Expert Advice On Beds And Pillows (Part 3/3)

Garden of Refreshment
Quench your thirst with delicious beverages and
desserts taken right off your little plot of green

By Wilson Wong | Photos by Koh Boon Wei | reprinted with permission from Home Concepts magazine
Thanks to Hortpark for the venue

Click here to read about the Aloe Vera
Click here to read about the Passion Fruit and Dragon Fruit

The Roselle
The roselle is another plant that can be used to make refreshing drinks. Botanically known as Hibiscus sabdariffa, roselle grows as a shrub with attractive red stems and deeply lobed leaves.

The plant grows up to two metres tall and produces yellow hibiscus-like flowers with dark red centres. After the flowers are pollinated, they fade away and fruit production begins.

With time, one will notice a bright red, crown-like, fleshy calyx that forms around the base of each fruit. The useful part of the roselle is this fleshy calyx which is boiled in water to yield a sourish and deep red beverage.

It is best served chilled and sweetened and is rich in antioxidants like vitamin C and anthocyanins.

The plants can be grown in the ground or containers using well-draining and fertile soil. Roselle thrives when grown under semi-shade or full sun. Plants do get straggly over time and new ones can be started from seeds and stem-cuttings.

If the calyces of the roselle plant are not to be used immediately, they can be harvested, dried and stored in a cool and dry place.


COOL RECIPES!
1. Passion fruit juice can be made by blending fruit pulp and some cold water at low speed. Filter seeds away using a sieve. Add sugar to sweeten the drink and more cold water to achieve the preferred taste. Best served chilled.

2. Make dragon fruit jelly by dropping small cubes of the pulp into agar-agar. Some people mash up the pulp and add that instead. Allow the jelly to set and the dessert is best served chilled.

3. Peel away the ‘skin’ of a fresh Aloe vera leaf and rinse away any green sap using water. Cut the translucent gel into cubes and boil them in water with rock sugar to taste. The dessert is served chilled.

4. Boil one part of roselle calyces in three parts of water to yield a dark red decoction. Filter away the calyces and add sugar to taste. Allow the beverage to cool and serve it chilled.

Source: Expert Advice On Beds And Pillows (Part 3/3)

Expert Advice On Edible Garden Treats (Part 2/3)

Garden of Refreshment
Quench your thirst with delicious beverages and desserts taken right off your little plot of green

By Wilson Wong | Photos by Koh Boon Wei | reprinted with permission from Home Concepts magazine
Thanks to Hortpark for the venue

Click here to read about the benefits of Passion Fruit and Dragon Fruit

The Aloe Vera
The medicinal aloe, botanically known as Aloe vera or A. barbadensis, is a species of succulent plant that we are all familiar with. A cultivar that is prevalently grown here is Aloe vera var. chinensis, which has numerous white spots on its leaves.

The medicinal aloe is a succulent with a rosette growth habit comprising stiff and fleshy leaves that are studded with white teeth. Mature specimens produce a tall flower spike with pendulous, yellow tubular flowers.

The translucent gel-like substance found inside the leaves of the medicinal aloe is used to treat various skin conditions and injuries. The juice obtained from them is traditionally taken internally to treat digestive problems.

Nowadays, finely cut bits of the gel can be found inside numerous drinks and desserts. The medicinal aloe grows best under direct sun and is a drought-tolerant plant that should be kept on the drier side and grown in well-drained soil.

Harvest the lower and more mature leaves. It is propagated from suckers that appear around the base of a mature plant and can be grown in containers.

Tiny bits of the translucent gel found inside the leaf of the medicinal aloe can now be found as an additive in many beverages right Grow the medicinal aloe plant in a sunny location with well-draining soil to reduce the likelihood of the plant rotting away!

Click here to read about the Roselle and other cool recipes

Source: Expert Advice On Edible Garden Treats (Part 2/3)

Expert Advice On Edible Garden Treats (Part 1/3)

Garden of Refreshment
Quench your thirst with delicious beverages and desserts taken right off your little plot of green

By Wilson Wong | Photos by Koh Boon Wei | reprinted with permission from Home Concepts magazine
Thanks to Hortpark for the venue

BESIDES beautifying our surroundings and purifying the air that we breathe, the plants that we have at home can also provide us with food and medicine. Here’s a selection of four edible plants that are easy to grow in the garden for their rich source of phytonutrients and health-enhancing properties:

The Passion Fruit
Passion fruits are popular dessert fruits where the pulp is eaten fresh, together with the seeds, or blended to yield a refreshing beverage.

