As my twitter friends are already (painfully) aware, I’ve been sick for the better part of two weeks.  What began as a bout with either a bad cold or a mild flu became a full-on assault from a (very) nasty case of bronchitis.  Fever, coughing, meds, antibiotics, and definitely no wine.

It was suggested to me by a few folks via twitter that I should write about the experience of my forced abstinence.  Initially I was hesitant, because no one wants to read about somebody hacking up brown goo, getting no sleep, and taking various meds – well, maybe only medical students, and they’re sure to find more interesting (read: more virulent, nasty and violent) cases than mine.

I promise no references to sticky brown lung goo.  Or does that last sentence count?

Anyway… truth be told, I needed the break from booze, because I’ve been doing too much wine drinking and not enough wine tasting, and that was seriously messing with my cholesterol numbers.  But little did I know that my 12 days of forced abstinence would involve codeine, glam-metal icons KISS, and actual gratitude towards my illness. 

I am serious about the gratitude.  And about KISS.  And the Humpty Dance.  This will all make sense in a minute or two… or maybe not, I dunno, I was pretty hopped up on some codeine meds.

So, here it is, because you asked for it – my pseudo-diary from “The 12 Days of Abstinence!”…

Read the rest of this entry »

As many frequent 1WineDude readers already know, I recently lost my grandmother to Alzheimer’s disease.  She died at the age of 96 – but the truth is, she was dead years before that, bedridden and unable to care for herself or recognize her loved ones.  Caring for her placed an almost unbearable emotional toll on my family.

I would LOVE for my family to be one of the last who ever had to go through that.

So on World Alzheimer’s Day, I’m asking you to help me KICK ALZHEIMER’S ASS!

YOU can help, and it’s easy. go to the Help 1WineDude Kick Alzheimer’s Ass donation page, and make a donation.

Together, we’re gonna raise $10,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association.  That’s right – 10Gs!  Seems like a big number, but look at it this way:

If everyone who visited 1WineDude.com in a month donated just $1, we’d beat that goal already.

I’m asking YOU to donate a buck.

If you’ve ever had a friend, loved one, or colleague who’s been touched by this disease – and chances are, that’s everyone reading this – then donate.

Donate now – not later, not when you can get around to it, I’m asking you to do it RIGHT NOW.  You will NOT miss that dollar, and you’ll be helping to make the world a better place – we can all toast to that!

If you want to link back to this post to help spread the word, that’s great.  If you want to tweet the link, or throw it into your next facebook update – also great.  But what we really, really, really need is for you to throw a buck into the collective pot – that would do more good than all of the tweeting and facebooking that you could muster.

So donate now – let’s Kick Alzheimer’s ass today!

Cheers!

Some of you out there reading this who may be in the wine trade will already know some of what I’m about to unfold here on the virtual pages of 1WineDude.com.  To those people I say this: chime in with some comments to help those who are soon to step into danger’s path.

Some of you, who are new to the trade, or are eager and enthusiastic consumers who are planning to attend a wine tasting event during which you may have the opportunity to taste upwards of 100+ wines in a short amount of time.  To those people I say this: read on and pay attention – it just might save you some pain.  Some real pain.

As the bards AC/DC said, “For those about to Rock – We Salute You!”

Anyway… I’m not talking about the fact that you need to pace yourself when tasting dozens and dozens of wines, or the hazard of your judgment becoming impaired due to absorbing alcohol through your mouth even if you spit all or most of your tastings.

I’m also not talking about the potential staining of your teeth from tasting a ton of red wine (though that is certainly an occupational hazard, though a temporary one).

Nope – I’m talking about something more… insidious…

Read the rest of this entry »

Here we go again.

The topic of wine & health is no stranger to the (virtual) pages of 1WineDude.com. Basically, I like to keep on the topic, mostly because it provides such great fodder for ridicule.

Ok, that’s harsh. Let’s not call it ridicule. Let’s call it poking fun. That sounds better, doesn’t it? Ok, now that we have that cleared up…

According to ScienceDaily.com, a recent announcement by a joint team from Oxford and Norway – at least, I think it’s joint Oxford / Norway team; it’s listed in the article as “The team from Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and Norway”, which I assume is a joint effort as it would be strange to have a Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and Norway (nothing against Norway, of course; after all, they brought us the… uhm…. err… let me get back to you on that…) – dang… lost my train of thought there…

Oh, yeah, I remember now – The joint team (as in, the collaboration between Oxford and Norway, not a team researching ganja) announced study findings that showed that chocolate, tea, and, of course, wine enhance cognitive performance.

Now, before you go out and get amped up on Starbuck’s, blitzed on your favorite vino and buy stock in Ethel’s chocolate, you need to know a few things.

First, the study is based on data from about 2,000 participants in their 70s. You might not be in this demographic.

