What did the grape say when it was rolled over by a beer keg?

Not a word – all it did was “wine”!

Your type of drink can say something about who you are – if you believe the marketing companies who target the mass markets with multi-million dollar commercials and campaigns. But how much can this information be trusted?

Enjoying both beers and wines is not a mutually exclusive pastime – I personally drink both and conform with neither stereotypical image of either drinker – I’m not a young stud hanging out with great looking babes in a bar while ice-cold longnecks are guzzled by the truck load nor a wrinkly, liberal-looking, spectacle-wearing foodie with leather patches on my elbows.

The global cultural significance of wine and beer is due mostly to their extremely long histories. Who actually invented beer and wine is lost in time, but both originated from the Middle East and probably have been made since Neolithic times (around 5000 B.C.) – certainly the ancient Egyptians and various empires based to the East of the Mediterranean Sea have documented wines and beers as well as irrefutable archaeological evidence.

Certainly in those ancient times, there was no such thing as an NFL or Nascar event while cheese & wine parties were not exactly on the social menu. The division of potential consumers using marketing, and by extension, social stereotypes for beer and wine markets has created a false picture of who actually drinks them. Since wine producers in California started making headway in international markets bck in the 80’sWine was the alcoholic drink of the masses in Europe and not the upper crust – beer was drunk as water, simply because it was safe to drink due to the alcohol content and in fact, beer was not brewed for the purpose of getting drunk, at least, not in the beginning but to purify water.

Mass production of beer really started in the 20^th Century – in previous centuries other forms of alcohol dominated demand for getting smashed – and wine was one of the dominant beverages. With the coming of mass production also came mass marketing and in the case of beer, blue collar workers became the targeted demographic hoping they would want an ice-cold beverage after a hard day’s work. Girls, cars, smiling friends and being Mr. Popular in the bar were all part of the marketing mix thrown at potential beer drinkers being sold on fizzy, yellow brews. The self-owned breweries that have a good brew have been left out of the mainstream beer industry but appreciated by beer aficionados.

Marketing perception is rarely an accurate reflection of reality, if you consider that wine was discovered probably at an earlier date than beer from the archaeological evidence, wine would appear to have been the caveman’s first choice of fermented brew. If a caveman preferred wine to beer, this hardly matches the marketing perception that beer drinkers do not have taste nor being a hard-working macho-man precludes you from enjoying wine. Wine is also more potent than beer for those who wish to see who can get drunk the quickest.

On the other hand, wine experts and followers will probably point to the labor and skill which goes into creating a fine wine – the reality is that brewing beer also requires just as much artistry and imagination as producing a good bottle of plonk. The number of micro-breweries and family-owned brewers who have maintained the tradition for numerous generations testifies to the diversity of taste, skill and ingenuity when it comes to producing a pint.

The bottom line – downing a beer or slurping a wine is not predetermined by social status or marketing categorization – it all comes down to one thing no matter who you are or what you do – your own taste.

By Mark Trumper, the guiding force of MaverickLabel.com, the Internet’s leading provider of labels, custom stickers and custom wine labels. From asset tags, to shipping labels to custom wine labels, MaverickLabel.com can provide all of your label needs. Call 1-800-537-8816.

Many people have anger management problems when they drink alcohol. Would you say that you are one of these people or do you know a person who struggles to control their anger when they are drunk? If you have answered “yes” to this question then this article may well be of interest to you.

I was only reading this morning on the BBC news website about the convictions for murder of two young men who had killed when under the influence of alcohol. They had some how become involved in an argument with another man, a man they did not know. He fell to the floor at which point the second man then kicked him in the head. It is thought that it was his head hitting the pavement that caused him to die however the two men were still sent to jail.

Three men and their family and friends have had their lives ruined – basically due to the over consumption of alcohol. Would they have acted in such a way had they been sober? I doubt it.

Both men have stated how sorry they are and about how guilty they feel; I for one feel sorry for them both as they will have to live with what they have done for the rest of their lives plus they will spend a number of their best years behind bars. Let us not also forget the families of these two men, they will have also been badly affected by this whole sorry event.

Then, of course, there is the person who has of died, a waste of a promising life, and of course his family. I have and will continue to pray for them all. It really is a tragedy.

I have actually completely stopped drinking alcohol, something that when I was younger helped me to speak in a fluent manner. I had a stutter for eighteen years of my life and alcohol enabled me to gain the confidence to talk without the fear of stuttering.

I have now managed to overcome the stutter and with the help of a DVD authoring company have produced a seventy minute DVD which describes my journey to fluency along with the techniques required to stop stuttering.

If you are a person who is unable to control their anger when drunk then please learn the lessons from above before your also ruin peoples lives.

Enjoy the Video? Want to Hear More? Discover how to Stop Drinking Alcohol by the Illustrious Ed Philips and Quit Alcohol Today.

A recent medical study proves that women who consume moderate amounts of alcohol greatly increase their risk of being stricken with a variety of types of cancer.

During routine visits to a variety of breast cancer screening clinics thousands of middle-aged women were quizzed about their consumption of alcohol over the past seven years.

A quarter of the women questioned admitted to not using alcohol at all during the time in question while the majority of the group admitted to less than three drinks per day. The average alcohol consumption was just one drink a day, so researchers focused on comparing the habits of those who had drunk two or less drinks per week with those who had drunk larger quantities.

The study which was done by research groups at the University of Oxford in England found that each additional drink on a daily basis increased the risk of breast, liver and rectal cancer.

Alcohol types consumed made no diffence at all to the results, whether wine, beer or liquor. The study coincides with earlier research that alcohol consumption was linked to esophageal and oral cancers, but only when smokers consumed alcohol.

