Several weeks ago I watched Dr. Oz whose show that day focused on which country/culture had the secret to longevity. On this show he reported [and I'm paraphrasing] that in their research they discovered that Sardinia has the highest population of male centenarians in the world.
(Photos courtesy of Wikipedia)
In fact they visited a man who at 105 has a glass of wine at 10:00 am one in the afternoon and one in the evening. This man is Giovanni who easily won an arm wrestling match with a man half his age [read here]. Now in our American culture it is a strange notion to have a small glass of red wine before lunch given the many substance abuse issues reported. In this part of the Mediterranean these people live in areas where they work in fields, have terrains that are harder to walk on which affords them a lifestyle that enables them to burn more calories. About 490 per hour. And combined with plenty of exercise the local foods are richer in omega fatty acids, etc. is what contributes to their healthy daily diets. This wine that many Sardinian residents consume on average three times daily is called Cannonau. It is fermented from a grape varietal Grenache from Spain. My disclaimer is that I am not promoting habits that will perpetuate any substance abuse issues that any reader might have, I am simply providing facts about a beverage that I like to consume. Because of my amateur wine enthusiast life style I am interested in this subject.
All that being said, after I watched that show I was on a mission to find this type of wine from Sardinia. I visited my local BevMo! who had not heard of it, I dare not enter a Cost-Co on the weekend - and I didn't, but I did score at Cost Plus-World Market. They were having a wine promotion [$5 and $6 selected bottles] so I slowly walked through each isle in the wine section where I stumbled upon Los Dos a wine from Spain. Los Dos is a delicious Grenache and Syrah blend. Read all about my love for Syrah from my older post here. So imagine how excited I was to find that this existed. My favorite red wine mixed with the secret to longevity in Sardinia! I felt like I hit the jackpot...but what if it didn't taste good? For only $6 I was willing to try. In fact to draw you into my experience I'll describe the flavor as I have a taste from a shot glass right now...yes at 8:30 am. Oh what I do to give you all a complete story.
(Courtesy of www.winesfromspainusa.com)
This varietal is very light and underwhelming at first sip. In fact the alcohol content is only 14% per volume. What I mean by underwhelming is when you hold the glass to your face the vapors don't rush up your nose as it would with a fermented grape with a higher alcohol content [like a Merlot grape] upon contact. As you swoosh the beverage around your mouth the flavors of mulberry and raspberry are present and light. It finishes so smooth that you don't feel like you've just taken a swig of a red wine, no bitter aftertaste, no burning sensation down your throat. Very airy, just a pleasant experience.
I don't necessarily need to live to the ripe old age [yes I used a wine pun] of 105 like Giovanni but my life is good. I have many blessings and things about which to be grateful. I also have quite a few things to check off my bucket list which requires a bit of longevity, so if I'm to drink anything that will help along my already pretty healthy lifestyle why not choose the elixir of Sardinia?
I ask this as I finish my shot glass.
(Photos courtesy of Wikipedia)
In fact they visited a man who at 105 has a glass of wine at 10:00 am one in the afternoon and one in the evening. This man is Giovanni who easily won an arm wrestling match with a man half his age [read here]. Now in our American culture it is a strange notion to have a small glass of red wine before lunch given the many substance abuse issues reported. In this part of the Mediterranean these people live in areas where they work in fields, have terrains that are harder to walk on which affords them a lifestyle that enables them to burn more calories. About 490 per hour. And combined with plenty of exercise the local foods are richer in omega fatty acids, etc. is what contributes to their healthy daily diets. This wine that many Sardinian residents consume on average three times daily is called Cannonau. It is fermented from a grape varietal Grenache from Spain. My disclaimer is that I am not promoting habits that will perpetuate any substance abuse issues that any reader might have, I am simply providing facts about a beverage that I like to consume. Because of my amateur wine enthusiast life style I am interested in this subject.
All that being said, after I watched that show I was on a mission to find this type of wine from Sardinia. I visited my local BevMo! who had not heard of it, I dare not enter a Cost-Co on the weekend - and I didn't, but I did score at Cost Plus-World Market. They were having a wine promotion [$5 and $6 selected bottles] so I slowly walked through each isle in the wine section where I stumbled upon Los Dos a wine from Spain. Los Dos is a delicious Grenache and Syrah blend. Read all about my love for Syrah from my older post here. So imagine how excited I was to find that this existed. My favorite red wine mixed with the secret to longevity in Sardinia! I felt like I hit the jackpot...but what if it didn't taste good? For only $6 I was willing to try. In fact to draw you into my experience I'll describe the flavor as I have a taste from a shot glass right now...yes at 8:30 am. Oh what I do to give you all a complete story.
(Courtesy of www.winesfromspainusa.com)
This varietal is very light and underwhelming at first sip. In fact the alcohol content is only 14% per volume. What I mean by underwhelming is when you hold the glass to your face the vapors don't rush up your nose as it would with a fermented grape with a higher alcohol content [like a Merlot grape] upon contact. As you swoosh the beverage around your mouth the flavors of mulberry and raspberry are present and light. It finishes so smooth that you don't feel like you've just taken a swig of a red wine, no bitter aftertaste, no burning sensation down your throat. Very airy, just a pleasant experience.
I don't necessarily need to live to the ripe old age [yes I used a wine pun] of 105 like Giovanni but my life is good. I have many blessings and things about which to be grateful. I also have quite a few things to check off my bucket list which requires a bit of longevity, so if I'm to drink anything that will help along my already pretty healthy lifestyle why not choose the elixir of Sardinia?
I ask this as I finish my shot glass.
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