This new wine cork may be high-tech, but can it program your VCR?

Tired of taking a back seat to twist-offs, the wine cork steps into the digital age.

Read article

   Tombs, Mummies, and Acid. Oh my!

Horror flick? Or new insight into the wine choices of the ancient world?

Read article

   Pomegranate Power

Michael Brooks explains why pomegranate juice is giving some old stalwarts a serious run for their money in the antioxidants race.

Read article

   Cool Quotes

"My best place on the road for seafood? Well, I have a house in Charleston, so I go to Charleston because it's fresh off the boat. There's not a better place in the world for seafood than Charleston, S.C. -- I will say that."

- Kyle Petty

^{(photo credit: Autostock)}

The SmartCorq was invented and patented by Lab Id, an Italian hi-tech company. Already used by the Umbrian wine farm Arnaldo Caprai , the cork features a revolutionary microchip which enables storage of critical data such as the wine’s vintage, maker, and features. In addition, the chip can house usage suggestions, recipes, and even poetry. The microchip can't be removed or modified, unlike external labels which could easily be altered in order to misrepresent the vintage. The data in the cork can be read on mobile phones with compatible technology.

Over the next few weeks, SmartCorq will be presented at major technology and wine events in Milan and Turin.

Back to top

Tutankhamen liked his wine red.

Employing new techniques, Spanish scientists were able to determine the color of wine from ancient samples which had lost their pigmentation over time. The samples were housed in jars resting alongside the former pharaoh of Egypt. The labels on the jars had detailed accounts of the wine's properties, just like today's wine labels.

The study confirms the belief, based on studying tomb painting, that reds were the wine of choice in the valley of the kings. Using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, researchers were able to find traces of syringic acid. Syringic acid is created during the breakdown of maldivin, which is found in red wine.

The Spanish contingent also used the procedure on other samples to learn that the most important

drink in ancient Egypt, Shedeh, was made from grapes instead of pomegranates, as was once thought.  

Back to top

The juice from a pomegranate offers some of the world's most powerful antioxidants. In fact, studies show that pomegranate juice has more antioxidants than other known antioxidant drinks such as red wine, green tea, blueberry juice, cranberry juice and orange juice. In addition, there are some studies that suggest pomegranate juice my help in the treatment of prostate cancer and may prevent some brain injuries in babies. Not bad for a fruit that many people are not that familiar with.

The Cancer Research

After skin cancer, prostate cancer is next as the cause of cancer death among men in the United States. A recent study at The University of California at Los Angeles found that drinking pomegranate juice helped fight prostate cancer. The study was performed on 48 men with recurrent prostate cancer. Half of the men drank 8 ounces of pomegranate juice a day and the other half did not drink any pomegranate juice. The men that drank the juice were able to go 37 months before symptoms reappeared, the non-juice drinkers only went 15 months without symptoms. This study was small and is certainly not the final word on the subject. However, the research is promising and certainly warrants giving some consideration to adding pomegranate juice to your diet.

Brain Injury Research

A new study on mice conducted by the University of Washington School of medicine in St. Louis could hold promise for expectant mothers at risk of premature birth. Pomegranate juice may help their babies resist brain injuries from low oxygen and reduced blood flow associated with premature birth. The phenomenon, which is called hypoxia ischemia, causes brain injury in approximately 2 of every 1,000 full-term human births.

In this latest study, researchers temporarily lowered brain oxygen levels and brain blood flow in baby mice whose mothers drank water mixed with concentrated pomegranate juice. Their brain tissue loss was reduced by 60 percent in comparison to mice whose mothers ingested other liquids.

source: ArticleWorld.net Free Articles

Back to top

Girl Power!

Heal Your Heart with Wine and Chocolate ...and 99 Other Ways Women Can Protect Their Hearts by Debora Yost

Buy it from Amazon!

Buy if from Barnes and Noble!

This month's Featured Listing!

Charleston, SC Restaurant, Market Area