Passion fruits are rich in vitamins A and C, potassium and dietary fibre. The purple passion fruit, botanically known as Passiflora edulis, is the species that is commonly grown here.

The vine bears round to egg-shaped fruits which turn purple when ripe. It also produces very attractive, large, white flowers with purple centres.

The passion fruit vine, which needs to climb on an outdoor trellis, loves direct sunshine and soil that is moist, well-drained and fertile. Harvest the fruits when they turn purple and wrinkles have appeared on the rind. New plants can easily be propagated from stem-cuttings.

Apartment gardeners who wish to have them at home can also try growing a small vine in a large container under a sunny spot.
The Dragon Fruit
Dragon fruits are borne by cactus species that belong to the Hylocereus genus. Hylocereus undatus produces red-skinned fruits with white flesh while those of H. costaricensis have red-skins and red flesh. Hylocereus megalanthus is rarely encountered locally and has white flesh with a yellow skin.

In general, ripe dragon fruits are sweet and low in calories. It is said that the fruits of H. costaricensis are particularly rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants, as well as fibre, phosphorus and calcium.

Look out for the large, showy and fragrant flowers of the dragon fruit plant as they open for only one night.

The dragon fruit plant loves the sun. It is large and adopts a sprawling habit and must be given a strong support outdoors to grow on.

New plants are most easily propagated from stemcuttings and prefer to be grown using well-drained and fertile soil that is enriched with organic matter.

In general, ripe dragon fruits are sweet and low in calories

Click here to read about the Aloe Vera

Source: Expert Advice On Edible Garden Treats (Part 1/3)

Makeup 101 : Ten Ways To A Beautiful Face (Part 2/2)

Makeup 101: Ten Ways To A Beautiful Face
A step-by-step guide on how to groom your face

By Aileen Lane | Reprinted with permission from Ezyhealth & Beauty magazine
Click here for Steps 1 to 5

STEP 6
Eyebrows – Apply brow powder using a soft angle brush. Begin in the middle of the brow and using a dabbing and blending motion, follow the brow line. Match the eyebrow colour to your hair colour, and remember to comb through with a soft brush for a natural finish.

STEP 7
Mascara – Apply mascara to the bottom lashes first by holding the wand vertically and lightly brush the mascara tip back and forth. (If you have dark under eye circles, apply on your upper lids only, as applying on the bottom will give you a shadow, emphasizing your dark circles more.) Apply mascara to the top lashes the same way, repeating several times. Use the spiral lash brush to remove any excess mascara from your eyelashes.

STEP 8
Blush – Using the blusher brush, gently sweep along your cheekbone starting at the apple of your cheek, moving toward the hairline. The colour should be its strongest on your apple of your cheek.

STEP 9
Lip liner – Begin with a “V” in the Cupid’s bow, or the centre curve of the lips. Then, starting at the outer corners, draw small, feathery strokes to meet the centre V. On the lower lip, first accentuate the lower curve of the lip, and then begin small feather-like strokes from the outer moving towards the centre. To ensure greater staying power of your lipstick, fill in the entire lip before applying lipstick.

STEP 10
Lipstick – Apply lipstick using a lip brush ensuring you don’t go over the lip liner outline. Start at the centre of the lips and work the colour outwards. Be sure to line colour where the lip liner has ended at the corners of your mouth. Knowing your face shape will help when applying your makeup and choosing a hairstyle. To find the face shape that best describes you, consult an image consultant or a hairdresser and listen to their recommendations.

Aileen Lane is the Lead Consultant/Director of Nutri-Style Nutrition and Image Consultants. For queries, go to www.nutri-style.com or email info@nutri-style.com.

