…or drink no wine at all, especially if you’re a woman with any breast cancer risk factors. That seems to be the gist of the latest health advice in relation to cancer and heart disease.
Meat: The World Cancer Research Fund report, to be released later this week, reviews all available science relating to cancer prevention. The results are no surprise and are pretty unequivocal - consumption of red meat is implicated in development of bowel cancer, which is the most common cancer to affect both men and woman in Australia (and the second most common, after prostate cancer).
Wine: The recommended red wine isn’t going to come cheap for Australians: “Many of the big-brand Aussies, while overly rich in alcohol, are generally poor for polyphenols - though some of their cabernet sauvignon-based wines are better.” Polyphenols are the compounds found in some red wines which might inhibit the development of cancers. So Australians with angina/heart disease or who are serious about reducing their possibility of developing same might be shelling out more for the good French (or Argentinian) stuff.
There seems to be a growing consensus among winemakers that a red needs to be up around 16% alcohol because - I’ve got no idea, I mean you want a fortified get a fortified.
16% is required to get full physiological ripeness - winemaker’s don’t actually like that much alcohol as it tends to unbalance the wines and make them hot.
There are a number of methods for dropping the alcohol levels - from the illegal black snake to reverse osmosis.
As to the levels of polyphenols - having done a fair whack of analysis over the years, I call bull and poppycock.
If the average level of polyphenols in Australian wines is not higher than the average level of our European competitors, I’ll eat my hat.
The top end may have more than our average wines, but their everyday stuff, no way. Our top end wines would have equal levels to their top end stuff, apart from a few distinct varieties/styles (Nebbiolo/Bordeaux).
anthony, that’s downright un-australian. Australian Red wine must have a sledgehammer effect on the drinker similar to walking into a dunny door frame, getting kicked by a red kangaroo or stomped by a flag waving patriot. None of that fancy French taste, nose and subtlety stuff - that’s for girly men who wear makeup and watch lifestyle programming.
On a more serious note, the links between red meat and increased risk of bowel cancer be mitigated somewhat: “reduce consumption of processed meats like salami and bacon and limit high temperature cooking methods.” (source:
I am a shill
No more burnt barbecue bacon sandwiches before bedtime, kiddies.
(yes, I work for a company associated with MLA and if you all stopped buying lamb chops I’d be unemployed.)
BigBob
Nice to see you, it’s been a while. I hope you’re right about the polyphenols.
(BTW what’s the evil black snake? - cake?)
David
An insult Sir! Why I like reds so hairy chested that even the hairs have chests and on those chests more hair and on those hairs - pepper.
I’d hate to see you get the ‘chop’ ahahahahahahahahahahaha [cough]
There are a number of methods for dropping the alcohol levels - from the illegal black snake to reverse osmosis.
What, you mean they drop a black snake in the wine vat? How does that affect the alcohol level?
“What, you mean they drop a black snake in the wine vat?”
Goddamn, this water’s cold!
Yeah, and it’s deep, too.
Sorry, but I’m not that much of a fan of big Aussie reds (I remember being mugged my one over dinner at the Barossa last year). I do like a bit of finesse and structure over mind numbing alcohol content.
Have I done enough to be kicked out of the country or should I mention that I much prefer a Chablis over a typical Oz Chardie?
Typical foreign-is-better snobbiness.
Besides, whatever the international differences in polyphenol levels between reds, they’ll be utterly negligible.
I think this doesnt have to be controversial or a whole series,of seemingly strange calculations of degree of poison,but needs a resolute open mindedness to insure proper treatments occur if cancer happens.Many people here probably do not take magazines like Nexus from Queensland seriously,I do. A recent edition had an Italian doctor treating people with bicarb of soda for the big C. Get it.. read it,and dont conspire against it,and in that way,the bloody GP , will have to have enough guts to recognise this Doctor and his treatment is totally legit. Something that remains a terribly hard thing to find and accept as real. Cheers! Add a couple of fresh red grapes.
H&R, personally I don’t think foreign is better. I just don’t accept some of the prevailing tastes for Aussie wines and sometimes we get it wrong. When we get it right, they are world class wines.
