NZ 07 wine harvest

I just noted this report on posted last week on the NZ web site and wanted to share it.

www.truewines.co.nz

It looks like the best year ever in our little corner of NZ called Matakana. Our yield was over two tons per acre and we did a lot of bunch thinning just before picking to drop the bad bunches on the ground before our selective hand picking. That is what one does to get the best of fruit for the best of wine. Remember we are about quality not quantity at Hawks Nest. From talking to the local other growers it seems all the whites did really well in Matakana and of the reds the only ones that did poorly were the Merlot. Lucky for us we only have Cab Franc and Malbec which were perfect.

Below is that report I mentioned.

More soon:

Dr Jim

ANOTHER RECORD NEW ZEALAND VINTAGE

Date: Fri 13 Jun 2008

The 2008 New Zealand grape harvest will help the wine industry meet strong export demand and produce a vintage of high quality, New Zealand Winegrowers announced today.

285,000 tonnes of grapes were harvested in 2008, up 39 per cent on last year, according to Winegrowers’ 2008 Vintage Survey. The increase is due to a combination of an increased producing area and favourable growing conditions in most regions over the summer months, which bodes well for the new season’s wines.

New Zealand Winegrowers CEO, Philip Gregan, said that nature had delivered an unexpected bounty in 2008.

“The harvest is larger than forecast pre-vintage as a result of the favourable growing season. This reflects the upside of agricultural risk in our industry which in recent years has often worked against us with spring frosts or cool weather during the critical flowering period.”

The increase in the harvest in 2008 is principally linked to the rise in the production of Sauvignon Blanc. Significant production rises were also recorded for Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, both of which are enjoying strong export sales. The Chardonnay harvest was smaller than 2007.

“The increased harvest is a real opportunity to grow sales in new and existing export markets in the year ahead towards our target of $1 billion of exports by 2010. At the same time, the larger harvest will present a challenge to winery sales and marketing efforts to ensure that New Zealand’s premium image continues to go from strength to strength.”

Regionally, Marlborough produced 195,000 tonnes of grapes in 2008, up 61 percent from 121,000 tonnes in 2007. However, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay regions were down 8 percent and 18 percent respectively, due to a combination of frosts and cooler weather at flowering.

Other regional increases included Central Otago up 177 per cent, Wairarapa up 111 per cent, Waipara up 304 per cent, Canterbury up 304 per cent and Nelson up 35 per cent. In most cases these changes reflect a rebound to target levels after weather reduced crops in 2007.

WINE AND JOINTS

Now that I have your attention with the title of this post I can share with you this very interesting news item in the paper here this week. It seems that a little wine may actually be good for Joints of the medical type that is.

The article below outlines the conclusion that smokers have less arthritis symptoms if the are also drinkers of alcohol. The abstract below is a bid dense but sure is good news to me. I don't smoke, I do have arthritis, and I definitely consume a bit of alcohol daily when I can. Heck, I guess I have been doing the correct think all along.

More soon

Dr JIM

ARTHRITIS

Date: Fri 06 Jun 2008

A study headed by Hanrik Källberg of the Karolisnka Institute in Stockholm, Sweden suggests that drinking alcohol may limit the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, particularly in smokers. Källberg says that moderate drinking should not be stopped by those with a genetic disposition towards the condition.

"Concomitant genetic and questionnaire information on alcohol and smoking was obtained for 1204 cases - 879 female and 325 male - and 871 controls - 645 female and 226 male," the researchers said. Of the participants tested in the studies, the quarter found to more regularly consume alcohol were 40 to 50 per cent less likely to develop RA over participants with a lower intake.

The study concludes; The observed inverse association between alcohol intake and risk of RA and the recent demonstration of a preventive effect of alcohol in experimental arthritis, indicates that alcohol may protect against RA. This highlights the potential role of life-style in determining the risk to develop RA, and emphasises the advice to stop smoking, but not necessarily to abstain from alcohol in order to diminish risk of RA. More generally, the evidence of potential RA prevention, urges for additional studies on how this can be achieved.

WINE GOOD FOR LIVERS???????

As a doctor I have always been led to believe that any alcohol was dangerous to liver cells. Now it seems that for certain types of fatty liver disease that a little booze may be helpful. When you think of it a bit it does make sense that all these very obese people are getting fat in their arteries as well as in the liver. Soooooo, maybe this article makes a bit of sense. Anyway, this news report caught my eye and I wanted to pass it on.

The solution is to limit fats in your diet (not much fat in a glass of wine) and protect both you liver and arteries. At the same time do take in that good ole glass or two of Hawks Nest Orchard Block red wine!!!

More soon

Dr JIm

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WINE CAN HELP YOUR LIVER OUT

Date: Thu 29 May 2008

Those who are at risk already of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) face the extra possibility of experiencing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

This is the most common liver disease in the US, affecting over 40 million adults, but was almost unknown 20 years ago; it is thought to be linked with obesity.

