Wine Adds Five Years to Life, More Than Beer, Dutch Study Finds

Half a glass of wine a day may add five years to your life, a new study suggests. Drink beer, and you’ll live only 2 1/2 years longer.
Dutch researchers followed 1,373 men for more than four decades, noting their eating and drinking habits. Men who had about 20 grams of alcohol daily -- equivalent to a half a glass of wine -- had 2 1/2 years added to their life expectancy at age 50, compared with men who didn’t drink at all, according to the research published today in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Men who consumed only wine had twice as much added longevity. Click on this link for the rest of the article.

Rielle 2009 Charity Wine Tasting Calendar

We will pouring our wines at the following fundraising events. These venues provide opportunities to support important community organizations, taste our wines and place orders at special discounts as well as receive free shipping within California.

We hope to see you there!

Saturday & Sunday April 25th & 26th 2009
11:00 am - 4:30 pm
Apple Blossom Fair Wine Garden
Benefitting: Sebastopol charities
Ives Park and the Sebastopol Veterans Memorial Building, 282 High Street, Sebastopol (Parade on Main St.)
Sebastopol, CA
877-828-4748

Saturday April 25th 2009
6:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Great Chefs of Marin
Benefitting: Lifehouse
Fireman's Fund Insurance Co.
777 San Marin Drive
Novato, CA
415-472-2373

Our wines will be poured at the dinner and will be part of the silent auction.
The Great Chefs of Marin is one of the premier food and wine events in the Bay Area. Over 20 of Marin's finest restaurants prepare gourmet food accompanied by the wine country's finest wineries. Other libations include margaritas, martinis and beer. Bud E. Luv and Huey Lewis chair the event which also include live music, dancing, a silent and live auction. It is a black-tie event, held on the grounds of Fireman's Fund and attended by about 550 guests. It is the major fundraiser for Lifehouse, a non profit agency serving people with developmental disabilities in Marin and Sonoma Counties.

Since 1954, Lifehouse has opened the doors of opportunity and independence to individuals with developmental disabilities through life skill training, community integration, advocacy, referral and information. Our mission is to improve our clients' quality of life by providing a lifetime of compassionate support in an atmosphere of respect, inspiration and purpose.

Home wine shipments legalized in Kansas

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed into law legislation allowing Kansans of drinking age to order up to 12 cases of wine a year to be shipped directly to their homes. Click on this link for the rest of the article.

San Jose lawmaker's beer/wine-tax plan is back

SACRAMENTO — Jim Beall's first stab at a beer tax was downed last year by opposition and ridicule. Undeterred, the South Bay assemblyman is back at it — and this time, his proposal for a hefty new fee on alcohol may have a better, ahem, shot at passage.

Beall's Assembly Bill 1019 would slap a roughly 10 cents-a-drink levy on beer, wine and hard alcohol. And he's structured it as a fee, which can pass the Legislature with a simple majority vote, rather than a tax, which takes a two-thirds supermajority to be enacted.

Also possibly aiding his cause this time around is the fact that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last year proposed his own nickel-a-drink alcohol tax as part of his budget plan. The governor eventually dropped the tax and his office said Monday he's not interested in revisiting it. But the fact that Schwarzenegger once was on board with the idea could bode well for Beall's idea, particularly if the state budget outlook continues to deteriorate.  Click on this link for the rest of the article

Ultraviolet tool may reduce need for sulfites

A new piece of technology built in South Africa and being tested at various wineries around the world, including California, may have a solution. It uses ultraviolet rays to zap unwanted microbes and yeasts, reducing the need to add the sulfites that have traditionally done the job of preserving the wine - and making some people feel lousy.  Click on this link for the rest of the article

Rielle 2009 Charity Wine Tasting Calendar

2009 Rielle Charity Wine Tasting Events

Sunday, March 29, 2009
4:00pm - 6:30pm
Symphony of Food, Wine and Art
Benefiting: Santa Rosa Symphony Music Education Programs
Wells Fargo Center For the Arts
Santa Rosa, CA
707-546-8742

Saturday, April 4, 2009
6:00pm - 8:30pm
Pick of the Vine Wine Tasting
Benefiting: Senior Advocacy Services of Sonoma County
Garrett Hall
Sonoma County Fairgrounds
Santa Rosa, CA
707-526-4108


