Swirls: NY supermarket wine sales, wine & weight loss, a 13-year-old rosé

SWIRL: Legislation aimed at changing how wine is sold here in New York is once again making its way through the Legislature in Albany. On one hand, it seems lawmakers may finally be heading toward the right balance when it comes to permitting grocery  stores to sell wine, while also giving liquor stores more flexibility in what they can sell and to whom. The Times Union has a good editorial on this today. At the same time, Dr. Vino.com has an interesting item on another New York bill that would curtail the ability of restaurants to purchase interesting older vintages from collectors and other sources, bypassing wine distributors.

SWIRL: If you’re trying to lose weight, are eating less but just don’t see much of a change, it could be those two or three glasses of wine you’re drinking. A survey of 2,000 people in Britain found that fewer than one third had an idea how many calories there are in a standard glass of wine (134). Read more about it in Scotsman.com and Marie Claire.

SWIRL: As we head into high season for rosé with lots of 2010 releases, most of them to be drunk within the next few months, Jeremy Parzen highlights one of the world’s ultimate rosés in the Houston Press -- R. López de Heredia 1998 Viña Tondonia Rosado Gran Reserva. Yes, a 13-year-old rosé that, like most wines from this great Rioja producer, is aged for years in barrels before release. They are singular wines, providing a unique tasting experience.

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SWIRLS: Royal wedding wine update, AHA wine and health survey, French riot police demand their wine

SWIRL: With less than 24 hours before the Royal Wedding, the wine world waits to see which wineries made the cut. Two English producers are said to be in the running. Camel Valley in Cornwall tells Decanter.com of an unusually large order, while the Daily Mail says a white from the Chapel Down Winery in Kent,  the largest of Britain’s 109 wineries, will be served at one of the  receptions, at Buckingham Palace. (Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but Chapel Down offers best wishes on its home page to Prince William and Kate Middleton). Pol Roger Brut NV was previously reported to be the Champagne of choice.

SWIRL: Do you know how much wine is healthy? A new survey by the American Heart Association of 1,000 Americans shows that while two-thirds think that wine can be good for the heart, only 30 percent know the AHA’s recommended limits – two glasses of wine a day for men and one for women (eight ounces and four, respectively).

SWIRL: And we saw this one coming. French riot police are “up in arms” over plans to ban them from drinking wine and beer with their meals while on the job. “Over the top,” says an official of one police union. “Simply absurd,” says another union. Read the full story in the Los Angeles Times.

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Swirls: Wine news roundup -- resveratrol, India, Hong Kong, plastic bottles and poisoning Romanée-Conti

SWIRL: An update on the science of resveratrol. Benefits? Yes, but only  to a point. Wine Spectator.

SWIRL: India’s wine market explodes, with consumption projected to almost triple by the end of next year from  2008. Most of the wine is domestically made; importers are waiting for more favorable excise policies. Commodity Online.

SWIRL: There’s “auction fever,” meanwhile, in Hong Kong as Sotheby’s starts an eight-day sale, with more than $5 million spent on the first day. It all has a kid-in-a-candy shop feel. Bloomberg.

SWIRL: Bottling wine in plastic is growing in France to meet a perceived market demand, but there’s a huge debate over the practice from region to region. AFP has a good, in-depth look.

SWIRL: The plot to poison the world’s most famous vineyard is chronicled as a thriller in Vanity Fair.

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Swirls: wine and brain function, a guide to ‘bad wine,’ Jack Nicklaus wine

SWIRL: I’m always careful when it comes the subject of wine (or other alcohol) and health benefits; almost all studies that find a link emphasize that the purported benefits or associations with good health are based on light to moderate wine consumption. And that includes a newly released report that finds a link between moderate wine drinking and a reduced risk of decline in thinking skills. The Norwegian study was large, involving more  than5,000 people over a seven-year period. You can read more about it at WebMD.

SWIRL: There’s an excellent guide to what can go wrong with wine, from cork taint to oxidation and other problems, by Will  Lyons of the Wall Street Journal. He reminds us that “more often than not there is no fault with the wine at all” and the wine “just doesn’t taste how the drinker expected it to.” Read the full article by clicking here.

SWIRL: There’s a fairly long list of sports figures who have parlayed their celebrity into wine ventures. They range from race  car drivers, including Mario Andretti, football players, including Drew Bledsoe, at least one basketball legend (Larry Bird), and plenty of golfers, including Greg Norman. Now, Jack Nicklaus has joined the group, launching a limited collection of Napa Valley wines called Jack Nicklaus Wines in partnership with Terlato Wines. Read more at  BunkerShot.com.

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