This story cannot be reproduced, whether in part or in whole, without the permission of Ezyhealth

Source: Makeup 101 : Ten Ways To A Beautiful Face (Part 2/2)

Makeup 101 : Ten Ways To A Beautiful Face (Part 1/2)

Makeup 101: Ten Ways To A Beautiful Face
A step-by-step guide on how to groom your face

By Aileen Lane | Reprinted with permission from Ezyhealth & Beauty magazine

STEP 1
Foundation – Apply a small amount on your cheeks, forehead, chin and nose. Use a triangular wedge sponge and blend the foundation using a stippling effect to ensure an even coverage. Always blend from the middle of your face out and ensure foundation is blended well around the nose and jaw line.

STEP 2
Correctives – Dot concealer over your under eye circles and blemishes. Using your fingers, blend using a light dabbing motion.

STEP 3
Powder – Using a powder brush, apply either loose or pressed powder to your whole face. Use the side of the brush and brush downwards to set your foundation.

STEP 4
Eye shadow – Using an eye shadow brush, apply a base colour from lid to brow. Apply the midtone colour on your eyelid and crease line. With your darkest contouring shade, apply on your outer eyelid.

STEP 5
Eyeliner – Apply eyeliner using soft feathery strokes and always remember to join the upper and lower corners of your outer eye. You can also use an eye shadow as eyeliner using the soft angle brush.

Click here for Steps 6 to 10

Aileen Lane is the Lead Consultant/Director of Nutri-Style Nutrition and Image Consultants. For queries, go to www.nutri-style.com or email info@nutri-style.com.

This story cannot be reproduced, whether in part or in whole, without the permission of Ezyhealth

Source: Makeup 101 : Ten Ways To A Beautiful Face (Part 1/2)

Wine Lesson #7: How To Order Wine In A Restaurant (Part 2/2)

LESSON #7: How To Order Wine In A Restaurant In this lesson we take a break from technical wine knowledge to discuss a few useful ideas that might help you to enjoy ordering wines in a restaurant.

Click here to read part 1

HELPING RESTAURANT TO HELP YOU ORDER RIGHT

Don't feel intimidated if you don't recognize some wines on the wine list. This is a good thing. It means they have wines that you have not tasted before.

But it also means you'll need some advice from the server.

Ironically, to get help, you first have to give help. Start by giving your waiter some clues about your personal tastes.

For example, do you prefer a wine with full intensity or something lighter? Are you particularly thrown off by acidity - tartness - or do you hate astringency and bitterness?

Are you happier with higher alcohol or something less "hot"? Continue to give him examples of wines you drank before that you really like.

Ordering the right wine is a result of team work between a customer and the server. These clues really help the restaurant recommend a style of wine compatible to your palate. At the end of the day, both sides win.

LEARN YOUR VINTAGE

Vintage variations - quality differences between same wines from different years - make ordering wine trickier than food and other beverages. If you find a good restaurant that offers a great wine list with more matured wines from say 15 to 30 years of age, you would need to know your vintages.

Don't be surprised to find the price of the same wine doubling between one year and another. That's perfectly normal. There are pocket vintage charts that you can purchase; bring them with you when you shop for wine especially when you travel abroad where the selection is so much bigger and more exciting.

Ordering wine in restaurants is a vastly different experience from shopping in a wine store. Restaurants begin where shops leave off.

Shops sell either cheap wines for immediate quaffing or fine wines for you to lay them down for 5 or more years before drinking at their peaks.

Next time you visit a venerable wine restaurant, order older wines, the kind that you don't get in shops.

The restaurant price markup is a fair reward for their patience, care and financial burden for nursing these bottles for so many years just so you can enjoy them at their primes.

Price markups for young wines are more difficult to swallow since the restaurant did little to increase its value for you.

Next lesson: About the Wine Grape Chardonnay

Go back wine lesson index

Source: Wine Lesson #7: How To Order Wine In A Restaurant (Part 2/2)

Wine Lesson #7: How To Order Wine In A Restaurant (Part 1/2)

LESSON #7: How To Order Wine In A Restaurant
In this lesson we take a break from technical wine knowledge to discuss a few useful ideas that might help you to enjoy ordering wines in a restaurant.

"WAITER, a bottle of your best Champagne, please!"

That sort of line doesn't really happen in real life although sommeliers fantasize about it all the time.

What does happen frequently is a customer having a hard time selecting a wine he likes and receiving very little help from the wait staff of a restaurant. Everyone has had some memorable experiences and sadly a few bad ones that are difficult to forget.

