Vinegar has been around as long as mead and wine if not longer. Vinegar is mentioned in the Bible -- in the Book of Ruth and in Proverbs. It is also specifically called for in the making of haroseth (a dark lumpy paste made from fruits and nuts) in Pesachim, a section of the Talmud. Vinegar was known to the Egyptians and it was drunk by Caesar’s armies. Hippocrates prescribed the drinking of vinegar for his patients in ancient Greece. It would appear that in all the places that we have seen the production of wine or beer in the ancient world, we also find the production of vinegar. To make wine vinegar, start with a good quality wine that’s not too strong -- 10-11% alcohol -- because too much alcohol inhibits the activity of the bacteria that transform the wine. If the wine is too weak, on the other hand, the vinegar won’t keep well. The simplest way to make vinegar is to leave an open, 3/4 filled bottle in a warm place for a couple of weeks. This technique yields just one bottle, however.
For a steady supply of vinegar, take a wide-mouthed glass jug whose capacity is at least a gallon and pour a quart of wine and a cup ofvinegar into it. Keep the container covered most of the time, but open it for a half hour every day. In a couple of weeks the madre, a viscous starter, will have settled to the bottom of the jug, while the vinegar above it will be ready for use. Add more wine as you remove vinegar to keep the level in the jug constant.Better quality wine vinegars are matured in wood for up to two years and exhibit a complex, mellow flavor.
Balsamic vinegar is the unfermented juice or must of the white Trebbiano grape. The must is boiled down to a sweet, intensely fruity syrup that is then aged in a series of barrels made from various woods including, chestnut, mulberry, juniper, oak and cherry. It is in this manner of aging that imparts the dark color and pungent sweetness to the vinegar. True balsamic vinegar is aged a minimum of six years and is traditionally made in Modena, a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. As you can see, a bottle of wine will not turn into vinegar without help.

Cheese has always been the staple of the peasant and the serf throughout the ancient western world (Scandinavia, Europe and eastern Asia). In Britain, it was known as white meat. Although the long-horned auroch (a very large, extinct type of cattle, originally prevalent in Europe) which is ancestor of all our modern cattle was the first domesticated milking animal, most milk came from sheep or goats until the Vikings came and improved cattle strains. More and more milk came from cows after that but most cheese still came from goats. It was an economic factor because cows ate much more than goats, therefore, serfs and peasants could only afford goats’ cheese.The Inca, Aztec and Mayan civilizations of South America and the North American Indians relied heavily on milk but had no knowledge of cheese making. There were no large milking animals in the Pacific, and in China they considered drinking milk or eating rotten milk (as they considered cheese) disgusting.

Permanent settlements were first made in the West so that crops could be grown and grain harvested. The most useful animals that were previously hunted were now domesticated. This process started about 6000 BC in northern Greece. It made sense to rely on milk and cheese rather than to kill an animal and hunt for another one. Slowly, the dietary balance of grain, flesh and milk meant that people became masters of their environment and, somewhat, their destiny. Soon communal ambition became individual competitiveness that led to the rulers and the ruled.

Displays of power or wealth were vital to be able to discourage others. Not only were you seen with more food but also better food. Thus was born the basic division of society-those who ate well and those who worked; ie, the nobles and the serfs. From the beginning, the rich ate meat and soft cheese while the poor ate no meat and hard cheese. It was those who could not afford to eat meat who led the great migrations to the southern hemisphere and to the New World. Today, nowhere else in the world will you see such quantities of meat served or cheese made as in North America, Australia and Southern Africa.
The types of cheeses produced in America continue to grow and expand, fueled by market demand and knowledge gained by cheese makers. The numbers of new cheeses being offered, from specialty, and small farm cheese makers, have dramatically increased over the last decade, resulting in literally hundreds of cheeses being available in supermarkets, specialty stores, farmer’s markets and the internet.

Cheeses produced in the United States may be made from cow, goat, or sheep’s milk or a blend. Federal Department of Agriculture regulations require that any cheese aged fewer than 60 days be made from pasteurized milk; however, those cheeses aged beyond 60 days may be made from non-pasteurized, or “raw,” milk.

