Vintner: Mood music adds flavor to wines
VIENNA – If one Austrian’s quirky idea catches on, wine tastings could soon sound like this: Is that some Mozart in my glass? A hint of Haydn, maybe? Convinced that music is a key ingredient for a good bottle of red or white, Markus Bachmann has invented a special speaker that exposes fermenting grape juice [...]
The barrel matters in making great wine
Fire crackles between the seasoned oak staves, fastened with steel hoops. As the sparks settle, the aromas float through the air – clove, cedar and vanilla. All the nonfruit characteristics you’ve ever identified in wine are coming to life here, in the warehouse of Seguin Moreau, a cooperage, or barrel making facility, in Napa, Calif. [...]
Easy substitutes when recipes call for alcohol
It’s a common kitchen problem. You’re perusing a cookbook or website for a mouthwatering recipe. You scan the ingredients list, mentally ticking off what you have on hand. Excitement comes to a screeching halt, however, when you see that you need a dry red wine to deglaze the pan or amaretto liqueur to add a [...]
Dyes cast fears of behavioral, health disorders
Red No. 40 and other artificial dyes have increasingly become scarlet letters (and numbers) to parents who read food labels. Some believe that these common food, drug and cosmetic dyes can exacerbate behavioral disorders in children, as well as possibly contribute to allergies and cancers. The FDA, after long stating that no scientific evidence conclusively [...]