous classification of wine areas and bound these areas by law as to the amount of wine production, and varieties of grapes they could grow including the proportions of them. These regulations gave rise to the quality of Burgundy and Bordeaux; but, held back their amount of production by prestigious labels.

Because of this, Languedoc has recently been allowed to develop as a booming new wine region in the Old World. The growers here can produce large volumes and grow the grape varieties that have the best marketability and in what proportions they wish. But being in France, they can also hire excellent wine-makers to provide high levels of craftsmanship. These wines are produced to meet market needs and that is why they have developed a lot of cultivation of the most popular international grape varieties.

These varietals are a great place to start and to keep your wine glass always half full….

French wine bottling is steeped in tradition that is both practical and alerts the consumer of the contents including the wine's type, handling and how-to-serve it. The New World wines copied French bottling style until most recently when some bottles turned into art or marketing statements.

The traditional shapes of French wine bottles are named after the regions spawning them. A Burgundy bottle has a long, smoothly sloping neck opening into a generously broad base with a softly dimpled bottom. Invert the bottle to see the impressed glass in the bottom with a dimple-originally it was the "pontel mark" created when a hand-blown bottle was cut from the glassblowers' pipe. A knowing consumer recognizes that the wine in this shaped bottle, comes from Burgundy, and must be made from pinot noir grapes if it's red; or chardonnay grapes if it's white. While the pinot noirs of Burgundy age well, they do not form sediments, and thus the gentle shape of the shoulder allows the wine to pour smoothly from the base of the bottle. Further, they can be drunk young so it's said the wine itself has no shoulder for aging.

In contrast, the famous Bordeaux bottle has a distinctive, straight neck that forms a shoulder to meet the base of the bottle. Its pontel mark is also more indented creating a trough. While this is traditional, it's also practical. Bordeaux red wines are made from principally cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes with minor components of other grapes, but only those allowed by French law. These tannic wines are aged long, and frequently the older wines form sediments that would detract from the enjoyment of the wine in the glass. So the shoulder of the bottle is used when pouring or decanting to catch the sediment to keep it from draining into the glass. A wine in this shape bottle should always be stored horizontally, with the cork wet and the label upward to give notice that the sediment will be found on the bottom of the side opposite the label. The wine must be poured gently into a glass or decanter, so as not to suspend the sediment if there is any and then leave a little liquid behind so as not to drain it into the last glass served. The whites of this region are made of grapes equally regulated by law and consistent throughout individual appellations. Wines in a bottle with a strong shoulder are designed to be cellared: the wine is to be aged and its development has a shoulder before which it's not prime to drink.

The color of both Burgundy and Bordeaux bottles is traditionally various shades of green to protect it from light that would affect the aging. Wines bottled in less darkly colored glass are meant to be drunk immediately, not cellared. These would include the light, dry rose wines of southern France. The sweeter blush wines of California use the same shape following tradition.

Champagne bottles are equally distinctive. Champagne gets its bubbles from a second fermentation in the bottle on the "lees," which are particulates including the yeast cells doing the work of the fermentation. There is a temporary stopper placed in the bottle, the wine is put on "riddling racks" which is a slanted board with round holes into which the traditional heavy champagne bottle is inserted neck first. Then the wine-maker twists, or riddles, the bottles by turning them quarter turns at a time then leaving it to ferment and turning it again. The champagne bottle has to be heavier to prevent the pressure from the fermentation gasses that create the sparkling wine from exploding the bottle. When the second fermentation is complete, the bottle is turned upside down so the yeast forms a plug in the neck and it's frozen. The yeast plugs are then expelled by the gas in a big pop when the bottle is uncorked. The champagne is then closed by a final thick cork and wire cage. These devices keep the cork from exploding out of the bottle under pressure. This packaging tells the consumer to remove the wire carefully and it's best to use a towel to cover the cork, then rotate the bottle while holding the cork to release
the cork without expelling it as a missile. That is unless you want to for celebration effect.