Like wines the best way to decide on your favorite cheese is to taste them, and any fine cheese shop will be happy to provide a sample before you buy. Try to buy only as much as you can consume within a few days. Most refrigerators will dry out cheeses over long periods of time. The best place to store refrigerated cheese, because of its high humidity level, is the vegetable compartment, usually located at the bottom of the refrigerator.

A medical study done in 1999 helped to show how wine acts to prevent ulcers. The study included 1800 patients. For each patient, the scientists tested for the presence of helico bacterpylori, the organism which has been shown to cause ulcer infections. Compared to non-drinkers, those patients who had one glass of wine a day had 7% fewer of these ulcer-causing bacteria. Those who drink two glasses a day had 18% fewer bacteria. Those who drank 3 or more glasses had a full 1/3 fewer bacteria. However, because of the other medical issues caused by drinking that much wine, doctors recommend drinking 1-2 glasses each day.

Drinking red wine and cooking with olive oil may help us to live longer. Many studies have shown that people living in Mediterranean countries like Spain and Italy live longer on average than people in other countries. Certain ingredients in both wine and olive oil significantly increase the lifespan of yeast. So what. Right. Wrong! Unbelievably, yeast and humans share many of the same genes, and scientists have speculated what's good for yeast can be good for humans. A polyphenol called resveratrol is abundant in red wine and gives the wine its anti-cancer and anti-heart disease properties. Quericetin, which is abundant in olive oil, has the same properties. Quercetin is also found in the skins of red apples and red onions. The antioxidants in wine and grape juice help the control of blood clotting that causes heart attacks and strokes; they help further by stopping the oxidation of LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol to its dangerous form. The antitoxins found in tea and chocolate work similar to those in red wine. A confirmed non-drinker might be inclined to ask, why not eat just fruits and veggies, and forget about alcohol?

To you non teetotalers, fear not.There are plenty of reasons to still enjoy a couple of glasses of your favorite wine. Alcohol, in moderation, contributes at least half of wine’s cardiovascular benefits, and likely provides numerous other health benefits, and little, if any, risk. In fact, it may even enhance the desired effects of the antioxidants in the enriching form of wine, which is a hand that can’t be beat.

The only fly in the ointment for us wine drinkers is the term moderation. By definition, moderation is within reasonable limits, not excessive or extreme. Is one glass, two or three extreme? Is your moderation level for drinking wine the same if you weigh 150 pounds as it is at 200 pounds? Is excessiveness measured the same for a female as it is for a male? People who take part in extreme sports such as sky diving and kite surfing don't consider them extreme sports. Within reasonable limits? In some areas, 55 is a reasonable speed limit and in others 65 is reasonable. No easy answer. Certainly a conundrum. It seems that a new study result comes out every other day. It's good---It's bad---Helps your heart---Lowers your cholesterol--Stops cancer, but remember always in moderation. A close friend of mine once said that all things should be done in moderation, including moderation.

How many times have you heard? Watch your drinking. You can’t afford to lose any more brain cells. I beg to differ! Scientists in Portugal found that rats given heavy amounts of red wine did not suffer memory damage as did the rats given pure alcohol. They feel that humans may experience similar benefits. Portuguese scientist theorized that if compounds found in red wine provided protection for other parts of the body then red wine may also protect parts of the brain as well. Their hypothesis was that the antioxidant polyphenols of wine can protect neurons from the damaging effect of alcohol contained in the wine; thereby slowing or preventing the development of functional disturbances in the brain.”
After exposing three groups of 12 rats to many varied experiments, the scientists discovered that rats from the red wine group performed memory reactions consistently as well as those drinking water only. The scientist believed that the high level of antioxidents found in red wine were responsible for protecting thebrain cells of the hippocampus (the area of the brain where oxidative stress occurs first. As with Alzheimer’s disease, damage to the hippocampus is demonstrated by one’s difficulty to find their way to familiar locations)

Spain is the home of the greatest aperitif wine on the market today. The purpose of an aperitif wine is to stimulate the appetite and a cool, crisp glass of sherry still remains the best preliminary to a meal.

