Soul Searching

An extract from grape seeds can destroy cancer cells, US research suggests.

In lab experiments, scientists found that the extract stimulated leukaemia cells to commit suicide.

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Dr. Rebecca Lancefield’s Eggnog Recipe

1 dozen eggs
1 quart heavy cream
1 quart light cream
1 pint bourbon
1 quart rum
nutmeg
sugar to taste (1/2 - 3/4 lb)

Beat eggs, add bourbon and rum slowly with stirring to prevent precipitation of egg proteins. Beat heavy cream separately until it peaks and add to the egg/bourbon/rum mix.

Add the light cream with stirring. Add the sugar to taste with mixing (1 pound/batch), then add nutmeg to taste.

Leave standing at least overnight with lid slightly ajar in refrigerator. Serve after 2-3 weeks in the cold.

Sooner or later I’ll do a post about the crazy wine dinners i’ve been organizing. They have been outrageous, one and all. From the Champagne dinner, to the Bordeaux dinner, to the two Barolo dinners - just to mention a few.

More to come in the New Year.

By NICHOLAS WADE

Red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human lifespan, researchers say in a new report that is likely to give impetus to the rapidly growing search for longevity drugs.

The study is based on dosing mice with resveratrol, an ingredient of some red wines. Some scientists are already taking resveratrol in capsule form, but others believe it is far too early to take the drug, especially using wine as its source, until there is better data on its safety and effectiveness.

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After a pleasant reintroduction to the Gotham Grill on 12th Street (it had been years since I had been there), I was totally surprised by an exquisite find on their wine list. I was feeling in an uncharacteristically adventurous mood (in terms of wine), and I saw something on the wine list that piqued my interest. There was a Rhone by Chateau Rayas - the great CNdP producer. I didn’t know that they made a regular Rhone wine.

A little background, sometime in the early 90’s, I was in France tooling around, and I got it in my head to visit the Rhone valley. In particular, the famed Chateau Neuf du Pape - where so many of my favorite wines were produced. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good red table Rhone as much as the next guy, but i was weened on the CNdP and it has a special place in my heart. So, off to find the Motherland. I drove all around the valley, but since it was not peak season, most places were closed. A few weren’t and I went in and did tastings.

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Two people have already told me that my wine list is indicative of a serious level of alcoholism - although an alchie with exquisite taste. So while the blatant diagnosis of “alcoholic” won’t be directly denied, I will amend it by saying that those particularly beautiful wines were savoured over the last year and a half. Does that mitigate the situation at all?

I will post more about the individual wines as time permits…

… that more than 2 glasses of wine a day were no so good for you…

Okay, I’ve had a bunch of really good wine lately. It doesn’t do it justice to cram it all into one entry but here are a few anyway…

Roagna ‘93 Barbaresco - you night not believe it but this wine is still super tight. A great wine if you let it breath for two hours. Unpalettable in the first hour.
Borgogno ‘96, ‘89, ‘82, ‘71, ‘69, ‘61
Marcarini ‘85
Prunotto ‘79
Haut Brion ‘55
Hermitage ‘90, ‘96, ‘99
Vosnee-Romanee ‘00
Beaucastel CNdP ‘89, ”82, ‘90
Produttori di Barbaresco ”61, ‘68, ‘71, ‘82, ‘89, ‘90, ‘95, ‘96
il Dragone Barbaresco ‘90
Ghemme ‘96
Gattinara ‘99
Castel in Chianti ‘71, ‘75
il Poggio ‘77
Ruffino Riserva ‘63, ‘68, ‘71
Bandol, Langhe, assorted Rhones, Roses, and Whites (one from Beaucastel that was to die for - ‘89)