Other regions also have distinctive shapes of bottles like the Germanic wines in both Germany and France. Wines are also bottled in a variety of sizes from splits (halves) to named from 'magnums' (doubles) to more exotic names like Jeroboam and Balthazar.

In recent time, great liberties have been taken with bottling wines in the New World areas and in the less-regulated wine-growing regions of the south of France who are not dominated by the
legal requirements in the traditional wine-growing regions.

California wine-makers invented the flanged bottle with a wax plug over the cork and a clear plastic capsule. When asked if this approach benefited the wine, we were told: "It's all for marketing…."

While touring France a few years ago, we visited a large cooperative winery in Provence where we could choose the region's wines in a tasting room. Then the manager took us to a bottle room with a dazzling array of choices of bottles in size, shape, color, material, theme, decoration and price. All these bottles would ultimately contain the purchasers' choice from the much more limited variety of wine next door.

When visiting St. Martin, stop in at Vinissimo Boutique and view the shapes and colors of the wine bottles from the newer wine regions and compare them to the traditional bottles of the grand dames of France which display the bottle artistry that's been appreciated world-wide.

At New Year's and other celebrations, we commonly toast each other with wishes: "Here's to your health!" in English; other languages express it as:
British - Cheers!
Chinese - Wen Lie!
French - A Votre Sante or …Sante
German - Prosit!
Greek - Yasas!
Hebrew - L'Chayim!
Hungarian - Ege'sze'ge're!
Irish - Slainte!
Italian - Alla Salute!
Japanese - Kanpai!
Polish - Na Zdrowie!
Russian - Za vashe zdorovye!
Spanish - Salud!
Swedish - Skal!

Sláinte! is gaelic for "To your health!"
(It's pronounced as if you quickly slurred "It's a lawn chair!")

But, are we toasting with a glass of wine that will itself add to a good and healthy life? May be…:

In 1991, a "CBS' 60 Minutes" special called "The French Paradox" revealed to a wide audience that French people who enjoy a diet heavy in fat had a lower risk of heart and circulatory diseases than their counterparts in many other countries. This was despite their culture of heavy smoking and little exercise. Research scientists linked this health benefit to the French custom of drinking wine with meals; more closely with red than white wine. A typical French person consumes 60 L wine/year compared to Americans who consume less than 8 L/year.

Danish studies then suggested that drinking in moderation, specifically wine and not other alcoholic beverages, was responsible for substantially lowered risk of dying of heart disease. By half amongst Danes!

Since the first large public awakening to the French paradox, more than 100 scientific reports have been published providing evidence that drinking wine moderately leads to better health. Studies of the reduced risk of coronary disease have shown that phenolic compounds in wine may have this effect because they lower LDL ("bad) cholesterol levels while raising HDL ("good") cholesterol levels. The reason red wine may be more beneficial than white is that red wine contains six times the amount of phenolic compounds than does white due to the longer contact with the grape skins during fermentation. Another compound predominantly in red wine due to its extraction from grape skins is called "resveratrol," which has anti-bacterial activity as well as being an anti-oxidant that may prevent strokes and cancer.

The ethanol (alcohol) content in wine can decrease red blood cell clotting. Consumption of alcohol can actually dissolve blood clots in arteries and veins which may help prevent strokes as well as benefiting the cardiovascular systems in other ways.

Recently there is even a suggestion that moderate wine consumption may help prevent cancer. A study of a large number of nurses showed drinking one and a half glasses of wine a day, reduced their risk of breast cancer (thought by researchers to be associated to the presence in wine of various anti-oxidants).

Other benefits linked to moderate wine consumption include improvements in iron deficiency anemia, helping vegetarians to increase their mineral absorption and reduction of the incidence of sleep disorders. Drinking wine with meals is also believed to aid digestion.

So along with Grandma's wisdom: "An apple a day, keeps the doctor away;" can we now say: "A glass of wine a day, may also keep the doctor away?"