The three types of grapes used today are: the Palomino Blanco, Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel. Of these the Palomino, grown on the Albariza soil and largely used for making Finos and Amontillados, is the sherry grape par excellence. The Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel are widely grown in other parts of Spain for the production of sweet wines.
After the grapes have been harvested they are laid out on Esparto grass mats with the object of concentrating the juice by evaporation. After pressing, the must (grape juice) is then poured into butts (casks) to ferment and be transported to one of the large bodegas in Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Sta Maria or Sanllicar de Barrameda to begin the years-long processes of maturing, blending and fortification.

The first and most important difference between the making of sherry and most other wines is that it is fermented and matured with free access to the atmosphere, which is achieved by leaving a space in the cask above the liquid and only loosely stoppering it. It is because of the individual property of the wines that they spontaneously grow a flor (or ‘flower’) on the liquid interface. It consists of a thick layer of yeasts which serves the double purpose of regulating the access of air to the must and also of eliminating the harmful vinegar producing bacterium, thus permitting slow and controlled development.
At this early stage the butts are usually kept in a shaded patio to allow circulation of air, only later being transferred to the bodegas. After some six months the initial cloudiness disperses and the must is left clear beneath its protective film of flor. It is at this stage that a second peculiarity of sherry becomes evident. No two butts develop in quite the same fashion even though the grapes may have been gathered at the same time from the same vineyard and their subsequent treatment looks to be identical.

By the time the wines are two years old they have several times been racked free of sediment and solid matter, and sparingly fortified with grape spirit or suitably diluted alcohol. By this time they have also been classified according to the quality and type of sherry for which they are best suited; Fino, Palo Cortado, Oloroso, etc.--
Blending and maturing is a process that takes years, the length depending on the type and quality of wine in view. It is accomplished in a solera, a word derived from the Latin soltum, or Spanish suelo, meaning a floor. In essentials, it consists of tiered rows of oak butts of 108 gallons capacity, subdivided into ‘scales’ or series of butts containing wine of identical type, but of progressively younger vintages. From time to time a limited amount of wine for bottling and final blending is withdrawn from the series of butts first laid down. These are replenished or ‘refreshed’ from butts of rather younger wine, which are in turn refreshed down all the scales of the criadera or “nursery.” Even the youngest of the wine is not less than nine months old.

Before it is bottled the wine is clarified with egg white and ‘Spanish Earth’ and is usually blended with wine from other soleras; but this is better considered after discussion of the basic classes of sherry, which are: Fino, Palo Cortado and Oloroso.
Apart from certain Manzanillas, Fino is the lightest, palest and most delicate of sherries, usually of 15 to 16 % alcoholic strength. If left to mature indefinitely, a good Fino may retain its character, growing steadily more intense in flavor, but more often it develops into an Amontillado, deeper colored, with a characteristic bouquet and ‘nutty’ flavor, and of 16 to 18% strength.

Oloroso breeds little or no flor. The wine is darker than the others, less delicate, and when in its natural state and fermented to completion, dry. However, since Olorosos are used for dessert sherries, they are often blended and sweetened. They may approach 24% in strength.
Manzanilla cannot properly be classified with the other sherries. It is made in the small town of Sanlucar de Barrameda on the Guadalquivir estuary. The grapes are picked a week or so earlier and are not sunned, so that the must contains less sugar and more acid. There are also differences in the operation of the soleras, which possess more scales than those used for a Fino sherry--sometimes as many as fourteen. Manzanilla exists in various styles, but in normal usage the word refers to a Fina, an extremely dry and delicate wine with a penetrating aromatic fragrance, and a degree or so less strong in alcohol than a Fino sherry. The keeping properties of sherry vary according to type. Finos and light Amontillados are not at their best after more than three months in bottle; dry Olorosos may safely be kept for several years.

Sweetened dessert sherries actually improve and become smoother with bottle age, their sugar, after a period of ten years or so, being very gradually consumed. Once the bottle has been opened, a Fino should be drunk within three days or it will become noticeably coarser; on the other hand, a brown sherry can safely be left for a month. The rules for serving sherry are the same as for other white wines: a dry fino should be drunk chilled, but not iced, and dessert sherries at room temperature.

