http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/wine/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ray-beckwith-the-science-behind-the-wine/ This is a story about instinct and passion, but also about tedious, solitary, methodical research. It is a great scientific adventure that in its own humble way mirrors the story of Watson and Crick, who unravelled the mystery of existence with their studies into DNA. The difference, of course, is that there were two of them, but there is only one Ray Beckwith. And while Watson and Crick confined themselves to the serious business of the building blocks of life, Ray’s mind was occupied with something which makes life so darned entertaining. Wine. Really good wine. What makes it tick, what makes it live on inside the bottle and get better with age. What makes a cheap bottle consistently good, a pricey bottle a coveted international icon. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ray-beckwith-the-science-behind-the-wine/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ray-beckwith-the-science-behind-the-wine/#item8591 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Last week Penbo railed against Cancer Council advice that drinking any alcohol at all was a cancer risk. The Cancer Council responded, saying they were just relaying the science. Now, winemakers have their say. Many of the posts in response to the article by the Cancer Council Australia’s chief lobbyist Paul Grogan picked up the basic flaw in his argument, but as winemakers are one of the targets of CCA’s latest media flurry I would like to add my two cents’ worth. Grogan’s defensive cries that they “don’t make this stuff up”, but that is not what people are accusing them of. The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia acknowledges that a link has been found between alcohol and a level of cancer risk, just as there is a link between numerous other activities in life and cancer risk. That is not new news, despite recent headlines. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/debate-about-alcohol-has-turned-cancerous/ Last week Penbo railed against Cancer Council advice that drinking any alcohol at all was a cancer risk. The Cancer Council responded, saying they were just relaying the science. Now, winemakers have their say. Many of the posts in response to the article by the Cancer Council Australia’s chief lobbyist Paul Grogan picked up the basic flaw in his argument, but as winemakers are one of the targets of CCA’s latest media flurry I would like to add my two cents’ worth. Grogan’s defensive cries that they “don’t make this stuff up”, but that is not what people are accusing them of. The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia acknowledges that a link has been found between alcohol and a level of cancer risk, just as there is a link between numerous other activities in life and cancer risk. That is not new news, despite recent headlines. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/debate-about-alcohol-has-turned-cancerous/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/debate-about-alcohol-has-turned-cancerous/#item5885 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Last week Penbo railed against Cancer Council advice that drinking any alcohol at all was a cancer risk. The Cancer Council responded, saying they were just relaying the science. Now, winemakers have their say. Many of the posts in response to the article by the Cancer Council Australia’s chief lobbyist Paul Grogan picked up the basic flaw in his argument, but as winemakers are one of the targets of CCA’s latest media flurry I would like to add my two cents’ worth. Grogan’s defensive cries that they “don’t make this stuff up”, but that is not what people are accusing them of. The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia acknowledges that a link has been found between alcohol and a level of cancer risk, just as there is a link between numerous other activities in life and cancer risk. That is not new news, despite recent headlines. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Woolworths-the-fresh-booze-people/ So the ACCC has allowed another acquisition that over time will be detrimental to competition and consumers. If you were not otherwise distracted by the upcoming extended long Easter/ANZAC day weekend, you would have noticed that last Thursday the ACCC put out a media release stating that it will not be opposing the Woolworths acquisition of the Cellarmasters Liquor Group. Now apart from sending out the release just before a long weekend where for obvious reasons less media attention would be given to the ACCC failure to act, the ACCC’s decision not to oppose the Woolworths acquisition is not surprising. In fact, the ACCC only opposes a tiny number of mergers and acquisitions under our existing competition laws. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Woolworths-the-fresh-booze-people/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Woolworths-the-fresh-booze-people/#item5700 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Last week Penbo railed against Cancer Council advice that drinking any alcohol at all was a cancer risk. The Cancer Council responded, saying they were just relaying the science. Now, winemakers have their say. Many of the posts in response to the article by the Cancer Council Australia’s chief lobbyist Paul Grogan picked up the basic flaw in his argument, but as winemakers are one of the targets of CCA’s latest media flurry I would like to add my two cents’ worth. Grogan’s defensive cries that they “don’t make this stuff up”, but that is not what people are accusing them of. The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia acknowledges that a link has been found between alcohol and a level of cancer risk, just as there is a link between numerous other activities in life and cancer risk. That is not new news, despite recent headlines. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/one-tax-you-wont-hear-the-government-wine-about/ It being Melbourne Cup day yesterday you probably started drinking at about 10 am and missed this story, but in another shock horror study researchers have found that we as Australians are drinking more than ever. Contrary to some studies that began to indicate a decline in our habit, the National Drug Research Institute has found we’re apparently putting it away like Brendan Fevola at Brownlow night. This increase has been attributed to the amount of wine that we’re drinking, because apparently we’ve just worked out how much alcohol the stuff has in it. One might think that such a finding would elicit some kind of response from the Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon. Like an abusive PE teacher she frequently reminds us that we’ve been drinking too much, eating too much and we’re slob of a nation who will never make the athletics squad. It might even be an opportunity to look a bit further into something that every major health body in the nation and the Henry Review has championed: that is a volumetric tax on alcohol. