You may think he is going to bring up the old saw about the "French Paradox" that's been bandied about for decades, but there is a "new" twist.
Just in case you are one of the rare individuals who pays little heed to such topics, let me fill you in.
Ever since cholesterol became the boogey man that it now is, people have asked, gosh, golly, how come the Gauloises (as the Romans called those who dwelled in Gallia, not the cigarettes) can indulge in all their fatty cheeses (there are 365 in France), sausages, pâtés, and best of all, foie gras, and end up having a much lower incident of heart disease than health obsessed Yanks. The key to the longevity of France's gourmands, it was suspected and eventually "confirmed," must be their liberal consumption of wine along with their fatty fare. This was music to the ears of wineries everywhere, as consumption of wine had remained stubbornly flat for many years.
New twists to the "French Paradox" appear persistently. Recently, modest wine consumption was linked to lowering the chance to become crippled by rheumatoid arthritis, providing protection against diabetes, though in males only, and guess what, that wine drinkers "are happier."
Unlike many studies that make no difference between wine, beer, and hard liquor when it comes to the beneficial effects of moderate alcohol consumption, one publication (Roger Corder, The Wine Diet, Sphere, London, 2007) only deals with wine.
Corder is a British scientist who neither owns vineyards in France, nor is he in any way affiliated with the French wine industry.
According to Corder, it's not just any old wine, but two red varietals that take the cake when it comes to heart health: Malbec and Tannat. These two French grape varieties are responsible, respectively for the wines of Cahors and Madiran in Southwestern France.
Further afield, Malbec, takes pride of place among Argentina's wines, while Tannat is the major grape of Uruguay. Both varieties made it to South America along with the exodus of French vintners who had become impoverished by the philoxera (vine louse) epidemic, that ravaged the vineyards of Europe, beginning in the middle of the 19th. century.
The vineyards of Cahors (Malbec) and of Madiran (Tannat) have been resurrected during the second half of the 20th century. As if Bacchus had planned it, the wines of Cahors and Madiran come from the areas of France where cooks use goose fat and lard in their dishes and where people happily indulge in the usual rich French fare, and where foie gras is a major industry.
The hardy Gascons that populate the Department of Gers near the Pyrenees get to be over 90 years old at twice the rate as their French compatriots. Their lucky star made them stumble upon Tannat, the major red variety that goes into their Madiran wine.
Similar longevity and dietary staples prevail a bit further north in the Department of Lot, home of the Malbec-based "black wines" of Cahors.
Cahors and Madiran reds are notorious for their high tannin content. Tannin is the stuff in wine that makes the mouth pucker, but Professor Corder says that the tannins are much less pronounced when taken with food.
But here comes the clincher. The protective substances of the heart healthy Malbecs and Tannats are only the property of the wines that are grown in Southwestern France. So take that, Argentina and Uruguay.
Corder claims that the inherent virtues of Malbec and Tannat, are connected with the areas in France where they are grown in, the soils, and the altitude of the vineyards (terroir). Also, the traditional methods of vinification result in wines high in procyanidins, substances that are strongly antioxidant and therefore likely to minimize the danger of blood thickening.
Today's wine drinker is unlikely to put up with the massive tannins of these wines or cellar them until the tannins have been tamed. Desperate growers in Madiran are now trying to make Tannat wine with virtually no tannins and Cahors producers experiment with premier type wines (think Nouveau Beaujolais) made from Malbec.
Corder laments these developments. He says that "the winemakers of this region should be encouraged to resist all pressure to move toward modern tastes of berry fruit and soft, ripe tannins. Theirs is a genuine heart-protecting wine, and this is the real French Paradox."
I'm now striving to replicate the lifestyle of these novogenarian Gasconians. Alors, goose fat rendered by my Christmas goose shall be used for frying my home fries. Duck and goose confit shall grace my table at least once a week, while I'm protected by procyanidins.
My only problem: So far, I have been hunting in vain for tannic Malbecs and Tannats from Southwestern France. I very much enjoyed some smoother versions, but they didn't quite take the enamel off my teeth.
Not having the cachet of, say Bordeaux reds, most of the Cahor and Madiran wines are reasonably priced, which makes experimenting that much easier. So the search goes on.
Stay tuned. I'll report on the effects of my Gasconian diet, while protected by mouth-ripping, tannic wines from Cahors and Madiran. That is, if I survive.
VISIT "PRE-HISTORIC" NAPA
Ever since "Falconcrest," the TV series, Napa Valley has surpassed Disneyland as a tourist attraction. Fittingly, some wineries along Highway 29 have taken on a Disneyesque ambiance. "Castello di Amorosa," a fake, enormous Tuscan Renaissance-style castle, is the most recent and ostentatious example.
When I arrived there one Friday afternoon, hundreds of cars were parked in several lots. Turns out that "Castello di Amorosa" has four giant tasting rooms to accommodate its visitors.
If you prefer a more low key experience, try "Casa Nuestra" winery on the Silverado Trail.
"Casa Nuestra" is unique in several ways. A tiny house, that once was the haunt of an aged lady, has pretty much been preserved in the original state and what had once served as the main living quarters is now a cozy tasting room.
Before you enter, you pass through a beautiful oak grove ("dog and goat friendly") where handsome chairs, made from discarded oak staves are grouped around tables and invite the visitor to picnic and enjoy the unique wines of Casa Nuestra.
The tasting room resembles a museum of the 1960s and '70s, where original posters recall a time long past, when, what insufferable pundits refer to as the "culture wars," got under way.
But there is levity as well. Once upon a time, before the place became a winery, Elvis, the King, visited there while acting in a movie. This is immortalized by a photo of the King with a local girl snug at his side. There are also small, colorful, "dancing Elvises" on a wall, who play guitar and gyrate their hips.
Second tier wines are grown in vineyards near the winery which were cloned from the ancient vines mentioned above.
MISCELLANEOUS: "SOULFUL" BORDEAUX FOR $20?
Label drinkers need not apply.
Chateau Lanessan from Haut-Medoc keeps company with some of the big names of Bordeaux, but it can be purchased for a tiny fraction of their prices.
How is this possible? Chateau Lanessan didn't make it into the all-important 1855 classification of Bordeaux wines because its reclusive and eccentric owner apparently showed the classification bureaucrats the door.
Bully for us. We can now enjoy a wonderful ("soulful" according to Eric Asimov of the NYT) Bordeaux without being hammered by the inflationary prices of the classified chateaux. Less than a mile north of Lanessan are the St.Julien classed growths of Gruaud-Larose, Brainaire-Ducru, and Beychevelle.
K&L Wines of San Francisco is offering a number of vintages of Chateau Lanessan, going back to 1996 and the prices all hover around $20.
This is a unique chance to buy great Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine from Bordeaux at prehistoric prices. Like all good Bordeaux, these wines begin to drink well when they are about ten years old and they will age for many more years.
