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Carema and Gutturnio Featured in New York Magazine
We have to admit: we were a little surprised when a writer from New York
called to tell us that Nebbiolo and Croatina (a
grape that we also know fondly as Bonarda) have significant quantities of
melatonin, a hormone that, among offering many other possible health
benefits, can help the mind unwind. Do we care all that much about melatonin?
No. But we sure do like how these wines taste.
The following text is taken from this week's issue of New York:
Seek Out the Nebbiolo
Red wine, good for the body and mind.
By Ira Boudway
The past year was a salubrious one for red-wine drinkers. Not only did
researchers announce that resveratrol (found in vin rouge) could help you live longer - or at least help
lab mice run farther on treadmills - but a study conducted by Iriti Marcello at the University of Milan
discovered the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin in several varieties of
red-wine grapes. While it's hardly news that uncorking a bottle of red is a
great way to unwind, it may be more than just the alcohol that mellows the
mind. Melatonin made a big splash as a supplement in health-food stores a few
years back when Newsweek called it "the all-natural
nightcap" and research suggested it could do everything from slow the
aging process to protect the immune system. But Dr. Alfred Lewy, an expert on sleep at Oregon Health and Science University, tempers the hype. The
hormone, which is released by a tiny gland in the brain and triggered by
darkness, definitely helps to set the "body clock" or
"circadian rhythm," he says, "but there is only anecdotal
evidence that it may, as a side effect, help with relaxation." If you
want to conduct your own "study," two varieties of grape - the
noble Nebbiolo and the more common Croatina - prove
to be especially loaded. Jeremy Parzen of Vino Italian Wine and Spirits
offers recommendations for a moderately priced wine made from each grape:
NEBBIOLO
Carema le Tabbie 2001, Orsolani
($30).
While Barolos and Barbarescos need at least a few
years to soften (i.e., lose some of their tannic taste), this
wild-berry-flavored wine is "already drinking very well."
CROATINA
Gutturnio 2004, La Stoppa ($18).
A blend of Barbera and Bonarda, Gutturnio comes
both still and sparkling. It's got an old-fashioned "barnyard"
aroma and is great with pizza. "It smells like cow chips," says
Parzen, "and that's a good thing."
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