Fitness & Wine

It’s Jan 3, 2011 and I’m working on my New Year’s resolution to be more fit. Apparently everyone else had the same resolution because the gym was packed tonight. In the mean time my dinner is in the Crock•Pot and my thoughts turn to what should I pair with my roast beef? Yes roast beef not a protein shake or steamed veggies. I’m 45 and very much a meat and potatoes guy and i like protein shakes.  Here lies my struggle with wine and fitness. I really want a protein shake to help build muscle but I also want a glass of wine to compliment my dinner. Those who know me know I drink wine and work out and i stay moderately fit so where’s the struggle? Well how can I enjoy wine with a protein shake. I mean I’ve never seen that combination in a wine write up. Ok so I drink the protein shake before I work out, problem solved right? But what about the effects of alcohol on muscle building?  There have been several articles on the subject. Some say you shouldn’t drink any alcohol if you are serious about muscle building. So where do I find my happy place between enjoying the muscle growth I expect to see from all my work outs and the effects of enjoying a glass of wine my dinner. Moderation is key, so I only have one glass of wine after my work out and sometimes I don’t even drink the whole glass. I take vitamins and protein daily so hopefully it all comes together and does my body good.

I’m not an expert on wine or health so I want know how do you balance fitness & wine?

References:
http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_200/218_fitness_tip.html

http://www.bodybuildingsecretslive.com/effects-of-alcohol-on-muscle/

http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/alcohol.htm

Champagne Margaritas

Just the title makes me laugh. A friend asked, what
do you do with the left-over Champagne? My first answer was drink
it.   She wanted to know if there was a cocktail you can make
with wine and of course there are, but my favorite is Champagne (or
sparkling wine) Margaritas. Here’s my recipe for
it :

• 1 1/2 oz Tequila Reserva 1800
  Silver
• 1 1/2 oz Champagne or Sparkling
  wine
• 1 1/2 to 2 oz of Topo Chico Mineral
  Water http://www.topochico.com/
• Salt
• 1 Key Lime

Fill glass with rocks (crushed ice), pour tequila,
Champagne, and Topo Chico, squeeze 1 or 2 key limes over rocks and
salt to taste and stir. Then sit back and enjoy with
pork nachos or your favorite mexican food. : )

Bubbles and Barbecue – Moet Tonight

It’s tonight! — Bubbles and Barbecue – Moet Monday, November 15, 2010

If you RSVP’d for tonight’s event, we look forward to seeing you there.

We have made plans for a great evening in hopes that you won’t dread this Monday. We will try something different after work by dining at renown chef Kent Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen for bubbles and barbecue.

Highlights
Bubbles
Dinner
When & Where
Featured Chef

BUBBLES…..BARBECUE….MEET NEW FRIENDS…LEARN ABOUT CHAMPAGNE…ENJOY TIME WITH OTHER WINE LOVERS

Come learn about champagne and experience how it delights the senses when paired with barbecue. Guyot, The Guide to the Good Life, rates Moet & Chandon champagne as one of the Top 10 Barbecue Wines.

Menu
Barbecue Dinner:
Guests will be served (family style) a selection of barbecue chicken, pork and brisket. Take your pick. Then choose a side item (cole slaw or french fries). You will also be served homemade bread and butter pickles, cornbread sticks and Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen’s specialty jams.

Price

Non-members (per person): $13.99 for dinner + $5.00 for mini-bottle of Moet & Chandon Imperial + 20% gratuity payable at the restaurant. Separate checks will be provided.

EWTS Members: Discount applies. Members will be provided with their discount at the event. Separate checks will be provided.

RSVPs are no longer being accepted. If you forgot to RSVP, you can still come out, but we are unable to guarantee a seat at our reserved table.
We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Vicki Calton

Event Hotline: (469) 718-3621
Website: http://ewts.org
When & Where
6:30pm – 8:30pm

Rathbun’s BLUE PLATE KITCHEN
6130 Luther Lane
Dallas, TX 75225

Featured Chef

Kent Rathbun
Iron Chef America Winner

Enchante’ Wine Tasting Society, Inc. | . | DFW Metroplex | TX | 76003

Just in time for the holidays

Visit Michael Locke GM for Reserved Wines and check out their great selection of wines. Just in time for the Holidays tell him Marty The Wine Guy sent you and he’ll give you a 10% discount from now through New Years.