The claim that you should drink red wine for the polyphenols is a marketing ploy. If you want all the benefits of the polyphenols and none of the disadvantages of alcohol, then drink grape juice instead.
If the Koreans can come up with “Dog Juice’ (Warning: Not safe for googling dog lovers), why can’t we come up with “meat wine’. Plenty of vintner and fermented meats expertise across our fair land. Let’s lock a couple of them in a cellar until they emerge, haggard, anemic and slightly nibbled but brandishing the recipe for a breakthrough consumer product.
I’m thinking a Really Bloody Mary, or Martini Jerky, or Bundy and Mystery Bag on a chilled Stick. Work with me here, baby. You know the market’s out there, even if we hafta create it.
But really “Meat Wine”. That’s Juicy. Rolls off the tongue and boogies on yer tastebuds. Or if not as a major new sexed-up peer-pressure product tested at Surfers during schoolies then at least as a blog or band name.
Sorry, industry jargon, the black snake is the water hose!
It is an international deep dark secret how much it actually gets used. California is probably the biggest abuser, but I suspect we are not far behind.
Current regs in Aus are that you can add 5% water, but only in additions that require water to make-up like yeast and acid. This will soon change to 7%.
As far as style preferences, that is individual - if you prefer European styles to New World styles, that is entirely your preference. Just pointing out the technical deficiency in the argument.
Me, I love them all!
Grape juice will contain polyphenols, but red wine will contain more (probably lots more) due to the production method, where the juice/fermenting wine is in contact with the skins and seeds for a long time.
It is of no real importance in the long term as polyphenols are beiong extracted from waste skins and seeds for use as functional food ingredients anyway.
Hi Anthony, still around just not very active online.
Silkwood, the heart article says: Most polyphenols aren’t soluble in grape juice, but if you’re not a red wine drinker, polyphenols are found in dark chocolate, walnuts and cranberries.
But I thought the main selling point of our stuff was that in the drier climate, the water-to-pulp ratio of a given grape is much smaller, thus yielding a more concentrated drop?
The report is out and yes David Rubie, bacon is one of the main culprits, as is being overweight.
Waaaay ahead of you Nabs. I have discovered the perfect meat lovers’ cocktail. It’s an appetiser for a steak salad, the cooking of which is the only way to obtain the juices required.
Take a good thick piece of sirloin or whatever you prefer. Cook to desired doneness (really rare won’t work, “done” is as usual going to ruin everything).
Skip the usual “rest the meat for 3-5 minutes in a warm place” stage, instead immediately slice thinly on a plate or board with gutters to catch the pinkish-red juices (no doubt you can see where this is going).
Mix still-warm meat juices with an equal quantity of good vodka, then lime juice, salt and pepper to taste (tabasco, minced coriander optional). Do not over-season. Do not chill or add ice (unless you want globules of solidified fat in your drink).
Knock it back, tumesce slightly, adjust yourself and proceed with making a steak salad.
The non-alcoholic version of that is ‘beef tea’, good for invalids and anaemics - boil up some beef on the bone, remove the meat and drink the juice.
Yeah Suz, and there are other alcoholic drinks based on a bouillon (chicken or beef) but the genius of mine is steak juice as opposed to boiled meat ‘n’ marrow.
In honour of Perthlings everywhere I have dubbed it the Mint Ox (a single crushed leaf of mint could I suppose be used in place of coriander for those who like the name to evoke the drink more precisely - I will try this next time).
Of course it won’t work in hospitality unless ordered with a steak salad, so you’d battle to get drunk on them without going broke and being Exploded of Meat.
Perthling is honoured FDB, it’s a corker.
(afraid I’ve got no meat cocktails to offer, other than vodka-oyster shots)
I was hoping you might stumble across that Anthony.
Seriously, do try it.
Yes It’s real, red wine is very healthy. My granny drinks it since 93 years…and she is still healthy and really alive!
Perhaps oneday aliens will arrive & choose to make a red wine out of some of the more loathsome characters that inhabit our Planet…& call it ‘Cabernet Sadist’ or ‘Salo Shiraz’?