Have the health risks of moderate wine consumption been grossly overstated? How does moderate wine consumption reduce heart disease? What is the ideal amount and pattern of wine consumption for maximum health benefits, and how does it differ between men and women?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with author Tony Edwards.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks

Giveaway

Three of you will win a copy of his terrific new book, The Very Good News About Wine. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at natalie@nataliemaclean.com and let me know that you’ve posted a review of the podcast. I’ll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!

Highlights

How did Tony’s experience as a BBC producer and a medical columnist shape his approach to researching and writing about wine?

Why does Tony believe the glycemic index is more accurate than the calorie theory for measuring food values?

What impact does alcohol have on your insulin response?

What does research show about the benefits of dry wine for diabetics?

What motivated Tony to revisit the topic of alcohol and health a decade after his first book, The Good News About Booze?

Which aspects of synthesizing decades of research on wine and health did Tony find most challenging?

Why was wine prescribed in UK hospitals and by physicians during the Prohibition era in North America?

What is the ideal amount and pattern of wine consumption for maximum health benefits?

How does the J-curve demonstrate the extent of the health benefits of wine for heart health and diabetes?

Does the alcohol in wine influence its health benefits?

What are the health implications of non-alcoholic wines compared to moderate consumption of regular wine?

Key Takeaways

Tony explains that the alcohol consumption guidelines are completely the inverse of what the evidence says. He wondered why the guidelines were being reduced to a level that actually no one benefits from moderate wine consumption. Study after study shows wine is really good news.

Tony observes that it’s actually the collection of polyphenols in wine that have the beneficial effect rather than simply resveratrol alone. It's the interaction of these polyphenols with each other that produces a benefit.

Tony notes that a study in 2018 came to the conclusion that for men, the maximum optimum intake of wine per day was 60 grams, which is about two-thirds of the bottle, and for women, half that.

About Tony Edwards

Former BBC science documentary producer/director/writer. Now specializing in medical research journalism, Tony Edwards is a former BBC TV producer/ director/ writer, with over 80 science documentaries to his credit, some winning awards from such bodies as the British Medical Association. After the BBC, he wrote on science, technology and medicine for The Sunday Times, Readers Digest, Daily Mail and a wide variety of medical magazines. He is married to the broadcaster and novelist Debbie Rix; they have two grown-up children, three hens and four cats, and live in rural Kent.

To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/309.

Why do certain musty or animalistic aromas, like barnyard or manure, become more acceptable to wine lovers over time? What does minerality really mean when it comes to wine? Why is mouthfeel so important to appreciating wine? How does the colour of wine influence our perception of how it tastes?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Master of Wine, Gus Zhu.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks

Giveaway

Two of you will a copy of his terrific new book, Behind the Glass: The Chemical and Sensorial Terroir of Wine Tasting.

To qualify, all you have to do is email me at natalie@nataliemaclean.com and let me know that you’ve posted a review of the podcast. I’ll choose two people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!

Highlights

Why do certain musty or animalistic aromas, like barnyard or manure, become more acceptable to wine lovers over time?

What’s behind the perception of saltiness and minerality in wine?

How do we misunderstand sweetness when it comes to wine?

Why have we developed more complex perceptions of bitterness, and how does it influence our experience of tannins in wine?

Why is mouthfeel so important in wine tasting?

How does colour affect our perception of wine?

What are the most interesting aspects of oak aging in wine, and why is there so much diversity?

Why is it important to embrace sensory differences in wine tasting?

Key Takeaways

Gus believes that the wine industry or even the media is trying to promote a certain style of wine and make people believe that many people love wines that have specific smells and taste like barnyard.

Gus observes that acidity and minerality are such vague terms and concepts that people in the wine industry discuss. When people say minerality, they may be referring to many different things.

Mouthfeel adds several other dimensions to taste, which makes wine tasting even more interesting. When blind tasting, many people depend on smell but he encourages them to pay attention to the textual, tactile sensations from the wine as well.

People usually look at the color first because it's straightforward, even though we could see colours a bit differently from each other. Even though we want to be objective, we cannot. We could be even more biased when we see things first. For example, there are already studies showing that if you color white wine as a red wine colour, and ask people to smell it, they came up with all these descriptors that are related to red wines.

About Gus Zhu

Gus Zhu is the first Chinese national to become a Master of Wine. He works as a research and development scientist at Harv 81 Group, specializing in chemical analysis and sensory studies of aroma compounds in wine, cork, and oak. Gus holds a Master of Science degree in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis, which he earned in 2017, and achieved his MW qualification in 2019. In addition to his research in flavor chemistry and sensory science, Gus is a professional wine educator, offering tutorials to wine enthusiasts around the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/308.

Can you learn to appreciate aromas such as spice, petrol, and even gamey or foxy notes in wine? And would you want to, or should you? How can you better understand the taste of umami in what you eat and drink? How do culture and lifestyle influence your perception of the aromas and taste of wine?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Master of Wine, Gus Zhu.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks

Highlights

What was the moment Gus realized he wanted to make wine his career?

How did it feel to become the first Chinese Master of Wine (MW)?

Which aspects of Gus’ multicultural education helped him pass his MW exam on the first try?

What is Gus’ book, Behind the Glass, about?

What makes Behind the Glass different from other books on wine science?

What are chemical terroir and sensorial terroir?

What was the most surprising thing Gus learned while researching and writing Behind the Glass?

Why is the concept of the “tongue map” wrong, and what do we now know about how our tastebuds work?

How can you better understand the taste of umami?

Can you learn to appreciate vegetal and herbal aromas in wine?

How do terpenes present in wine aromas, and why do people like them?

Why might supertasters be at a disadvantage in the modern world?

How do culture and lifestyle influence your perception of the aromas and taste of wine?

Key Takeaways

As Gus explains, we evolved to reject certain smells for our survival. For example, if a plant or fruit or food smells vegetal, it's a sign of under ripeness so it either doesn’t taste good or isn’t nutritious enough for consumption. In some cases, it could mean that it’s poisonous. So it makes sense then that we may not like vegetal aromas in wine.

In Asian countries, Gus says, they have a longer history with fermented food and drink. They also don’t over season or over cook protein dishes so that the taste of umami remains. Umami comes from the amino acids in protein, but we often get confused because we combine our proteins with fat, salt, and other things. If you barbecue a mushroom and don’t season it, the juice or broth released in the little dent in the mushroom is a savory, yummy, umami taste.

Gus believes that we should pay more attention to what we eat and drink. He believes that people who like the Chinese experience a more diverse range of flavours and develop a greater appreciation for them. Similarly, we develop a greater vocabulary to express what we’re eating and drinking when we think about it.

About Gus Zhu

Gus Zhu is the first Chinese national to become a Master of Wine. He works as a research and development scientist at Harv 81 Group, specializing in chemical analysis and sensory studies of aroma compounds in wine, cork, and oak. Gus holds a Master of Science degree in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis, which he earned in 2017, and achieved his MW qualification in 2019. In addition to his research in flavor chemistry and sensory science, Gus is a professional wine educator, offering tutorials to wine enthusiasts around the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/307.