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/one-tax-you-wont-hear-the-government-wine-about/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/one-tax-you-wont-hear-the-government-wine-about/#item4388 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Last week Penbo railed against Cancer Council advice that drinking any alcohol at all was a cancer risk. The Cancer Council responded, saying they were just relaying the science. Now, winemakers have their say. Many of the posts in response to the article by the Cancer Council Australia’s chief lobbyist Paul Grogan picked up the basic flaw in his argument, but as winemakers are one of the targets of CCA’s latest media flurry I would like to add my two cents’ worth. Grogan’s defensive cries that they “don’t make this stuff up”, but that is not what people are accusing them of. The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia acknowledges that a link has been found between alcohol and a level of cancer risk, just as there is a link between numerous other activities in life and cancer risk. That is not new news, despite recent headlines. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/theres-no-such-thing-as-junk-food-only-junk-diets/ At least once a week, when I open the newspaper there seems to be some fresh new panic about the tsunami of childhood obesity that is crashing on our golden sandy beaches which a generation or two ago were filled with healthy bronzed young men and women who were either training for the next Olympic Games or about to pull on a pair of battered Dunlop Volley sandshoes, borrow a beaten up old wooden racquet and fly off to win Wimbledon. Yep, every time a politician opens his or her mouth (usually on the way to a four course five star lunch at a taxpayer funded Parliamentary Dining Room) they sadly shake their heads, wobble their double chins and lament the rise of the TV obsessed Generation XXL. If you ask most people who they blame for this sad decline, they would nominate a man who might be best described as Richard Nixon, Colonel Sanders and Hannibal Lector all rolled into one. I’m talking of course about Ronald McDonald. He’s there, supersizing our kids against their better judgement till their belts burst open. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/theres-no-such-thing-as-junk-food-only-junk-diets/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/theres-no-such-thing-as-junk-food-only-junk-diets/#item4281 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Last week Penbo railed against Cancer Council advice that drinking any alcohol at all was a cancer risk. The Cancer Council responded, saying they were just relaying the science. Now, winemakers have their say. Many of the posts in response to the article by the Cancer Council Australia’s chief lobbyist Paul Grogan picked up the basic flaw in his argument, but as winemakers are one of the targets of CCA’s latest media flurry I would like to add my two cents’ worth. Grogan’s defensive cries that they “don’t make this stuff up”, but that is not what people are accusing them of. The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia acknowledges that a link has been found between alcohol and a level of cancer risk, just as there is a link between numerous other activities in life and cancer risk. That is not new news, despite recent headlines. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/i-cant-believe-its-not-splutter-butter-vs-margarine/ Butter is made by the simple act of churning cream. Margarine is a fake food that originated in a laboratory as a result of food science. It commonly contains a lengthy list of ingredients, like hydrogenated vegetable oil and artificial colours and flavours, to control its taste, texture and colour. In fact, margarine is pumped full of artificial colouring agents so it looks yellow like butter (we’re so easily fooled). There were once laws against dying artificial foods to look like natural foods. These days our governments are rarely bothered by chemically altered concoctions posing as food. We trust science now. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/i-cant-believe-its-not-splutter-butter-vs-margarine/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/i-cant-believe-its-not-splutter-butter-vs-margarine/#item4158 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Last week Penbo railed against Cancer Council advice that drinking any alcohol at all was a cancer risk. The Cancer Council responded, saying they were just relaying the science. Now, winemakers have their say. Many of the posts in response to the article by the Cancer Council Australia’s chief lobbyist Paul Grogan picked up the basic flaw in his argument, but as winemakers are one of the targets of CCA’s latest media flurry I would like to add my two cents’ worth. Grogan’s defensive cries that they “don’t make this stuff up”, but that is not what people are accusing them of. The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia acknowledges that a link has been found between alcohol and a level of cancer risk, just as there is a link between numerous other activities in life and cancer risk. That is not new news, despite recent headlines. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-win-for-the-cleanskin/ Gaining a reputation as a successful host is about to get even easier. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States have discovered that when it comes to impressing dinner guests, it’s not the quality of wine on your table but the type of label on the bottle that has the most impact.  “Forget bouquet, the colour and the aromas,” said Adam Sage in today’s Australian, “The American Association of Wine Economists, [suggest] smart vintners should spend more time designing labels than pressing grapes.” And while that’s great news for anyone who harbours a secret collection of clean skins in their pantry, before you rush home with some masking tape and a pair of scissors, you might also want to consider what type of label works best. Sage advises consumers steer clear of any bottle of wine that bears an animal on its label or describes its contents as “fruity” or “good with chicken and steak”. While the best choices are found in bottles displaying abstract art or landscape designs that use more “highbrow terms” like “elegant”, “supple” or “intense” in their descriptions. Cheers! penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Lightweight http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-win-for-the-cleanskin/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-win-for-the-cleanskin/#item3478 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Last week Penbo railed against Cancer Council advice that drinking any alcohol at all was a cancer risk. The Cancer Council responded, saying they were just relaying the science. Now, winemakers have their say. Many of the posts in response to the article by the Cancer Council Australia’s chief lobbyist Paul Grogan picked up the basic flaw in his argument, but as winemakers are one of the targets of CCA’s latest media flurry I would like to add my two cents’ worth. Grogan’s defensive cries that they “don’t make this stuff up”, but that is not what people are accusing them of. The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia acknowledges that a link has been found between alcohol and a level of cancer risk, just as there is a link between numerous other activities in life and cancer risk. That is not new news, despite recent headlines. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/12-wines-to-match-12-classic-movies/ Everyone matches wine to food, but what about matching wine to other things in life? Here are 12 classic drops to go with 12 classic movies. Silence of the Lambs with Chianti A thrilling and scary movie about a psychotic Dr Hannibal Lecter toying with the young but intelligent FBI agent Clarice Starling. The movie won 5 Oscars and included numerous famous quotes, but none better than, “a census taker once tried to test me, I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.” So grab some pizza and your favourite Chianti Classico and bring a new dimension to your enjoyment of this thriller. Back to the Future with Mateus Rose Such an 80’s flick, quality usually isn’t mentioned in connection with this movie but everyone has watched it at some time. If my old’s are anything to go by Mateus Rose travels in the same boat, easily one of the biggest selling wines of all time but who admits to drinking it. Hey go back to the future and try a little rose with this classy movie. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/12-wines-to-match-12-classic-movies/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/12-wines-to-match-12-classic-movies/#item3012 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Last week Penbo railed against Cancer Council advice that drinking any alcohol at all was a cancer risk. The Cancer Council responded, saying they were just relaying the science. Now, winemakers have their say. Many of the posts in response to the article by the Cancer Council Australia’s chief lobbyist Paul Grogan picked up the basic flaw in his argument, but as winemakers are one of the targets of CCA’s latest media flurry I would like to add my two cents’ worth. Grogan’s defensive cries that they “don’t make this stuff up”, but that is not what people are accusing them of. The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia acknowledges that a link has been found between alcohol and a level of cancer risk, just as there is a link between numerous other activities in life and cancer risk. That is not new news, despite recent headlines. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/beer-and-red-wine-can-cure-everything-except-cirrhosis/ Food producers love a good study, particularly one that finds that some ingredient or trace element in their product has some miraculous property found to cure cancer in rats. Such studies are guaranteed to make headlines around the world and lead to an aura being cast over their product. The wine industry in particular is the master of the self-serving study, with red wine being attributed all sorts of miraculous properties that should see it treated like the waters at Lourdes. The chocolate industry has also discovered the value of good publicity and the media has recently reported chocolate manufacturing giants Mars and Barry Callebaut AG have announced a cross-industry partnership to promote the health benefits of cocoa flavanols. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/beer-and-red-wine-can-cure-everything-except-cirrhosis/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/beer-and-red-wine-can-cure-everything-except-cirrhosis/#item2547 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Last week Penbo railed against Cancer Council advice that drinking any alcohol at all was a cancer risk. The Cancer Council responded, saying they were just relaying the science. Now, winemakers have their say. Many of the posts in response to the article by the Cancer Council Australia’s chief lobbyist Paul Grogan picked up the basic flaw in his argument, but as winemakers are one of the targets of CCA’s latest media flurry I would like to add my two cents’ worth. Grogan’s defensive cries that they “don’t make this stuff up”, but that is not what people are accusing them of. The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia acknowledges that a link has been found between alcohol and a level of cancer risk, just as there is a link between numerous other activities in life and cancer risk. That is not new news, despite recent headlines. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/take-your-shoes-off-to-kick-on/ Ever been stuck without a bottle opener? Well don’t despair. Watch this bunch of crazy French revelers show off their unique and highly convenient method for opening wine. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Lightweight http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/take-your-shoes-off-to-kick-on/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/take-your-shoes-off-to-kick-on/#item1655 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Last week Penbo railed against Cancer Council advice that drinking any alcohol at all was a cancer risk. The Cancer Council responded, saying they were just relaying the science. Now, winemakers have their say. Many of the posts in response to the article by the Cancer Council Australia’s chief lobbyist Paul Grogan picked up the basic flaw in his argument, but as winemakers are one of the targets of CCA’s latest media flurry I would like to add my two cents’ worth. Grogan’s defensive cries that they “don’t make this stuff up”, but that is not what people are accusing them of. The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia acknowledges that a link has been found between alcohol and a level of cancer risk, just as there is a link between numerous other activities in life and cancer risk. That is not new news, despite recent headlines.