Secondly, while the team suspects that polyphenols (in the form of flavonoids) are the source of the enhanced cognitive ability for the mature audience in the study, the researchers caution that “more research would be needed to prove that it was flavonoids, rather than some other aspect of the foods studied, that made the difference.” In other words, the negative health impacts of imbibing too much caffiene, alcohol, and sugar/fat probably far outweigh the benefits of the flavonoids; moderate consumption, as always, is best.

Finally, Ethel’s is privately owned – so you won’t be buying any stock (sorry).

Cheers!
(images: creativelydifferentblinds.com)

This past Friday, at about 2AM, I was driving back home after a long day, a great Mexican dinner with some foodie friends, and a very fun gig with my band in downtown West Chester.

I was stopped about halfway home, on backroads, by a police sobriety checkpoint.

Had I been drinking that night? Well… duh…!

Did I drink responsibly, ending my alcohol intake hours before I had planned to head home after the gig? Yep.

Did I ‘pass’ this sobriety checkpoint?

Of course, I ‘passed’ the sobriety checkpoint, thanks to my tried-and-true, never-fail, guaranteed-to-work or your-money-back 3 Rules for Passing Sobriety Checkpoints.

Today, free of charge, I’m going to share my 3 Rules with you…!

The 1WineDude.com 3 Rules for Passing Sobriety Checkpoints:

1. Don’t be drunk.
2. Be Sober.
3. Don’t be ‘Not-sober’.

There you have it! Simple, straight-forward, and guaranteed-to-work – or your money back!

For more on responsible wine-drinking, see these previous 1WineDude.com articles:

• Wine Appreciation and Alcohol Abuse: How to Avoid Personal Disaster
• Why Kids are Collateral Damage in the War for Your Wine Dollar (and What You Can Do About It)
• In the News: Drinking Can Cut Risk of Heart Disease (+ Other Tidbits)

Have a happy – and responsibly safe! – Monday.

Cheers!

(images: www.flickr.com/photos/stacylynn, timeinc.net)

Alzheimer’s Disease, the most prominent form of disorders impacting the brain that we widely term as dementia, is a subject near and dear to the Dude’s heart.

What many people don’t know is that Alzheimer’s is in the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. Currently, the disease is fatal, and there is no cure. Yet. What’s particularly insidious about Alzheimer’s is the toll it takes on those who care the most about its victims.

My wife’s grandmother died from Alzheimer’s. She was a fiery and independent woman until the disease struck her. While she remained relatively lucid (e.g., recognizing family members), she became lost in time: she would ask about her husband on multiple occasions, and had to be told (again and again) that her husband was dead. Imagine reliving that pain.

My grandmother, now in her mid-90s, has Alzheimer’s. She has forgotten how to descend stairs, so she is confined to the second story of the house that she shares with my mother. When my wife and I visited her recently and tried to show her our newborn baby, my grandmother simply stared at as and softly shook her head from side to side. She had no idea who we were, and we likely were scaring the hell out of her with our behavior.

So you might imagine that I am no friend to Alzheimer’s disease. I don’t hate much in this world, and I consider hate a very strong word to use in any circumstances. I hate Alzheimer’s. I’ve yet to make any peace with it (apologies to the Buddhists out there… I am trying!).

What does this have to do with wine?…

A Swedish study has found a possible link between moderate wine drinking and lower instances of dementia. The study is hardly conclusive, but it suggests that wine may help protect against certain forms of dementia, and gives credence to follow-up studies that would explore the possible link further:

“These findings, in combination with the fact that women today drink more wine than 40 years ago, show that it is important to continue to do research on this correlation. In future analyses we will be studying the effect on more specific types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Other research methods will be needed in order to see what role wine and other alcoholic beverages play in the development of dementia“

Of course, there is a flip-side to this coin (and as any regular readers of this blog can tell you, it’s my M.O. to show to a sobering flip-side in these situations). Other unrelated studies have found a possible correlation between heavy drinking and the early onset of Alzheimer’s disease. According to one such study, heavy alcohol consumption might contribute to speeding up the onset of Alzheimer’s by up to 5 years.

As usual, moderation is probably best.

I hate to end on a down note, so I decided that I’d like to put my money where my mouth is.

From now through September 1st, 2008, I will donate 50% of the proceeds from the sale of my Tasting Guide to the Alzheimer’s Association. If you have a wine-related website or blog, please consider becoming an Affiliate to sell my guide on your site during that time. If it’s successful, I may extend it indefinitely – so stay tuned, and help spread the word.

You can also help the cause to fight Alzheimer’s by displaying a ribbon from Caring.com on your website or blog. Each ribbon means a $10 caring.com donation to the Alzheimer’s Association. Check out the one in the 1WineDude.com sidebar for a preview.

Cheers!

(images: soundentistry.com, blog.makezine.com)