Most bad experiences had little to do with the wine itself although spoiled - corked - wines are not all that uncommon.

In a restaurant, corked wine can be returned for a replacement bottle. A healthy bottle that you don't particular fancy cannot be rejected.

Most disappointments are really caused by a combination of inadequate wine knowledge and sub-standard services.

In this lesson we take a break from technical wine knowledge to discuss a few useful ideas that might help you to enjoy ordering wines in a restaurant.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT RESTAURANT

How do we know if a restaurant is well equipped in wine or not? Restaurant guides usually give us ratings on wine, besides food and service. Or we can do a little investigation on our own.

For example, when we call up for reservations, we could ask what kind of wine glasses they have. Names like Riedel, Spiegelau, Waterford and Ravenscroft offer much reassurance that the restaurant is pretty serious about wines.

For additional proof, it is totally appropriate to ask a restaurant to name a few older wines they offer.

The presence of older vintage wines probably means the restaurant has an interesting wine cellar unlike many restaurants that simply picks up what is available in the wine shops around town and mark up the prices by 100% to sell it to their customers.

Click here to read Part 2

Go back wine lesson index

Source: Wine Lesson #7: How To Order Wine In A Restaurant (Part 1/2)

Expert Advice On Beds And Pillows (Part 3/3)

Rest and Recline (Part 3/3) (click here to read previous chapter)

To get a good night’s rest, you need to start with a good mattress, followed by a good pillow. Michelle Ane Ng, Marketing Manager from Simmons, tells us how to find – and maintain – that perfect cradle

By Grace Chan | reprinted with permission from "Expert Advice" by Home Concepts Magazine

WHAT ARE THE TELL-TALE SIGNS THAT YOUR MATTRESS OR PILLOW NEEDS TO BE CHANGED?
For hygiene purposes, it is generally a good idea to change your mattress every 10 years even if there are no tell-tale signs.

As for pillows, it is advisable to change them every two years or when they get worn out. Change them when they get flat or when you feel a strain on your shoulders or experience continuous neck ache, which may serve as signs that the pillow is too low and lacks the spinal alignment.

SIMMONS HAS JUST LAUNCHED ITS FIRST POCKETED COIL PILLOW, WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
The Simmons Beautyrest NeckCare Pocketed Coil Pillow is permanently soft and plump as there are 296 gallons of air pockets inside each pillow, which means that there is no need to puff up the pillow. Also, the air climate inside the pillow creates an ideal micro air climate around the head and face to improve sleep quality.

With its pocketed coils, this pillow can adjust and adapt to any head shape, weight and neck movement. This ability customizes the ideal resting posture for the sleeper, and the different degree of firmness keeps one comfortable regardless of the sleeping position.

click here to read Part 1

Source: Expert Advice On Beds And Pillows (Part 3/3)

Expert Advice On Beds And Pillows (Part 2/3)

Rest and Recline (Part 2/3) (click here to read previous chapter)

To get a good night’s rest, you need to start with a good mattress, followed by a good pillow. Michelle Ane Ng, Marketing Manager from Simmons, tells us how to find – and maintain – that perfect cradle

By Grace Chan | reprinted with permission from "Expert Advice" by Home Concepts Magazine
WHAT ARE HYPOALLERGENIC MATRESSES AND PILLOWS?
These are ones with fabric made of natural material that are breathable and mite-, mildew- and mould resistant.


HOW SHOULD THE MATTRESS BE MAINTAINED?
Do not fold, bend, stand or jump on the mattress. Use a quilted mattress protector to protect the mattress from getting soiled. A soiled mattress/box spring can negate the warranty. You should also not remove the white cloth law label or the mattress satin trade labels. These labels serve as a means of identification to establish your warranty rights.


In addition, it is important to use a right base/foundation. The base unit such as the foundation box, box spring, or bed frame is built to work with specific mattress construction to maximize the benefits of a particular mattress and to valid the warranty. The base unit boasts high durability and acts as a shock absorber to minimize movement and enhance sleep. An inappropriate base unit may not provide sufficient support and will gradually cause the mattress to sag. This will invalid the warranty.


