Wine Discovery

Twenty wine lovers didn’t need asking twice – they turned up last Tuesday afternoon at the Bodega Española in the Niederdorf, Zürich to learn more about the health benefits of wine.

First though we had a tour of the cellars opposite from genial host Herr Winistörfer, who runs the bodega and restaurant. We learnt that the cellars were 132 years old and housed in a former post stables, and wine has been sold on the premises since around 1900. They specialise in Spanish wines and sherries, although the latter drink is more popular as an aperitif in England than in Spain. Herr Winistörfer mentioned that there were 30,000 bottles on the premises; they don’t store the wines in barrels there. Sherry can be kept for up to four years for a fino  and longer for a sweet variety, and the Belgians and Americans are their best customers as well as the British.

The cellar temperature was a warm 16 degrees when we visited, which is fine for red wine storage, but downstairs it would be cooler. Someone asked our host what he thought about wine boxes – a good idea, it seems. The Marqués de Riscal was the first Spanish wine to be sold in boxes, and it even comes in tetrapacks nowadays for easier transport.
After this little diversion, we went back upstairs to the spacious first floor restaurant, where a table had been set out for us with empty glasses waiting at every place, and a tempting selection of tapas. Our host poured out four different red wines for us to study, sniff and taste, and each wine region was pointed out on a map of Spain.

First came the Manchuela Azua Villamateo 2003, from 30 year old vines in mid-eastern Spain: a very smooth wine with a dark colour and full flavour, which was popular with many. Next we tried a Rioja Alta Selecto 2005, a Crianza Tempranillo from northern Spain which had quite a peppery taste. The third wine was a Caliza Marqués de Griñon Valdepusa 2004, a very smooth wine from limestone soil, which we found to be quite light but also velvety. Finally, we tasted a Priorat Brogit DOQ 2005, a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah grapes with a high alcohol content, which had a strong taste. The delicious tapas complemented the wine beautifully.

Then we welcomed our guest speaker, a friend of chairlady Nancy’s, who spoke authoritatively on the subject of the health benefits of wine. She first noted that wine was used for medicinal purposes in ancient Egypt and as a disinfectant for surgeons in Rome. In the fourteenth century its medicinal benefits were well documented and wine reached a height of popularity for every purpose, but it lost favour during Victorian times and during the Prohibition era in America. Since 1979, although the risks of alcohol have been well known, the health benefits have again been increasingly promoted – red wine in particular reduces the risk of heart disease, according to a number of scientific studies. A Frenchman, Renaud, justified the country’s longevity by pointing out the benefits of wine drinking, which was confirmed in a study published in The Lancet in 1991.

A Danish scientist, Professor Morton Gronbaek, is a recent researcher into the effects of wine, and he has shown that 3 to 5 glasses of wine a day decrease mortality. The active ingredients having positive effects on the body include polyphenols, which have antioxidant properties which prevent the formation of free radicals, and resveratrol which boosts the immune system and lowers the risk of heart disease. There have been other studies showing that red wine can counteract the onset of dementia, osteoporosis and gallstones. However, Liat took care to emphasise that moderation was the key, and that for people with no risk factors such as liver disease, two to three glasses of red wine per day can be good for you.

Needless to say, this was music to the ears of the members of the Wine Discovery group. Thanks to Nancy and Philippa for another great afternoon out.

By Julia Newton, 23 October 2009

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