Alas, there exists a proverbial double-edged sword: headaches associated with drinking wine are caused by impurities in wine in greater concentration in reds than whites. If you have a cold you may want to avoid drinking red wines as they release histamines that can increase your discomfort by an allergic response. Some asthmatics react adversely to the sulfur-dioxide added to wine for its preservation. People with allergies to eggs, fish and nuts, may find there are shared components in wine they react to as well.

People should only consume wine for enjoyment, not as a prescription for health. In fact, the good news about wine and health must be couched with the admonition that all beneficial studies refer to moderate wine consumption (1-2 glasses a day) and there remain strong warnings against drinking in excess which can damage your health. Drinking and driving must be avoided to prevent accidents and death.

Recently, though some doctors disagree, it is thought that pregnant women may occasionally consume small amounts of alcohol; though they should never drink to intoxication and alcohol consumption during pregnancy is associated with the fetal alcohol syndrome. Persons who are alcoholic should not consume alcoholic beverages. If you are taking prescription medicine, you should consult your doctor and pharmacist regarding combining alcohol with your prescription medicines.

We hope you'll visit us at Vinissimo to select the medicine from the vine that best compliments your taste or meals. We wish our readers "a healthy and happy new year!"

Inspiration to soldiers and statesmen, poets and lovers, champagne has participated in significant events and in making an ordinary event extra-ordinary. If you're looking for a special gift this season - consider giving a bottle of Champagne, it's always appreciated and shows your discriminating taste.

To make this holiday sparkle, consider champagne not just for toasting, but to accompany your meal. A suggestion of St. Martin's Vinissimo Sommeliers includes selections from the range of the highly regarded Nicolas Feuillatte champagnes. The Premier Cru Brut is delightful, fruity champagne to open your taste buds and enjoy with a snack or soup. The hard choice is whether to enjoy the rose millésimé with a wonderful holiday ham, a roast goose or duck, or a traditional turkey dinner. The full-bodied Cuvée Palme D'Or is excellent with any main course but elegant with a fish, poultry or game, like Christmas goose, ethnic or fusion cuisine. Champagnes compliment foods from around the world from new to old world, from pizza to exotic Oriental or fresh California flavors.

Vinissimo's Sommelier, Sylvain, revealed to me the magic of Champagne (named for the region 90 miles north of Paris). I was surprised to learn that it begins as a white wine made from red wine grapes --pinot noir is a major champagne-grape. The bubbles were discovered accidentally and were first thought to be an imperfection. Because grapes in the north have to be picked before they freeze, and fermentation only occurs in warm weather, one fermentation occurred before winter, then a second in the spring. Though sparkling wine has been produced in Champagne since Roman times, it was perfected in the late 1600s by Dom Perignon, who learned to control the fermentation.

This "method champenoise" has been used for the past 300 years. First wine and sugar-and-yeast solution is put into the bottles, which have to be made of heavy glass so they won't explode. These rest in a cool dark cellar while the second fermentation occurs in 9 months up to several years, leaving lees and wine in the bottle. The bottles are placed with their necks angled-down in a special "riddling" rack (ask to see one at Vinissimo's Boutique in Marigot). The bottles are then turned by hand a quarter turn per unit of time (day or week, depending on the champagne house) so the lees fall into the narrow neck of the upside-down bottle. The necks are then "disgorged" by being flash frozen and the plug of lees is explosively expelled, leaving the clear sparkling wine behind. This process was only invented in the early 1800s by Veuve (Widow) Clicquot's cellar-master. The bottle is now corked and this champagne is ready to celebrate with you. It is because of this secondary fermentation that the sparkling wines made by the hand-crafted, méthode champenoise have a characteristic yeasty, fresh bread dough, aroma that distinguishes them from beverages made by adding carbonation to wine in tanks.