Also, flipping and turning will help to relieve the compression on the upholstered materials that work with the coils to provide comfort and support.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD MATTRESSES AND PILLOWS BE CLEANED?
There is no fixed number of times to clean a mattress. Ways to clean a mattress include brushing, vacuum-cleaning and airing. The best way to protect your mattress from stains or from being soiled is to use a mattress protector.

Simmons mattress protectors feature the unique Expand-A-Grid benefit to hold the mattress protector firmly to a 15-inch mattress. Its glove-like fit also allows proper sheet fit. Filled with polyester fibrefill and antimicrobial-treated fabric, it helps to eliminate household dust mites and protect the fiberfill from the growth of mildew, as well as control odours. It is made of 100 per cent cotton, is very comfortable and adds an additional layer of breathable comfort to your mattress. It is also machine washable and dryable. You can wash the mattress protector each time you change the bed linens.


Simmons Beautyrest NeckCare Pocketed Pillows cannot be washed as there are coils inside. You can keep your pillow clean and sterile with a pillow protector (available at department stores) in addition to the pillowcase.


HOW SHOULD THE MATTRESS BE CLEANED WHEN SOILED?
Baking soda is a simple way to spot clean your mattress. Simply apply it to the soiled area and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Vacuum and repeat as needed. It’s also a good idea to air the mattress as much as possible. Never use dry cleaning fluid or any liquid cleaning solution on your Simmons mattress or foundation as it may damage some of the materials and void your warranty.

Click here to read Part 3

Source: Expert Advice On Beds And Pillows (Part 2/3)

Expert Advice On Beds And Pillows (Part 1/3)

Rest and Recline (Part 1/3)

To get a good night’s rest, you need to start with a good mattress, followed by a good pillow. Michelle Ane Ng, Marketing Manager from Simmons, tells us how to find – and maintain – that perfect cradle.

By Grace Chan | reprinted with permission from "Expert Advice" by Home Concepts Magazine

AN AVERAGE person spends approximately a third of his life sleeping, and what he sleeps on makes a big difference in the quality of sleep he gets every night. When your body is allowed to rest in its natural position, muscles are relaxed and sleep is more refreshing. A good mattress should maintain the same natural spinal alignment you have when standing, while one without enough support for your spine and neck can lead to muscle fatigue and a poor night’s rest.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MATTRESSES AND PILLOWS AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET?
Under the coil constructions mattress range, there is the open coil mattress and the pocketed coil mattress. The open coil constructions consist of Bonnel and continuous coil, just to name a few, and is typically connected by helical wire. The original simmons Pocketed coil mattress is barrel shape, pre-compressed and joined in the middle to deliver the independent movement of coils and provide resilience and support for one’s back. The other types of mattresses in the market include latex mattresses and viscose-elastic mattresses.

There are many types of pillows including feather, down, cotton, polyester, latex, and viscose-elastic. However, Simmonsis the only brand that carries he pocketed coil pillow called the Simmons Beautyrest NeckCare Pillow. It also boasts four levels of firmness(soft, medium, firm and ultra) to suit different head size and shape, neck and shoulder length and width, as well as sleeping patterns.

HOW SHOULD ONE GO ABOUT SELECTING A MATTRESS?
Do your research. It is always good to know your existing mattress type. Such as it’s firm of soft, or a foam or coil mattress, etc. your choice should not deviate too far from the firmness of your existing mattress as the body needs time to adjust to the feel and firmness of the new mattress.

A visit to the store and testing the beds in the showroom will help you determine your personal comfort preference. Lie down on each mattress to help you decide which model is best suited to your needs. Many components make up the feel of a mattress. They include the coil unit construction, foam and upholstery layers, and cover fabric.

Ultimately, the mattress you choose will depend on your personal preference and the sleep benefits the model delivers. You may also want to try a maximum of three mattresses at any one time. Anything more would simply confuse you. To safeguard your interests, you should purchase the product at the brand’s gallery, a reputable department store or through the brand’s appointed authorised dealers.

ANY TIPS FOR CHOOSING A GOOD PILLOW?
First, you need to relax and lie down in your usual sleeping position to try the pillows available in the stores. Then, ask yourself if you are comfortable and if there’s any strain around your neck and shoulder area. Check for comfort, firmness and the height of the pillow at the neck area to ensure that it gives you good spinal alignment. A good pillow should not be too high such that you feel a strain at your shoulders or too low such that it gives you a neck ache. Also, the pillow material should promote good airflow to help keep you cool. The four key factors for consideration when making your purchase are your head size, height of neck, width of shoulder (sloping or broad) and sleeping position (back, side or stomach).

