“Wine Just for the Health of It” part 2 this week on the WineGuyMike™ Radio Show©

Check out the radio show on The Trail 103.3FM and Fresh 104.5FM.  The live stream feed is online at www.trail1033.com where you can click on “Listen Live”.  The WineGuyMike™ Radio Show© airs on both radio stations Sunday mornings at 10:00AM MDT.

Each week WineGuyMike™ will be giving away gift certificates from our sponsors.  If your question is selected as WineGuyMike’s™ topic of discussion you will win one of the $20.00 – $25.00 gift certificates.  Good luck and send your questions to WineGuyMike™ on his Facebook fan page.

Social Media links;

Today’s Podcast; http://trail1033.podbean.com/2011/10/30/wine-guy-mike-for-october-30th/

YouTube; My YouTube channel of course is WineGuyMike™ or the actual URL link: http://www.youtube.com/user/WineGuyMike?feature=mhum

Facebook; WineGuyMike please “like”

Twitter; @WineGuyMike please follow me

Sponsors

      

Ciao Mambo, “Eat Like You Mean It”, located in Missoula on The Hip Strip.  Find them online at www.CiaoMambo.com

Sleep City Missoula www.sleepcity.com

 W.J. Deutsch & Sons since 1981 has been marketing quality wines produced by prestigious families from major wine regions of the world. 

Georges Distributing in Helena, Montana.

Welcome to the WineGuyMike™ Radio Show© this Sunday morning.  This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with a man who enjoys great wines from around the world.  Dr.Stan Wilson from Missoula, Montana is a world renowned Cardiologist and inventor.

You might ask why such an accomplished doctor lives in a small city like Missoula?  Missoula is host to the International Heart Institute at St. Patrick Hospital which is the number one program for heart surgical procedures and research in the world.  The other reason Missoula may be one of the coolest places to live is The University of Montana.  Culture, art, wine, excellent medical care, and great restaurants just make this university centered city a great place to live and work.  In Dr. Wilson’s case, practice his cardiology specialty.

About The International Heart Institute of Montana http://ihimontana.org/

The International Heart Institute of Montana (IHI) brings together a recognized team of cardiologists, heart surgeons, nurses and researchers to perform advanced cardiac procedures and to search for new and improved ways to treat heart disease. Founded in 1995, IHI involves physicians and staff of St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center and The University of Montana.

What is The Women’s Heart Health Program offered at the IHI?

Many of us are surprised to learn that one in three women will die from cardiovascular disease.  Heart disease and stroke kill more women than all cancers combined, including breast cancer.  It remains an underappreciated fact that more women than men die of cardiovascular disease every year.

The Women’s Heart Health Program is a comprehensive way to prevent, diagnose and treat heart disease in women.  Heart disease may be especially difficult to diagnose in women as they may have different symptoms than men.  This program helps women to identify and reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Red wine, in moderation, has long been thought of as heart healthy.  The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants may help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of “good” cholesterol and protecting against artery damage.

“Wine Just for the Health of It” is part 2 of an ongoing series on the WineGuyMike™ Radio Show©.  This mission of my show is to share great wine and food in a moderate healthful way.  Sometimes we forget about the wonderful and natural health benefits that both red and white wine provide as part of a daily lifestyle that we enjoy.

The American Heart Association recommends a daily glass of wine to keep the heart doctors away.  Woman should drink one 5oz. glass and for men 10oz. is the recommended amount.  They medical community is quick to say if you don’t drink alcohol now do not start.  The recommendation here is over consumption may could lead to alcoholism, while increased caloric intake could contribute to obesity which increases the risk of diabetic complications.

As Doctor Wilson points out there is plenty of science to back up the health benefits of the daily recommended amount of wine.  In fact studies show that drinking the recommended amount of wine may reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 50%.  Medical associations now recommend white wine for those that have respiratory issues. 

The right diet to complement the recommended moderate consumption of wine is a way that we can still enjoy all that we love about wine and food.  It is very important to examine our lifestyle and think about how we can live in a healthier way.  Remember the old saying, “you are what you eat”, it still holds true.  WineGuyMike™ would like to recommend this website for great information on healty eating, recipes, and exercise recommendations.  www.Heart.org is a site that I found to be outstanding.