A team of researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston did 12 studies on more than 750,000 men and women. Those who had one alcoholic drink or more a day showed a 28 percent lower risk of renal cancer. Wine showed a slightly higher level of protection but the most important factor was the amount of consumption. Those who had a glass of wine a day showed an 18 percent lower risk of getting renal cancer, and those who drank two glasses of wine showed a 28 percent lower risk. The researchers added that alcohol may help improve insulin sensitivity and work as an antioxidant, thereby clearing out harmful and potentially cancer-causing elements in the organ. However, the researchers warned against consistent, heavier drinking.

Research studies have concluded that both red and white wine stop bad breath. Well, perhaps not exactly. They did discover that they do help the prevention of Streptococci, a bacteria that can cause cavities, tooth decay and sore throats, including strep throat. The researchers removed all the alcohol from both wines to see if the other compounds in wine might attack the bacteria. The scientists warmed the eight strains of Streptococciu to body temperature and added the wine.The control group (no wine added) began to reproduce immediately and in five hours the bacteria had grown by an average of 15% The Streptococci treated with the wine not only did not produce, but also began to die. They discovered that organic acids in wine, some found in the grapes and the rest found in the secondary fermentation (malolatic) killed the bacteria. Add this to the positive results found previously that the resveratrol in red wine destroyed two types of bacteria that cause gum disease. Since gum desease can cause bad breath, ome may conclude that wine can stop bad breath.

Where does it come from? From Kraft? No! Not that American cheese.

In 1841, Mrs. Anne Pickett from Wisconsin made cheese making history when she opened the first cottage industry cheese factory using milk from neighbors’ cows. In 1851, Jesse Williams opened the first cheddar factory near Rome, New York.

Today, the United States is the world’s largest producer of cheese, in fact, more than 25% of the world’s cheese is produced here.

In the past, many of the native American cheeses Colby, Coon, Cornhusker, Monterey, Pineapple, Tillamook, Washed-Curd, Soaked-Curd, Stirred-Curd and Grandular were variations of cheddar, often with regional roots. Colby, for example, is a mild, semi-firm type of cheddar traditionally from Vermont. Coon is a sharper cheddar made in New York. Cornhusker is a Nebraska cheddar first introduced in 1940 and is similar to Colby. Monterey, also known as Monterey Jack is made in Monterey County, California and was introduced around 1892. Pineapple is a cheddar matured in net bags giving it a pineapple shape. Tillamook is an Oregon cheddar.

Two native American varieties that departed from a cheddar base were Brick and Liederkranz. Brick is a sweet, semi-soft cow’s milk cheese described as being between Cheddar and Limburger in both taste and style. Brick cheese was first made in Wisconsin by John Jossi, a Swiss immigrant. Supposedly, he had to squeeze the cheese between two bricks for the right texture, and thus Brick Cheese. Liederkranz was created by Emil Frey, a young Swiss cheese maker in Monroe, New York, in 1891, who also created Velveeta there in 1923. He named the cheese after the Liederkranz Club, a singing society, where the owner of the cheese factory had taken the first samples of the new cheese. Liederkranz is a cow’s milk cheese, with an edible pale yellow crust, and a semisoft, pale interior with a mildly pungent flavor and distinct aroma. At present Liederkranz cheese is no longer made.

In the last several years the U.S. cheese industry has enjoyed a renaissance of specialty cheese making. Over 400 varieties, types and styles of cheese are available from skilled U.S. cheese makers.
This new interest in artisanal cheese making has led to a renaissance in farmhouse cheese making in New England and New York.
Cheese making is not a new art in New England. In the 1620’s the earliest settlers of Plymouth Plantation brought the tools and skills needed to make cheese with them from England to America. In Healdville, Vermont, Crowley Cheese Company still makes the same creamy, sharp cheese it made in 1843 in the oldest continually operating cheese plant in the US. From the farmlands of the Southern Tier to the pastures of the Hudson Valley and the high peaks of the Adirondacks, a growing number of highly skilled New York State cheese makers are creating quality, artisanal cheeses. These talented individuals have rediscovered what many believed was a lost art in the United States. Through intensive study and a strong dedication to the art of cheese making, the New York State cheese makers are bringing handcrafted, distinctive cheeses to market for consumers to enjoy.