Click here to read Part 2.

Source: Expert Advice On Beds And Pillows (Part 1/3)

Wine Lesson No 8: Everything About Chardonnay (Part 2/2)

Everything About Chardonnay
How it's become responsible for the greatest names in white wine

Click here to read part 1

BECAUSE it interacts brilliantly with wood a lot of great Chardonnay wines are either matured or actually fermented in oak barrels. This gives the wine a charming buttery flavor and rich mouth-feel accented by aromas and flavors of vanilla.

Food pairing varies depending on the style of the Chardonnay wine.

At one end of the scale we have steely texture of a classic Chablis which sees little or no oak in its maturation.

It pairs well with dry shellfish like lobsters. A buttery, rich Chardonnay from California or Australia often weighs in at over 13.5% alcohol by volume - higher than the average red wine from Burgundy for comparison. These might be better off with sea bass, halibut, poultry and light cream sauce.

The overwhelming popularity of Chardonnay in the 80s and early part of the 90s brought about a backlash from these same wine lovers.

A movement called "ABC" which stands for Anything But Chardonnay ensued making it un-chic to order Chardonnay for a while.

To a large extent, the ABC repercussion was brought on by New-World wine-makers over-oaking their white wines to appeal to novice palates.

Wine palates felt exhausted by these excessively buttery white wines and sought refuge in other varietals that don't involve as much barrel ageing.

These wines offer a crispier feel and more freshness in their fruit flavors. The result is renewed popularity for Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Grigio. We will discuss them in due course.

It certainly won't hurt if you get started on your own by uncorking a good Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc) the next time you order a Pork or Poultry dish in a good restaurant.

Until then, there are lots of great Chardonnay wines to be savored. Have a glass of 1999 Meursault from Parent or for the very sophisticated palates, a 1988 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets from Camille Giroud. Life's not long enough for less interesting stuff, is it?

Next lesson: About PORT Wine

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Source: Wine Lesson No 8: Everything About Chardonnay (Part2/2)

Wine Lesson No 8: Everything About Chardonnay (Part 1/2)

Everything About Chardonnay
How it's become responsible for the greatest names in white wine
CHARDONNAY is the most important white (wine) grape.

It is responsible for the greatest names in white wine, such as Meursault, Chablis, Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne and Pouilly-Fuissè.

These white wines of Burgundy are made entirely from Chardonnay. They are capable of extensive ageing and continue to improve inside the bottle for many years. Some of the great vintages are awesome even at 50 years old.

Chardonnay also plays a crucial role in the greatest Champagnes in the world.

The usual Brut Champagne contains three kinds of grapes namely Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Some excellent Champagnes are made entirely from Chardonnay and these bear the name "Blanc de Blancs" on the label, the most notable is from the legendary producer, Salon.

France is not the only country that succeeded in exploiting the versatility of Chardonnay. California, Australia, South Africa, Chile and Italy have jumped on the band wagon to produce excellent Chardonnay varietal wines.

Chardonnay is quite easy to grow and its yield is good. It is planted almost everywhere in the world.

However the grapes are small, thin-skinned and fragile so harvesting must be gentle and that means a bit more in labor cost.

What makes Chardonnay the king of white grapes is the fact that no matter where it is grown, at the optimal point of ripeness it always manages to achieve uncanny balance between sugar and acidity.

However, sloppy growers can ruin that by waiting beyond the point of optimal ripeness to harvest. Chardonnay grapes will lose acidity rapidly and the resulting wines lack vigor and taste dull and flat.

Chardonnay grape is high in extract, which means there is a lot of flavorful stuff to squeeze out of each grape.

Given enough hang-time it produces good acid levels, something that is crucial to white wine.

Click here to read Part 2

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Source: Wine Lesson No 8: Everything About Chardonnay (Part 1/2)

Do It Yourself Guide

Do It Yourself Guide

In a house, a small amount of things are maintenance free. But sometimes, there are some instances that you cannot avoid some damage. So 88DB Do It Yourself Guide is here to lead you in different home maintenance and house repair for a safety living.

