Linkin’ logs: 1-22-16
Technology, health and geography are on the docket at Linking’ Memorial High this week:
• It took awhile, but it appears that wine vending machines are becoming a thing.
• I’ve judged with Dr. Michael Apstein before and found him to be bright and insightful. So I trust what he says about the possible benefits of taking two alcohol-free days a week.
• So I have seen a buttload of reports on the health benefits of wine, particularly red wine. And I have seen WAY too many of what I call “boner ads.” So I guess it was inevitable that the twain shall meet with red wine reportedly helping treat erectile dysfunction.
• If you’re like me, you hate those wine bottles with a buttload of wax at the top. My friend Mark just plows through with 
a corkscrew; here’s what the estimable Dunn Vineyards recommends.
• Government-recommended guidlelines are gospel to some and anathema to others. Here’s a look at proposed drinking limits around the globe.
• Wine can be just fine in a water glass, but it’s inarguably more expressive in a decent “real” wine glass. Turns out those vessels apparently also mask some unwelcome aromas.
• Finally, pull put this in case of emergency:
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I appreciate your comments about “2 days off from wine per week,” but after reviewing some of the readers’ comments from the linked article, it seems as if those of you in the wine business may have a real problem that would benefit from the “two days off per week” prescription. That is, tasting wines much of the day (it was always my assumption that these events had empty glasses or pots available for spitting out the wine, as I could never imagine being able to intelligently judge a wine if I had swallowed the equivalent of more than a glass.
However, for me, drinking usually a glass, and maybe two, of red or white wine with dinner each day…I really can’t imagine the benefit of a weekly holiday from this very enjoyable (and moderate, in my eyes) practice.
I think you’re exactly right, Phillip.
I see absolutely no reason for the casual, one-glass-or-so-a-night person to take nights off.
In the trade, we taste a lot of wines, but also do some spitting. (I have 40 bottles along my dining-room floor walls that I need to get at soon.)
But as an avid wine lover, and as someone who gets a lot of samples that deserve better than a sip, a tasting note and then dumping the bottle, I do tend to drink between a glass and a bottle many nights. I have been taking a night off a week at least, and while I haven’t noticed major benefits, I am sure they are there.
One of the issues with wax capsules: these wines, for all practical purposes, cannot be on restaurant wine lists. The debris field gets pretty wide and cannot be controlled easily (even with a napkin over the bottle). And as the bottles age, the cap becomes really hard, but not brittle enough to easily chip away. Enjoy them at home!