Dr. Wilson, the inventor, developed what is known as Bifurcated Stent.  The stent is a stainless steel tube that looks like a microscopic piece of chain-link fence.  An incision in the patient’s groin is the point of entry for the physician to snake the stent up to the damaged artery.  A balloon opens up a path way to insert on the end of the wire.  A patient’s own tissue will grow around the stent in four to six weeks.  Stents act as reinforcement for arteries.

20 percent of the time a blockage is at a junction, or bifurcation.  Stents on each branch would leave a junction unprotected and a stent placed at a junction could block one of the arteries.

The bifurcated stent goes in on the end of one wire while the cardiologist snakes it to the site, imagine a Y-shaped device with its legs tied together.  Once the bifurcated stent reaches the site the wire releases and then the stent opens up and is guided into the bifurcation.

The bifurcated stent is in use in Europe and is nearing FDA approval in the United States.  This magical device should begin to be used in cardiology procedures in the United States next year.   Dr. Wilson gets to be the magician.

As a result of Dr. Wilsons Bifurcated Stent invention he is invited as key note speaker for heart conferences around the world.  Many of these conferences take place in finest wine regions of the world.  This week I’m sharing Dr. Wilson’s favorite wine, the E Guigal Gigondas.  I invite you to listen to the entire conversation between Dr. Wilson and I.  the podcast is available at; http://trail1033.podbean.com/2011/10/30/wine-guy-mike-for-october-30th/

E. Guigal wine from the Rhone Valley of France

the domaine of E. Guigal is located at Ampuis, and was founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal, who had apprenticed at the negociant Vidal Fleury starting in 1924.  Etienne’s son Marcel has been the winemaker of the family firm since 1962.  He has preserved the tradition of the Rhône region and the scrupulous methods of his father, without hesitating to modernize and update his methods in ways that improve the traditional style without violating the spirit of the appellation.  Philippe Guigal, Marcel’s son, is poised to carry on these traditions of innovation and quality well into the 21st century.

E. Guigal is both a domaine and negociant, vinifying grapes from its estate vineyards in Côte Rôtie, Condrieu, Crozes Hermitage, Hermitage, and St. Joseph.  Guigal buys grapes from other growers in Côte Rôtie and Condrieu to supplement his estate production, and buys wines from other AOCs, including all of his southern Rhône production.  All wines are aged, finished and bottled in the firm’s own cellars, which have undergone several renovations and expansions since 1995.  A new cellar completed in 2006 has allowed the Guigals to store all of their production under their own roof for the first time.

The Rhone Valley is one of France’s most important wine growing regions covering a long strip of land from Avignon in the south to Vienne in the north.  This area produces more appellation wine than any other part of France, except that of the Bordeaux region.  This very diverse region is split into two sections.  The two main red grapes grown in the Rhone are Syrah and Grenache.  The north which is a semi-continental environment is dominated by the Syrah grape and prestigious appellations which include Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage and St Joseph.  The south has a Mediterranean climate and produces mainly blended wines from varieties such as Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Carignan.  

Syrah is a grape that is a big powerful full bodied red that is supple, smooth, and rich with well mannered mellow tannins.  Flavor wise a Syrah can be slightly spicy, fruity like black cherries, or some may have a deep nutty flavoring.  Grenache is a grape that is famous for use as a blending grape in both France and Spain. Grenache is also full bodied with berry flavors.  It lends itself well to nice full reds or roses that produce fruity or berry like flavor.  The Mourvedreplays a strong supporting role as a blending grape that is fruity with berry flavor and tannin that help provide structure in the red wines I’m recommending today.

E Guigal Gigondas

The vineyards of Gigondas are planted on hillsides at the foot of Mont Ventoux, a region directly north-east of the town of Orange in the southern Rhône Valley.  The Rhone Valley is home to very rocky soils that collect heat from the abundant sunshine that is common in the Rhone.  The grape varieties are similar to Chateauneuf-du-Pape; Grenache (60%), Mourvèdre (30%), and Syrah (10%) predominate. The dry, stony slopes produce substantial wines that are deep in color, with flavors of ripe summer fruits and savory herbs.  This E Guigal Gigondas is polished, refined, and drinks well now or can be laid down for many years.

E Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rouge

This is a beautiful wine that is inexpensive. This blend from the well known Guigal family is 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, and 10% Mourvèdre.  The grapes are grown in pebbles and alluvia soil matter, sediment, limestone, granite.  This provides great drainage for the grape vines.

