The big wine lie and other food and drink news

The big wine lie - Behind the picturesque rows of grapevines at vineyards around the world, winemakers are bending the truth. It's not the sort of thing most wine drinkers would have noticed, because it's happening behind the scenes, before bottles are shipped out, and it's tough to tell by taste. But it's hard to imagine anyone would appreciate it. Many winemakers have been a little loose with the information shared on their labels. Not with the region, vineyard, year and varietal, which people — both expert and not — look to when buying wine, but with the alcohol content, which they have been misreporting on bottles for decades. The percentages reported on bottles aren't the precise measurements consumers likely believe them to be. A number of factors, including tastes, expectations, associations, rating systems and even international tax laws appear to be nudging winemakers to round the alcoholic kick of their respective wines up or down a notch on labels in ways that might make the bottles more attractive to prospective drinkers. And the problem is widespread.

A cast-iron teapot in Tokyo’s kitchenware district - About half way along Kappabashi-dori, in the heart of Tokyo’s kitchenware district, there’s a beautiful shop named Kama Asa that is devoted to the sale of cast ironware. It may come as a surprise to the Western kitchen-goods shopper because in many countries the production of cast iron is all but dead. Though you might find a few pieces in the odd shop, you certainly wouldn’t find a store devoted entirely to the craft. The use of cast-iron kitchen goods (despite its known qualities and health benefits) has almost evaporated in Europe, apart from the occasional casserole or frying pan. You would also struggle to find a factory still producing anything in cast iron in Europe, while in Japan — especially Iwate Prefecture — there are several. One obvious reason for the survival of cast-ironware here is the tea tradition and the enduring popularity of cast-iron teapots. But even so, it’s a measure of the strength of Japanese craft that Kama Asa — now more than a century old — not only exists, but appears to be doing well in a world of Nespresso convenience.

Red wine is bad for you, say experts - Government experts dismiss supposed health benefits of wine and are set to rewrite the rule book on alcohol consumption
They're thirsty for deals but millennials won't sacrifice taste or quality in their alcoholic beverages - Millennials are a key demographic for the alcoholic beverage market, both because of how big the group is as well as how much it may purchase going forward. And as a result, the battle within the alcoholic beverage industry has begun to win over this group’s hearts, minds and wallets. Tastes within the group, however, vary when it comes to alcoholic beverage preference. For example, Millennials 21-34 represent about one-fourth of adults 21 and over, but they account for 35% of U.S. beer consumption and 32% of spirit consumption. Comparatively, they represent only 20% of wine consumption.

New Dietary Guidelines Crack Down On Sugar. But Red Meat Gets A Pass

We don’t know what to eat - The government wants to have it both ways. On Thursday morning, federal officials released long-awaited dietary guidelines for the first time in five years. The recommendations are meant to inform Americans about what they should and shouldn't eat. But the message is pretty confusing. When they tell you what to eat, they speak directly, naming foods that are easy to identify. When they tell you what to avoid, they speak opaquely, referring to nutrients that are hard to grasp. In some places, they remove older warnings about certain foods. In others, they add new ones about the same foods. In other words, they still say not to eat them. All together, the guidelines risk leaving a public as unsure about what they should and shouldn't be eating as before.

In 'Heirloom Harvest,' Old-School Portraits Of Vegetable Treasures