There appears to be no mention in the relevant literature of any study being carried out to examine the possibility of there being a possible relationship between modest wine consumption and the incidence of NAFLD. Accordingly, scientists at the University of California, San Diego decided to look for this by analysing data collected in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Their study sample consisted of 7,211 non-drinkers and 945 drinkers of modest amounts of wine, selected from those surveyed who reported that they either were abstainers or consumed daily up to ten grams of alcohol.

Multivariate analysis was adjusted for age, caffeine intake, education, income, neighbourhood, physical activity, race and sex.

The possibility of NAFLD being present was based on levels of unexplained serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) being above the cut point of the reference laboratory (ALT > 43) and the cut point based on the 95th percentile of healthy subjects (for men, ALT > 30 and for women ALT > 19).

As a result, based on the reference laboratory cut point, NAFLD presence was suspected in 3.2 percent of the non-drinkers and in 0.4 percent of the modest drinkers of wine. Consumers of beer and spirits were four times as likely as wine drinkers to have suspected NAFLD.

Using the healthy subject cut point, NAFLD presence was suspected in 14.3 percent of the non-drinkers and 8.6 percent of the wine drinkers.

The researchers conclude therefore that there is an association between the modest consumption of wine and a reduced prevalence of suspected NAFLD. They suggest that one glass of wine taken daily offers some cardio protection for people who are at risk of suffering CHD and NAFLD but warn that more work needs to be done to identify the specific compound in wine which confers beneficial health effects.

Hepatology 47(6):1947-1954, 2008 : Modest wine drinking and decreased prevalence of suspected nonalcoholic fatty liver disease / Dunn W, Xu R, Schwimmer JB

FALL HAS COME IN NZ

Well, today is sad for us as we pack up and fly back to Tenn for the NZ winter. OUr wine is now fermenting in the barrels- in the photo you can see me siphoning off a bit to sample. It is not tasting soo good just now as it needs to settle and age for a year in our French oak barrels. Someone has to taste is so why not me?????

The other shot shows our golden orange Malbec leaves which are starting to drop off now. Early reports from all our Matakana Wine Growers membership is that it was a mixed season. Most all the local whites were excellent but some reds did not fare too well this year as there was a wet week just as they were ripening. For us we did well with really nice Cab Franc grapes but only average for our Malbec. Now we will just have to wait and see how the wine ages with time.

If you are reading this in NZ, we wish you a happy and warm and dry winter. If you are one of our US readers you know it it stormy and already pretty hot in the south. Our son in Washington DC told us last night on the phone that it was supposed to get to 98 F. in the DC area this weekend. Man!!! That is hot for so early in the US summer. Oh well, with my creaky joints the hot humid weather will be good for me. I will surely be sweating when I do my next post. Do remember that more and more evidence suggests that red wine is good for the brain and arteries so even in this warmer weather do drink a glass of red wine daily. Hawks Nest is of course what I suggest to all my patients. (could that be considered a "conflict of interest"??? Never!!!!

More soon from Nashvegas.

Dr Jim and Miss Sandra

BEST TRAVEL AGENT IN NZ!!!

Many of my friends in the states now ask me about travel to and in NZ. I always tell them that NZ travel agents are fantastic to work with and know the country better than far away US expensive "travel experts" Here is our NZ travel agent--Michelle Beretta of Holiday Shoppe, Warkworth, NZ. She is just fantastic and I wanted to post her on my little blog.

We recently had to cancel a trip to AU. and thought we had proper trip insurance. BUT!!! we found out the "small print" in the policy sold to us by Michelle did not cover us for ill parents back in the states. However, you will never beleive it but she was able to retroactively convince the insurance company to change their policy and thus refund our trip expenses in full. I can assure you that this would have NEVER happened in the states. So, Michelle "THIS ONE IF FOR YOU" as the song goes. Thanks for really going to bat for us. You are now stuck with us for ever and ever.

What do this have to do with Hawks Nest Wines, not much but I can say the Michelle is now a good fan of our wines and will be getting a lifetime supply of our good reds!!!!!

More soon;

Dr Jim and Miss Sandra

PS that is Michelle hard at work in her office on her headphones selling someone a good trip overseas most likely. As you can see in the other shot she does like her alcohol:):):)::)

WINES ON LINE IN NZ NOW FOR HAWKS NEST

We are excited the now have our wines now listed on New Zealand's most popular internet wine sales site--True Wines.
I have listed the link below so you can just click and go.  If you are reading this in NZ, you can now order our wines and get them delivered to you for less than retail prices here in NZ.  Unfortunately, if you are in the States you are out of luck--sorry!   I sure wish Tennessee offer wine sales by mail or on line.  That sure would be nice.
Anyway, I just wanted to put this good news up so you would know where to go to order our wines in NZ the easist and cheapestd way possible.

More soon;

Dr JIm


http://www.truewines.co.nz/winery.php?wid=232713