The grapes for this wine spend a great deal of time with the skins are fermented in a cool temperature controlled environment.  Aged 1 ½ years in oak but this wine presents with only a minimal oak influence. Visually this wine is dark red with great depth, and a beautiful shimmer. On the nose this wine has an aroma of red berries, fresh fruit, and just a hint of spice.  The palate is ample, not to full, really a great example of an affordable Cotes du Rhone.  This wine is balanced and very well made.  Nice tannin and spice that is enticing with a long rich finish.  This wine is very aromatic in a very pleasing way.

The Guigal Cotes du Rhone Red will pair nicely with cold cuts, cheese, wild game birds, pheasant and quail in particular.

E Guigal Cotes du Rhone Blanc

Marcel Guigal has strayed from his Father’s blanc blend of Clairette, Grenache Blanc, and Bourboulenc. This delicious blanc blend now includes significant proportions of Viognier (now 50%), Marsanne (from St.-Péray), and Roussanne.  Fermentation at cool temperatures in stainless steel tanks produces a wine that is fresh, rich, and complex.  The beautiful nose of this wine has aromas of honeysuckle, pear, kiwi, and minerals.  This dry white from E Guigal pairs well with appetizers, grilled fish, or spicy Asian preparations.

"from my table to yours"

"from my table to yours"

“Wine for the Health of It©”with Montana Celebrity Jill Valley from KPAX-TV on the WineGuyMike™ Radio Show©

Check out the radio show on The Trail 103.3FM and Fresh 104.5FM.  The live stream feed is online at www.trail1033.com where you can click on “Listen Live”.  The WineGuyMike™ Radio Show© airs on both radio stations Sunday mornings at 10:00AM MDT.

Each week WineGuyMike™ will be giving away gift certificates from our sponsors.  If your question is selected as WineGuyMike’s™ topic of discussion you will win one of the $20.00 – $25.00 gift certificates.  Good luck and send your questions to WineGuyMike™ on his Facebook fan page.

Social Media links;

Today’s Podcast; http://trail1033.podbean.com/2011/10/02/wine-guy-mike-for-october-2nd/

YouTube; My YouTube channel of course is WineGuyMike™ or the actual URL link: http://www.youtube.com/user/WineGuyMike?feature=mhum

Facebook; WineGuyMike please “like”

Twitter; @WineGuyMike please follow me

Sponsors      

Ciao Mambo, “Eat Like You Mean It”, located in Missoula on The Hip Strip.  Find them online at www.CiaoMambo.com

W.J. Deutsch & Sons since 1981 has been marketing quality wines produced by prestigious families from major wine regions of the world. 

Georges Distributing in Helena, Montana.

Jill Valley KPAX-TV Anchor

Jill Valley KPAX-TV Anchor

This week on the WineGuyMike™ Radio Show© local Montana celebrity Jill Valley from KPAX-TV in Missoula joined me in the radio studio.  Jill has been Broadcaster of the Year six times now in Montana including this year’s award.  She will quickly tell you though her biggest victory has come as the result of her winning battle against breast cancer.  Jill recently posed a question to me about wine and with this being Breast Cancer Awareness Month I suggested she come into the radio studio, that is just what she did.

It was a real pleasure to have Jill as my featured guest this week.  It was very interesting to hear her story and she made my job easy, she is very good at her profession.  Jill is a mother and has one wonderful young daughter who is an ice skater.  Jill also skates as a hobby and claims to be a “bad skater”, but I have heard otherwise from Missoula’s top age group skating Coach Patty Koster.

Jill and I have discussed wine in the past and she came to me recently and asked if I was aware of any non-alcoholic wines that tasted good.  The long and short of it was, no I was not aware of any good non-alcoholic wines.  There may be some good ones out there but I am not experienced with any.  Over time it has occurred to me that I learn more from listening than I do from talking.  Jill has done her homework her and has sought out an answer to her own question. 

The following are a few excerpts from Jill’s guest blog post, http://wp.me/PFhHw-dC, based on her research of non-alcoholic wines that are drinkable:

I started investigating the non-alcoholic wine option because even one glass makes me feel hung over the next day. But I still enjoy the taste and ritual of wine. And non-alcoholic wine lets you blend into social or business situations where you don’t have to explain why you’re not drinking. So I thought I’d give it a try – Jill’s guest blog post, http://wp.me/PFhHw-dC

CVS pharmacy has a terrific wine selection but only had Fre’, a product made by Sutter wines. CVS stocks it next to the Reunite (on ice, that’s nice) and the other wines in the giant glass jugs with twist tops which should make anyone suspicious. It was $4.99 with a twist top and wasn’t that good. I tried it years before but thought maybe technology had moved this brand ahead. If you’re the kind of person who likes to mindlessly sip wine while reading a book, this would work. Although mindlessly drinking alcohol might point to a deeper issue but I’m not your mom….so – Jill’s guest blog post, http://wp.me/PFhHw-dC

As a Montana celebrity Jill is constantly involved in community causes and events where attendees drink wine.  Unfortunately for Jill she is plagued by headaches from drinking even one glass of wine.  Jill has been searching for a solution, she too would like to enjoy a glass of wine while attending and speaking at these events.

