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Question: I have a bottle of Cognac Grande Fine Champagne 1811 Reserve Impeatrice Josephine. I am trying to find out a value. The cork is intact, no damage or leakage. Thank you I am attaching some photos.

Answer: This is supposed to be a rare valuable bottle. I was asked this very same question and on Ask Sid October 28, 2015 answered “$7000” based on a Christie’s auction history. Last year someone asked me the same question again and now you have raised it. Suddenly I am becoming slightly suspicious of the possibility of cognac fraud. How many bottles of this cognac are out there, where are these old bottles coming from and how valuable are they really? Has anyone tasted the contents? Is your bottle authentic and what is the provenance? Your photo is encouraging because it shows “State of Illinois Series H 1937” on the bottle. However, you need to investigate and provide more details on when and where you acquired it, the bottling date and the like. Suggest you get an Auction House to do a more thorough inspection of your bottle and give you a definitive range of value.

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By Joseph Temple

Having thyroid problems? Looking to add more fibre to your diet? Want to improve digestion? How about lowering your blood pressure or reducing inflammation?

If you answered yes to just one of these questions, consider adding seaweed—an algae that grows along shorelines all over the world—to your diet immediately. Loaded with everything from beta-carotene to omega-3 fatty acids, ounce-for-ounce, seaweed is perhaps the most nutritious food on the planet today. Yet sadly, while consumed for thousands of years by Asian cultures, Americans have been slow in bringing this delicacy into the mainstream. As Professor Ole Mouritsen from the University of Southern Denmark explains, “people don’t like the idea of eating something washed up and smelling [like] the seashore.” Thankfully, this perception is changing as more information becomes available to the health-conscious consumer.

For starters, a major benefit that comes from eating a reasonable amount of seaweed is a chemical element known as iodine. Essential for maintaining a healthy thyroid, which is a gland in your neck that produces and regulates hormones, iodine deficiency can result in a whole host of issues, from fatigue to auto-immune diseases such as psoriasis. And while most table salts contain iodine, many processed foods that are ubiquitous in grocery stores across the nation do not. This, along with what journalist Nick English describes as “salt-ophobia” amongst society-at-large has certainly contributed to a spike in thyroid issues over the past few decades. In contrast, with seaweed being a food staple in Japan, it is simply unnecessary to iodize table salt in that country. It could also be why the Japanese are near the bottom when it comes to diseases in the industrialized world.

Then there’s the minerals and nutrients in seaweed that are almost too long to list. But here’s a small sample: Vitamins A, C, E, B₁₂ (which is rare in plant-based foods), iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium and protein. Therefore, it’s no real surprise then that seaweed is known to be good for:

• hair and nail growth
• reducing blood cholesterol
• strengthening bones and teeth
• nerve transmission
• improving your skin
• treating osteoarthritis
• reducing the risk of breast cancer
• enriching your metabolism

So if you’re interested, head down to your local grocer or health food store and see what they have available. The three basic varieties are: brown (which contains the highest amount of iodine), green and red with the most popular types being kelp, wakame, and nori. Now if you’re interested in reaping the numerous health benefits but can’t stomach the idea of chowing down on some algae, consider purchasing pills or seaweed powder, which can easily be added into a smoothie. However, since the supplement industry isn’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it can sometimes be the wild west when it comes to safety and accuracy. With that being said, it’s usually a good idea to check the label carefully and be sure that it’s a reputable name brand.

Move over kale—seaweed is the new superfood!

Sources:

Fuchs, Nan Kathryn. The Health Detectives’ 456 Most Powerful Healing Secrets. ReadHowYouWant.com, 2009.
Kirk, Mimi. Live Raw: Raw Food Recipes for Good Health and Timeless Beauty. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2013.
Moosewood Collective. The Moosewood Restaurant for Health: More Than 200 New Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes for Delicious and Nutrient-Rich Dishes. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009.
Simoons, Frederick J. Food in China: A Cultural and Historical Inquiry. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 1990.