Each champagne house has its own style, created by blending wines from the first fermentation and by adjusting the sweetness for the second. Briefly these styles include light and citrusy; fruity; full-bodied and yeasty; roses with higher tannins; and heavy, caramely champagnes. Ask a Sommelier, like the wine expert at Vinissimo, or your server in a fine restaurant, to help you choose the one best matching your taste in sweetness and fruitiness as well as body and complexity.

Vinissimo's Sommelier recommends that you serve champagne chilled: place the unopened bottle in a bucket filled with half ice and half water for 30 minutes; or 4 hours in the refrigerator. Open gently by holding the cork still and twisting the bottle. Pour it into a traditional "coupe" - the first one made was modeled on the breast of Marie Antoinette. Modern science applied to wine tasting has led us to prefer the champagne flute or tulip glass to better appreciate its bouquet and enhance the bubbles.

Perhaps you should buy enough champagne so your loved one, like Marilyn Monroe, can bathe in it! Have sparkling holidays and a bubbling new year!

Footnotes:
Travelling to St. Maarten/St. Martin for the holidays? Enjoy champagnes? For a Traditional Christmas, Boxing Day or exceptional New Year's Eve dinner in Sint Maarten, pick up an excellent champagne for your celebrations at a Vinissimo Boutique on your Caribbean holiday.

We taste wine with our eyes and our noses. Try to distinguish your favorite wines with your eyes and nose closed. As proof we need all our senses, professional wine tasters can't always tell red from white wine in a blind tasting. The wine's "nose" or "bouquet" is winespeak for aromas.

A professional taster will smell their empty glass-if it hasn't been properly cleaned, rinsed, and retains detergent, those aromas and flavors will ruin the wines. A tip: keep a personal glass cleaned in clear water only for home wine-tasting.

Until you acquire a designer glass for each wine, choose a clear, tulip-shaped, stemmed "universal" wine glass for both red and white wines and a tall stemmed "flute" for sparkling wines. The stem allows you to hold the glass by its stem or foot, maintaining the wine's temperature in the bowl.

If wine is bad, your nose knows! A server should sniff the freshly released cork and present it only if it's good. The guest can smell the cork, but, except for identifying "corked" wine this has little use as aroma disappears rapidly from the cork. Mold on top of the cork, under the capsule, indicates the wine has been stored in a humid cellar which isn't a problem. "Corked" means the cork has deteriorated and allowed air and mold to enter the wine which cannot be rescued for drinking or cooking. Corked bottles used to occur 1 of every 12; but, with modern techniques are now rare.

An ounce of wine should be poured into the glass for tasting. Hold it, tilting, against a white background to appreciate the wine's color and clarity. Wines are usually described by jewel or Crayola colors: ruby, deep purple, pale gold, topaz, etc. Clarity ranges from clear to opaque.

To appreciate the wine's nose, hold still and sniff. Unless the wine is exceptionally aromatic ("has a huge nose") this may be unremarkable. Swirl the glass to aerate the wine releasing its aromas to be trapped in the glass between liquid and rim. Sniff the aromas with your nose inserted into the opening of the glass. Keep your mouth open slightly while you inhale. Once you have an impression of the nose, you can refresh your senses tasting bread and sipping water.

As the wine returns to the bottom of the bowl, an irregular, transparent film will roll down the sides called "legs or "tears." The higher the alcohol content, the more tears.

Professional wine tasters have trained eyes and noses that reveal what type of grape is in the wine and whether oak was used in its maturation. Pinot noir will be ruby colored and release aromas of red fruits like strawberries and cherries; cabernet sauvignon is purplish with a nose of dark fruits like black cherries and plums. Maturation in oak adds aromas of vanilla, smoke, toast, coffee and chocolate.

Wine lovers train their memories to recall a library of aromas from scents you have experienced: flowers, fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, earth and grass, toast or smoke. You may be reminded of shaved wood, freshly baked bread, burnt matches, mushrooms, a forest after a rain, leather, even barnyard….!