Saturday & Sunday April 25th & 26th 2009
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Apple Blossom Fair Wine Garden
Benefiting: Sebastopol charities
Ives Park and the Sebastopol Veterans Memorial Building, 282 High Street, Sebastopol (Parade on Main St.)
Sebastopol, CA
877-828-4748


May 16, 2009
Tiburon Wine Festival

May 23, 2009
Newport Beach Food and Wine Festival

May 30 & 31, 2009
Wine Country Classic
Infineon Raceway Historic Car Races

June 2009
Cigarbq
Santa Rosa, CA

August 29, 2009
Petaluma Wine, Jazz and Blues Festival

August 15, 2009
San Rafael Food and Wine Festival

August 29 & 30, 2009
Bodega Art, Wine and Seafood Festival

Rielle St. Patrick's Day Food and Wine Pairing Menu

Rielle St. Patrick's Day Menu

(with wine pairing)

Recipe link at the bottom

Starters

Rielle 2006 Anderson Valley Chardonnay
or Rielle 2004 Russian River Valley Chardonnay
Pub Salad
Irish Soda Bread and Butter

Main Courses

Rielle 2006 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
Irish Lamb Stew
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Irish Roasted Salmon
Buttered Cabbage
Parsley Champ

Desserts

Strawberry and Apple Crumble

Rielle Chardonnay Caramel Sauce

Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding

Rielle Zinfandel Chocolate Sauce

Recipe Link

Sonoma's Tough New Vineyard Rules

Sonoma County, Calif. -- Though Napa County was the first to require erosion control in new vineyards, Sonoma County has its own version. Last year, it updated the Vineyard Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance, or VESCO, first implemented in 2000. Napa's ordinance is generally regarded as very demanding; Sonoma's version is somewhat easier to comply with in many respects..................

Under the new rules, all vineyards and orchards more than one-half acre in size must meet a number of requirements. These include:

• No planting on slopes greater than 50%. (It's 30% in Napa County.)
• Setbacks are extended to unnamed streams as well as blueline streams, including 25 feet from the top of bank if it contains native vegetation, with no work allowed on this area. As an option, growers can maintain a 25-foot vegetated filter strip if there's no vegetation already there.
• For developing new vineyards, differing plans are required depending on the slope and soil conditions.
• Level 1 conditions are slopes less than 15% without highly erodible soils, or slopes less than 10% with highly erodible soils. In this case, the erosion control plan does not have to be prepared by an engineer.
• Level 2 situations are slopes more than 15% with no highly erodible soils; or slopes greater than 10% with highly erodible soils. These require an engineered erosion control plan.

Click on this link for the rest of the article

More wine and health news:

 Wine May Protect Against Throat Cancer

Study finds that a glass or two a day lowers risk by more than half

Drinking wine in moderation may offer protection from the onset of Barrett's Esophagus, a precursor to esophageal cancer, according to a study released Monday. Researchers found that subjects who consumed between seven and 14 glasses of wine weekly lowered their chances of developing the disorder by 56 percent. Those who drank beer showed no reduction of risk, and moderate to heavy consumption of spirits may raise the risk, according to the research conducted by Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., and published in the March issue of Gastroenterology. Heavy consumption of any alcohol may raise the risk.  Click on this link for the rest of the article.

Australia Assesses Fire Damage

As the bushfire threat subsides and winery owners try to salvage vineyards, the world responds with aid. Twelve days after record heat helped spark a wave of devastating wildfires across Australia's southern state of Victoria, milder weather is helping firefighters win the battle against the remaining blazes. Meanwhile, the wine industry is beginning to come to grips with the extent of damage to vineyards, wineries and lives. Click on this link for the rest of article.

South Napa plant provides place for disabled workforce

WineBev is a company owned and operated by United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay. The business is designed to provide training and jobs for the developmentally disabled.  “We are empowering people to be more economically independent,”..... In a 12,000-square-foot temperature-controlled warehouse, WineBev Services repacks wine into shrink-wrapped two packs, and four- and six-pack toters.....On a recent morning, workers were shrink-wrapping bottles of Beringer’s Meridian wines for shipment to Costco stores. The production line was purchased by WineBev after it received the $50,000 community grant from Foster’s.   Click on this link for the entire article.

RIEDEL WINE & GLASS GUIDE

If you have ever agonized over the type of glass to use for a particular varietal check out the Riedel Wine and Glass Guide.  They have made an art of pairing  wines to their best suited glass.  90% of your experience with wine is inhaling the aromatics and that is what a properly shaped  glass will help you do, as you swirl the wine in the glass it is volatolized and then concentrated in the mouth of the glass for you to inhale.  This is especially important with Pinot Noir.