“Only peril can bring the French together. One can’t impose unity out of the blue on a country that has 265 different kinds of cheese.”
-Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle
1890 - 1970

No, I’m not talking about BB King or Robert Johnson (although I am a fan)—I’m talking about glorious blue cheeses. From Stilton to Roquefort to Gorgonzola, I love them all. I love them for their versatility as well as for their flavor.

They work fabulously in dishes, literally from soup to nuts. Add a chunk of blue cheese to your butternut squash soup; crumble it over crisp salad greens (and you really haven’t truly experienced blue cheese dressing until you’ve made your own); stir it into your polenta when you add the butter; mix it into hot caramelized onions and top your steak; spread it on a crusty baguette, or—even better—warm nut bread. And, for dessert, blue cheeses are wonderful with lightly toasted walnuts, pecans or almonds, especially when accompanied by a selection of dried fruits such as Medjool dates, Mission figs, cherries and/or apricots.
Another reason I love these cheeses is the degree to which they are wine-friendly. Classically, they are enjoyed after a meal with a glass of port, Sauternes or an ice wine, but unlike so many cheeses, they are also great with a wide range of red wines. That means the wine you served with dinner can go on to be served with the cheese course; for example, fruity pinot noirs and merlots and Beaujolais Villages work, and so do big Cabernet Sauvignons, Shiraz and Zinfandel. Mediterranean Rhône reds and Chiantis and Sangiovese will work too.

Although the origins of many of the great blues are lost in the mists of history, they share certain characteristics. The veins that develop from the introduction of mold spores (most often Penicillium roqueforti) into the loosely packed curds can range in color from pale blue to an almost black-green, and help the cheeses develop a more aromatic pronounced flavor and a smooth texture. But each blue has its own personality from the milk it’s made from, the region it is made in and where and for how long it is aged (frequently in caves which provide just the right temperature and humidity).
How to choose your blues? Taste a variety and you’ll find your favorites. These are my top five:
Blue Stilton (commonly referred to as “The King of Cheeses”) from the English counties of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire. Stilton is England’s only name-protected cheese and by law can only be called Stilton if made in those three counties. Buy Colston Basset (if you can get it) or Cropwell Bishop and experience luxury.
Roquefort (if Stilton is the King, this is the Queen). This incredibly complex sheep’s milk cheese (all my other choices are made with cows’ milk) is aged in the limestone caves of Cambalou and possesses an incredible creaminess which contrasts amazingly with its salty exterior.

Gorgonzola----both varieties—Dolce which is sweeter and creamier or Piccante which is aged longer and still has sweetness but a more assertive tang. Both have a spicy, earthy flavor and are especially suited for cooking.
Bleu d’Auvergne is a creamy blue from the southeast of France where grasses are lush, and the cheese reflects a little of that meadow with a grassiness and clover notes. This is an excellent choice for recipes, but also super for eating out of hand with cured meats and olives.

Pont Reyes Original Blue from the coastal region of Tomales Bay in California near Pont Reyes National Park. This is an exceptional blue with hints of sea salt and lemon. This is my choice for salads.

A recent study at the University of Buffalo found that drinking moderate amounts of wine reduced your levels of abdominal fat. Those who abstained, and those who binge drank, both had more ‘tummy pouch’ also known as “beer belly” than those who drank healthy amounts of wine each day. The fat in particular the study was testing is called “central adiposity” and is in essence abdominal fat - the tummy pouch. If you lie on your back, this is the tummy fat that sticks upwards and doesn’t slide to one side or another.

The study was done on 2,343 adults in all age ranges, both male and female. The results held for all of the groups. People who drank one or two glasses of wine a day had the smallest belly fat amounts. Those who binge drank (3-4 glasses at a time) or who didn’t drink at all had the pouch.
Note that those who drank hard alcohol had larger amounts of belly fat across the board. So it’s a glass of wine for your health!