Visit Reserve Wines at
5910 N McArthur Blvd, #139, Irving, TX 75039
Phone: 972-373-9463
or on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=lf#!/profile.php?id=100000780028065

Join EWTS for the Fall Wine Dinner PARTY on Saturday, September 18, 2010

Join EWTS for the Fall Wine Dinner PARTY on Saturday, September 18, 2010.  Now that summer is over, it’s time to mellow out with The Enchanté Wine Tasting Society and Zea Woodfire Grill. You are invited! Highlights Wine Dinner Live Jazz Featured Chef DINNER…..WINE…..LIVE JAZZ We’re doing it mellow. Zea’s mellow wines…food prepared by a renown chef…live jazz music by the Bobby Riese Group. What more could you ask for? So go ahead, make it a date! Menu Starter •Veremonte Sauvignon Blanc •Cheese Display •Shrimp Cocktail Nacho Entree Your choice of one of the following entrees perfectly paired with a glass of mellow wine: •Bronze Trout, Thai Green Beans served with Trivento Select Malbec (Argentina) •Woodfire Chicken Breast, Buttered Sweet Potatoes served with Little Black Dress Merlot (California, USA) •Woodfire 12 Ounce Flat Iron Steak, Roasted Corn Grits served with Santa Carolina Carmenere (Chile) After Dinner After this fine indulgence of Chef Kent Rathbuns’ fare, kick back and groove with us in the bar area as we enjoy the sultry sounds of the LIVE JAZZ BAND. Purchase Tickets Please prepay for your tickets online by the deadline of Thursday, September 16th (click on “Purchase Tickets”). EWTS Members: $30* per person prepaid online. Non-members: $40* per person prepaid online. *includes gratuity We hope to see you there! Sincerely, Vicki Calton Event Hotline: (469) 718-3621 Website: http://ewts.org When & Where 6:30pm – 9:00pm ZEA WOODFIRE GRILL 8100 Dallas Parkway Plano, TX 75024 Featured Chef Kent Rathbun Iron Chef America Winner

Brushy Creek needs volunteers pickers for the 17th and 18th of Sep

Brushy Creek needs volunteers pickers for the 17th and 18th of Sep. Volunteers please meet at 6 AM Brushy Creek parking lot, then convoy to the vineyard. With the heat back on high, we will be picking early mornings, crushing and pressing later in the day, come on out, try something new (we reward our greatly appreciated help with wine and lunch). Want to know more details give us a call at 940-427-4747, or see our Facebook or Twitter pages for current information as you know things change quickly in north Texas.
This message was sent by: Brushy Creek Vineyards & Winery, 572 CR 2798, Alvord , Tx 76225

Brushy Creek needs volunteers pickers this week :-)

Calling on all my friends I just received the following email from Les Constable:  Brushy Creek needs volunteers pickers this week, we will be harvesting on Thur/Fri/Sat, various locations. With the heat on high, we will be picking early mornings, crushing and pressing later in the day, come on out, and try something new (FYI we reward our greatly appreciated help with a few bottles of their favorite Brushy Creek Wine). Want to know more details give us a call at 940-427-4747, or see our Facebook or Twitter pages for current information.
This message was sent by: Brushy Creek Vineyards & Winery, 572 CR 2798, Alvord , Tx 76225

Learn more about Brushy Creek Vineyards:  http://www.wineguy.org/BrushyCreekVineyards.html

Wine Shoppe For Sale in Historic Downtown Plano, Texas

Toni Rulau has put her Wine Shoppe up For Sale in historic downtown Plano, Texas A Toast To Texas Int’l Wine Shoppe 1016 East 15th Street Plano, TX 75074 - (972) 325-4047 Open Mon-Thu 11:30am-8pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-9:30pm

Have you been thinking about owning your own business?  Do you have a passion for wine?  Are you great with people?  Perhaps the time has come to own your own wine shoppe.   About 2 1/2 years ago Toni Rulau and Becky Baack opened A Toast to Texas Int’l Wine Shoppe in historic downtown Plano, Texas.   Today they have a turned their dream into a sucessfull business which has steadily increased year to year and growing.  But now they are looking to spend more time with their respective families.  A Toast to Texas is growing wine shoppe and it has become well-known and liked in the neighborhood.  It is located in bustling and historic downtown Plano in a great shopping strip.  This is a great opportunity to own your own wine shoppe in great area…reasonable rent.  Call Toni or Becky at 972-325-4047 to learn more about the important questions like inventory, price, revenue, cash flow…

Go out and visit the wine shoppe you will be glad you did.  It’s also right on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Red Line.