Unusual Closure Tasting At Master of Wine Seminar Very Illustrative

A closure tasting was held Tuesday in Yountville, California at the annual Master of Wine seminar for enrolled students. The tasting was also attended by about a dozen Masters of Wine. Click on this link for article.

Wine producers may dodge alcohol tax

The latest from the office of 6th District Assemblyman Jared Huffman is that a potentially crippling state alcohol excise tax will be voted down this week. This new development comes as a welcome surprise to California wine producers, who braced for the worst in light of a proposed tax that would steeply increase fees per gallon of wine. Referred to as the “nickel-a-drink” tax, this measure would raise the state’s wine tax by 640 percent, with fees increasing from $0.20 per gallon of wine to $1.48 per gallon. The increase would reverberate through all segments of the wine industry, including hotels and restaurants. Click on this Link to article

Rielle Wines at Pick of the Vine Wine Tasting April 4, 2009

Rielle is pleased to be pouring our wines at Pick of The Vine Wine Tasting on 4/4/09 6:00 pm t0 8:30 pm at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. This event benefits Senior Advocacy Services and the Ombudsman program of Sonoma County. There will be 35 wineries, gourmet food, the Ian Scherer jazz trio plus live and silent auctions. We hope to see you there!

Wine is Good For Your Health: Recent Findings

Five Articles about wine and health, click on links for more information.

**Moderate Drinking Linked to Lower Levels of Erectile Dysfunction
Study finds hard evidence that responsible alcohol consumption does not cause impotency


**Bartender, a Glass of Medicine, Please
Wineries are developing wines dosed with high amounts of resveratrol. But is this sound science?

**Grape Seed Extracts Show Promise Against Leukemia, Obesity
Two studies find red-wine compounds perform powerful tasks; debate rages over whether supplements or wine offer best results


**Drinking Wine Linked to Better Levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Novel mechanism triggered by wine consumption creates healthy fats


**Researchers Look to Red-Wine Compounds for Alzheimer's Cure
Polyphenols, including resveratrol, can control proteins that build up in brain cells and inflict damage; more research needed

Excise Taxes May Be Increased to Offset California Budget Deficit

The Governor of California is proposing increasing the alcohol excise taxes by 6 times to help offset some of the budget deficit.  This will mean increased costs for the purchase of alcohol incuding wine.  Check out the link below, I will post more information here as it becomes available.

Proposed increase of excise taxes

Sonoma County Drought Concerns and the Wine and Grape Industry

We are experiencing a drought in Sonoma County and Northern California that may have serious consequences on the grape crop.  Water is needed for frost protection as well as for irrigation during the growing season.  At this point we are running out of water for both.  I have a link below which gives more information.

Sonoma County Drought Concerns

Rielle Valentine's Dinner Menu Wine and Food Pairing

 Valentine's Day Dinner Menu:

starters

• Rielle 2006 Anderson Valley Chardonnay
• or Rielle 2004 Russian River Valley Chardonnay
• Scallops with Hazelnuts and Browned Butter on a Bed of Watercress 
• Fresh Bread and Butter
• 
  
• main courses
  
• 
  
• • Rielle 2006 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
  • Rack of Lamb with Pinot Noir and Cherry Reduction Sauce 
  • Steamed Asparagus
  • Oven Roasted Parmesan Fingerling Potatoes
  
  
  desserts
  
  • 
    
  • Banana Souffles with  
  • Rielle Chardonnay Caramel Sauce
  • Strawberry Crepes with 
  • Rielle Zinfandel Chocolate Sauce
   Click on this link for:  
• recipes
  

www.riellewines.com

Rielle Valentine Gift Pack $88.00, save over $42.00

Whether you are preparing Valentine's Day Dinner or want to send a special gift this Valentine collection will help you to stretch your dollar! Instead of going out to an expensive restaurant, serve our Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and gourmet dessert sauces along side our specially selected recipes for your romantic Valentine's Dinner. A little candle light, some roses.......

Rielle Valentine Gift Pack

2 bottles 2006 Rielle Anderson Valley Chardonnay

2 bottles 2006 Rielle Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

1 bottle Zinfandel Chocolate Sauce

1 bottle Chardonnay Caramel Sauce

$88.00 Free Shipping

www.RielleWines.com