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By David Liuzzo [CC BY-SA 2.0 de], via Wikimedia Commons

Question: What is the difference in Germany between the wine regions of Pfalz and the Palatinate?

Answer: No difference really as both terms seem to be used interchangeably for that emerging exciting wine region in south west Germany highlighting spatburgunder (pinot noir) a variety which has been helped by global warming. Used to be historically the Upper Palatinate and the Lower Rhenish Palatinate. However after the Second World War the latter became officially Rhineland-Pfalz (or Rhineland Palatinate).

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By Joseph Temple

Throughout the vineyards of Western Europe, don’t expect too much out of 2017.

That’s because last week, an unusual and severe frost, considered by many to be the worst in a generation, wreaked havoc on both sides of the Channel, severely crippling the wine industry across England and France. In the former, winemakers scrambled to light candles next to the emerging buds facing subzero temperatures. Dropping down to -6°C, one English vintner described the entire ordeal as “catastrophic” while another stated: “I’ve been in English wine for 30 years and never seen anything like it … It looks like there will be a 50% drop in this year’s expected yield – if not higher.”

With an emerging wine industry, England, which is increasingly becoming known around the world for its world-class sparkling wines is expected to be hit hard by this devastating spring frost. But by having such a strong focus on fizz, the impact won’t reach the consumer until 2020.

Moving on to France, the situation is just as dire as winemakers used everything at their disposal, from candles to helicopters to salvage what they could of this year’s harvest. Already enduring a 7% decline in total annual output last year due to a plethora of unfavorable weather conditions, two of its most famous regions—Champagne and Bordeaux—were likely hit the hardest. In the land of bubbly, it is estimated that between 20 to 25% of the region’s vine shoots were destroyed while the Bordelais have called this the worst frost to hit their region since 1991. Effecting every appellation from Médoc to Sauternes, and especially bad in the Right Bank, more than 60,000 hectares were struck by Mother Nature on April 20-21 and April 27-28.  According to Decanter, approximately 20% of Bordeaux vineyards lost between 90% and 100% of their potential 2017 crop.

In terms of dollars and cents, the damage in Bordeaux alone is at least €1billion. “We can already estimate that we have lost nearly half of the potential crop,” said Xavier Coumau of Bordeaux’s Syndicate of Wine and Spirits Courtiers. Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that a warmer than usual spring caused shoots to develop more rapidly. “The vineyard was three weeks ahead in its growth, shoots were already well developed. Frost destroyed everything – shoots are dead,” according to one French union official. Whether subsequent shoots will be able to flourish is still up in the air.

Luckily for some, they may escape with only a minimum amount of damage based where the vines were planted. Those in low-lying areas where the cold air settles are more susceptible as opposed to those on higher plateaus and on slopes. Interestingly, only 25% of winemakers in France are covered for this sort of damage by insurance companies, who charge enormous premiums that a majority simply refuse to pay.

What do you think of these most recent events? Is climate change making this the new normal in 2017? Comment below.

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Question: What is meant by Left Bank & Right Bank in wine tasting?

Answer: They refer to the two sides of the Gironde river in Bordeaux France but more specifically Left Bank (LB) south of Garonne River & Right Bank (RB) north of Dordogne River. LB includes the Medoc with all the top properties of the 1855 Classification of chateaux. The grape plantings usually have more Cabernet Sauvignon followed by the usual mix of Merlot & Cabernet Franc and sometimes Petit Verdot + Malbec.  RB is dominated by Merlot plus some Cabernet Franc in the famous Saint Emilion & Pomerol regions together with many emerging nearby satellite appellations. Generally though with “Bordeaux blends” now being produced from around the world these terms have taken on a much broader meaning to describe their style of wine. LB tend to be more structured and tannic when young needing some time to open while RB are usually riper softer with less aggressive tannins being more accessible early on. These days though both “Banks” use modern winemaking practices resulting in refined tannins for earlier approachability in style.

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