Learn how to fix your doors and gates, electrical, floors and walls, pipes and plumbing and windows. 88DB Do It Yourself Guide to house repair and home maintenance.

Wine Lesson #4: The Beauty And Taste Of Pinot Noir (Part 2/2)

LESSON #4: THE BEAUTY AND TASTE OF PINOT NOIR (PART 2/2)

Click here to read Part 1

So why is Pinot Noir so difficult to deal with?

For starters, the grape's exceptionally thin skin provide little defense against rot and other diseases. Then its unstable genetic qualities often result in offspring bearing fruit that is nothing like the parents'. It loves cold climates but it leafs early in the season exposing itself to the threat of (Spring) frosts.

Pinot also attracts the wrong sorts of company - sharpshooter leafhopper for example which carries the dangerous Pierce's disease that can destroy hectares of a vineyard.

Even when the struggles in the vineyards are over and the harvest brings in some good ripe grapes, treachery still lurks. Packed with 18 amino acids, Pinot Noir tends to ferment in violent fashion, boiling over for no reason at all.

A quick and hot fermentation doesn't provide enough time for color and phenolics to be transferred (extracted) from the thin skins to the juice.

There are many more hazards - prone to acetification for example, which turns wine into vinegar - too many to mention, but I'm sure you get the general idea by now.

A good bottle of Pinot Noir is really a rare combination of good climate, very good luck and mastery in wine making.

All we need now is some lucky bloke who sits on a cheap plot of land on a south-facing slope in the golden strip of Burgundy called Cote d'Or who is either myopic enough or has the insane tenacity to stick to growing Pinots and make great red wines, then we have a prayer of a chance to buy good Pinot Noir for less than US$50 a bottle.

Of course, we have to keep Robert Parker from learning about his existence, and that takes more than luck and tenacity.

And would you believe it - Pinot Noir is the most "healthy" of wine, offering 3 to 10 times more resveratrol than Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and other reds, especially if it comes from harsh climates like Burgundy?


You'll have to excuse me now. My bottle of Chambolle-Musigny is properly aired for me to take a sip out of the decanter. Talk to you later!

Next lesson: Champagne and Sparkling wine

Click here to read previous Wine Lessons

Go back wine lesson index

Source: Wine Lesson #4: The Beauty And Taste Of Pinot Noir (Part 2/2)

Wine Lesson #4: The Beauty And Taste Of Pinot Noir (Part 1/2)

LESSON #4: THE BEAUTY AND TASTE OF PINOT NOIR (PART 1/2)
DEEP within Ground Zero of Pinot Noir territory, in a region known as Burgundy, wine producers coined a phrase "heartbreak grape" for the Pinot Noir grape.

Wine makers have tried their luck planting this notoriously fastidious grape in Australia, New Zealand, Oregon, Italy and other regions.

All ended up enjoying the same turmoil and frustration. So why didn't everybody simply throw up their hands in disgust saying "the hell with it" and went on to plant something else instead?

Get yourself a bottle of great Burgundy - a rare find to be sure - and there will be no need for words to answer this question.

It starts with the nose. The aromas of a great Pinot Noir - be it a Volnay or a Bonnes Mares for example -deliver the most complex bouquet second to none with notes of black cherry, strawberry then a myriad of spices starting with cinnamon and mint, followed by food aromas of tomato and mushroom.

But it is really what happens on the palate that gets everyone smitten.

The wine is inundated with "impossible" combinations: rich but not heavy, full-bodied but elegant, vigorous but not acidic or tart, tannic but not astringent and intense but delicate.

The clincher is still to come. It is impossible to forget the velvety texture of a matured Pinot Noir, a mouth-feel that we can't experience with any other varietal, not even the great Cabernet Sauvignon.

Those are the reasons why perfectly sane and rational men put up with the agony of heartbreaks and the frustration of defeats for a whole lifetime.

Remember that an average wine maker gets to make about 35 to 45 vintages in his lifetime. With Pinot Noir, it is conceivable that a wine maker gets no more than one or two winners in his entire wine-making lifetime!

Click here to read Part 2

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Source: Wine Lesson #4: The Beauty And Taste Of Pinot Noir (Part 1/2)