Talking about Napa with Wes Marshall, Author of What’s a wine lover to do?

Kay Zink and I recently interviewed Wes Marshall at Legacy Books in Plano, Texas. Marshall has been writing about wine for about 15 years perhaps that’s why I really enjoy the way he writes about it. His new book What’s a wine lover to do? is published by Artisan Books. In it, he talks about everything from the old world and new world wines to the difference in wine labels, the sabrage technique, the wine people and their stories and he does it all with a real insight that educates and comforts me. Its easy reading, very informative and laid out with many cross references and infused with comments from his colleagues. In his own words he says the book is written for the novice wine lover to the those who are confident enough to order a wine in a restaurant but still feel like they have a lot to learn.

I’d love to tour Napa on my bicycle so I asked Marshall what should I do in Napa? He of course said to stay off of Hwy 29 and that he would ride his bike on the Silverado Trail and I would find about 10 – 12 wineries to visit. Marshall’s wine advice in his book is direct to the point and sorted into 334 sections which makes it easy to learn as you go, you can put it down then come back and read some more. You will learn a lot about wine from his book and at only $17.95 its an incredible value.

Visit Legacy Books online at: http://www.legacybooksonline.com/

Learn more about bicycling through Napa from the following links:

http://www.napavalleybiketours.com/

http://www.winecountrytourshuttle.com/?gclid=CJ389euW5aICFcpd2godkX6CIA

http://www.lifecycleadventures.com/napa-valley.html?gclid=CNuQ1reX5aICFQVGnQodiTWTLQ

Follow Marty on www.Facebook.com/AtoZinfandel

Fragments of a wine industry

Recent articles on the French wine region of Bordeaux have impressed upon me the significance of the holy grail of all wine rating systems and French aristrocacy, or otherwise known as the 1855 Classification. When I first started learning about wine in the Spring of 2000, I devoured every wine book I could get my hands on and learned from the various wine websites that were credible and free. Each time I came across the section on French wine, the subject would turn to Bordeaux and the famous classification of 1855. The first thing that came to mind was, really how is this relevant today? Second I thought, how am I ever going to remember all this & third I thought does it really matter? Fourth I thought, can I live without knowing this classification stuff, and my answer was yes.

If I’ve learned anything about wine in the last 10 years it is the world is changing so fast and nothing stays the same. Sure back in the day when marketing was ruled by aristocrats and their money this 5 tiered classification meant everything to those on this list. It was a dirty joke (pardon the terrior pun) to those who didn’t make it on the list and those that did but ended up on the bottom of the list. But the worst part of all is the joke didn’t go away and it has lasted over 150 years. In all those years only one found redemption and that Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

How can a system like this survive the test of time? Those that didn’t find favor back in 1855 ended up with their face in the dust. After the recent boycott on French wine and this downturn in the economy, I began to think on this classification. Why does this upset me so much? I don’t know, maybe it’s be cause I want the underdog to succeed, or the light to shine on the grapes that are on the bottom of the list.

It is time to emancipate Bordeaux and to transfer ownership of the top tiers to Chateaux of the people’s choice. A modern day classification or dare I say it the word “Competition” is warranted and needed for Bordeaux at least for the next 150 years or so. Otherwise, no matter how hard the lesser ranked domains try or no matter how great the praises are, and no matter what they do they will never break free of the napoleonic chains.

This post was updated to include Wine-Searcher’s recent article on Reviewing the 1855 Bordeaux Classification of Wines.  I enjoyed the article because it asks, “What would the Classification look like now?”  Based entirely on price it shows the following interesting results:  http://www.wine-searcher.com/spirit08.htm

 

More reading:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/ed9772fc-a963-11de-9b7f-00144feabdc0.html

http://www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=291747

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/lifetimes/article/826230