Reactions to wine are not uncommon for many people.  It is readily assumed that such reactions are due in part to an allergic reaction of sulfites which serve as a preservative in wine.  My research results suggested that those who may suffer from reactions to wine may lack a natural enzyme in their body that will not breakdown sulfites in the wine.

Sulfites or sulfur dioxide is a fruit preservative widely used in dried fruits as well as wine.  It is also produced by the human body at the level of about 1000 mg (milligrams) per day.  Food preserved with sulfites is generally not a problem unless you are deficient in the natural enzyme that breaks it down.  For those individuals, the additional sulfites from food can be a problem.

The levels in wine average 80 mg/liter, or about 10 mg in a typical glass of wine, with slightly higher amounts in white versus red.  Many case studies show reactions by sensitive patients to drinking wine with sulfites.

All wines contain sulfites.  Yeast naturally produces sulfites during fermentation so there is only a rare wine which contains none.

The US and Australia require a “sulfite” or “preservative 220″ warning label.  Nearly all wine makers add sulfites, including imported wines.  Import wines contain sulfites, but they are not legally obligated to indicate this on their labels.  European wines contain an average of 80 mg/L sulfites just as US wines do.

There are a few (very few) wine makers who make wines without adding sulfites.  In the US, organic wine must be made without added sulfites.  These are unusual because the wine is very perishable and often have unusual aromas from the aldehydes that are normally made aroma-less by the sulfites.  Look for these wines at natural food stores.

*Aldehydes – Any of a class of highly reactive organic chemical compounds obtained by oxidation of primary alcohols, characterized by the common group CHO, and used in the manufacture of resins, dyes, and organic acids.

It is possible that eating food along with your wine may reduce the severity of a reaction.  My hypothesis is this; sulfites may not be the cause of wine induced headaches or generally not feeling well as Jill has mentioned.  I suspect that people who are deficient in the natural enzyme that breaks down sulfites can be the problem.  When ingesting additional sulfites a person may have a difficult time digesting the sulfite and hence “the reaction”.  It is interesting to note that anyone you talk to who suffers from such reactions vary from mild to severe.

If you are someone who suffers from this wine dilemma you should consult with your physician concerning this issue before drinking any wine

If your physician suggests that it would okay to try wine in moderation and according to the American Medical Associations guidelines I would suggest trying organic wine or an estate produced and bottled wine.  Typically the grapes in estate produced wines grown by conscientious farmers have been treated in a similar practice to that of organically grown grapes.  Many wineries have not gone through the process of being certified organic as it is a very arduous and expensive process.   Organic and Biodynamic Agriculture practices are on the rise as wineries realize the benefits of sustainable farming practices.

The other suggestion I may offer is to select an Old World Wine as they have a tendency to be lower in alcohol.  For instance Beaujolais is a great choice as these types of wine are light-bodied, fruity, fresh, and without an abundance of tannin.  While enjoying wine at lunch the French use sparkling mineral water to dilute their wine which greatly reduces the alcohol content. 

 This is a great solution for a person in a social situation who wants to enjoy a glass of wine with the rest of the crowd.  A glass of wine diluted by ½ or 2/3 sparking water still maintains a beautiful color in your glass.  The wine still provides the palate with a nice taste experience.  San Pellegrino is my favorite brand to use when mixing sparkling water with my wine.  Drink in moderation and good health and may we all raise a glass during Breast Cancer Awareness month in acknowledgement of our fellow wine lovers who have been touched by this illness.   

I want to personally thank my friend Jill Valley for taking time out to join me on the show this week.  She is a very brave, humble, and courageous woman who has survived her battle with cancer.  In wellness Jill is a crusader for the prevention and cure of this illness that has touched all of our lives.  Jill, cheers to you.

"from my table to yours"

"from my table to yours"