Wine news November 17, 2016

Science20.com on how drinking wine before smoking makes smoking less bad. "Red wine stimulates the formation of endothelium-dependent relaxation factors such as nitric oxide, which improve endothelial function in coronary arteries possibly because of the high phenol concentration in red wine."

Prospect Magazine explores minerality. "For some, minerality is a mouthfeel: chalky, slaty. (Have you ever licked slate? You will have a very dry tongue.) Others incline to odours like shell fish, or gunflint."

The San Francisco Chronicle on how California is trying out nouveau wines. "Whereas most California Pinots made in the 2016 vintage won’t be sold for, say, two more years, the Poe Nouveau will be barely 2 months old when it’s released a few weeks from now."

Jane Anson in Decanter on Long Island's Southold Farm and Cellar and its fight with local politicians. "The area is still in the shadows of the Finger Lakes – a New York region making seriously exciting bottles, but I had tasted enough to want to find out more and so persuaded some very kind friends to make the trip up to Route 25 of the North Fork with me, something close to 80 miles away from New York."

In Punch Jon Bonné explores orange wine. "Early California examples like Scholium Project’s The Prince in His Caves debuted just a few years after their Italian counterparts, and have been around for a decade."

Winefolly on ten varieties from the birthplace of wine. "The Caucasus region encompasses the countries of Armenia; Azerbaijan; Georgia; and parts of Iran, Russia, and Turkey."

W. Blake Gray asks how common are Champagne deaths? "More people are killed each year by flying champagne corks than bites from poisonous spiders. Of the nearly two dozen champagne-accident fatalities a year, more than a third occur at weddings."