A contrasting study found that women who drank in moderation had a reduced risk of thyroid cancer, renal cell cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma; however these results are atypical given that women, as a general rule, have a lower risk of contracting these types of cancer as opposed to men.

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The group concluded that 13% of the cancers mentioned had been linked or related to the consumption of alcohol. The conclusion shows overwhelmingly that women are at risk if they consume alcohol, even if it is in moderation.

If these results opened your eyes and you desire to stop drinking alcohol there are a variety of online groups that provide advice and support. At these sites you can find basic guidelines for achieving a life free of alcohol as well as other information on these sites.

Find out how to Stop Drinking Alcohol  by Ed Philips and Quit Alcohol Today.

Enjoy the Video? Want to Hear More? Discover how to Stop Drinking Alcohol by the Illustrious Ed Philips and Quit Alcohol Today.

Avoid Having Alcoholic Kids

It is imperative that we teach our children about the dangers of alcohol and drugs. As parents it is our responsibility to educate our children with the dangers that alcohol presents to their health.

Get the facts first and you will find the Internet a very useful learning tool, as it is basically the largest Library in the world and there are several excellent online guides to the affects of alcohol on both our health and our lives.

It is always a good idea to teach them early as they are about to become teenagers and before other kids start to give them the wrong ideas about alcohol. Both parents need to be on the same page and present the same viewpoint regarding how alcohol and drugs can ruin their lives if they begin at an early age.

Make it a relaxing affair and make sure you let them participate too, just so you know what they have been learning from other children. It must be made clear that alcohol is a drug and therefore it is addictive, meaning just one glass of beer could be the cause to a young child becoming an alcoholic.

You also want to emphasize that they should never take medicine, alcohol, or pills from anyone and if they are offered it they should feel comfortable telling you about it. It is vital to have a good relationship with your child and let them know they can come to you with anything they need to say, no matter how trivial.

It has been proven that parents who actively participate and listen to their child’s feelings or problems are less likely to have their child become hooked on drugs or alcohol. If you notice that your child has a sudden personality change or acts out in strange ways and you feel they are involved with drugs or alcohol please seek professional guidance immediately.

The best education you can give is through your own behavior so make sure that you limit your own habits and that alcohol is not accessible at home. Having the right environment in your home is the key for your child’s success against alcohol and drugs.

Find out how to Stop Drinking Alcohol  by Ed Philips and Quit Alcohol Today.

alcohol abuse

There are various ways that alcohol can affect our health and our social skills; After 1 or 2 drinks you start to become more comfortable and more chatty as the alcohol gets into the brain and affects the way you think.
Alcohol abuse causes your heart rate to quicken and you may feel a warm glow. This is caused by alcohol making the tiny blood vessels in the skin expand, allowing blood to flow nearer to the surface and lowers blood pressure.

The Effects of Alcohol on your health

The dangers of drinking large amounts of alcohol can be terrible. Alcohol abuse effects include anxiety, slowed breathing and heartbeat, impaired judgment leading to accidents and injuries, loss of consciousness, suffocation through choking on your own vomit and potentially fatal alcohol poisoning. Drinking too much alcohol can also effect you mentally (generally temporarily), inducing guilt, anger and even paranoia, for no real reason. Your words may slurr, often don’t recognise your surroundings and drinking too much alcohol can result in memory loss.

Drinking alcohol also increases your calorie intake, giving an indication as to why alcohol is a main factor in adult obesity. In a medium-sized (175ml) glass of wine there are 125 calories and in a bottle there are over 500 calories. Thats approximately 1 quarter of the national guidline daily amount!

The morning after – hangover unpleasantries

Alcohol misuse might cause you to have a hangover the next morning, which often has unpleasant affects. You may feel sickness, nausea stomach ache, and sometimes diarrhea, Alcohol also dehydrates you. Drinking alcohol can also make you feel sad, guilty

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consuming more than the recommmended daily amounts regularly you are putting your health in damger. Large amounts of alcohol consumed increases blood pressure.

Alcohol is often linked with mental health problems. A recent British survey found that people enduring anxiety and depression were twice as likely to be heavy or problem drinkers.

Big levels of drinking may occasionally cause ‘psychosis’, a severe mental illness where hallucinations and delusions of persecution develop. Heavy drinking can lead to lonliness and sadness.

Inside a Large G&T (youtube)

It has often been said that that the majority of things scientists and inventors do with their time is a complete waste. To be honest, I’ve often thought that myself. However what two guys named Bompas and Parr, makers of mad jelly sculptures and other “food architecture”, have come up with is worthy of an award. The pair of Eton-schooled eccentric Englishment have come up with what they call a ‘breathable cocktail’ and set it up in the middle of central London. The concept is quite simple – you can stroll around the room inhaling alcoholic vapours which get absorbed into your bloodstream and gradually make you drunk. And direct absorption of the alcohol, apparently, gets you far more drunk than drinking alone.

The whole thing is powered by a commercial scale humidifier, which is connected to a massive bottle of Gin and some tonic water. A humidifier is generally something you see (or don’t see) in industrial settings like printing presses or tobacco plants, where lack of humidity can cause problems. Now you won’t catch many factories pumping gin into their humidifiers of course (if you find one I’d love to work there!)! However these guys had the idea of making an alcoholic steam room where people got inebriated simply by walking around and chatting.

The company that provided the humidifier, JS Humidifiers, are specialists in air conditioners, heaters and the like, and would normally be the place to go for a ceiling fan or a portable air conditioner this summer. After these exploits, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if they start selling out of humidifiers this summer…!As well as that, it surely can’t be long before some posh cocktail bar gets in on the act and sets this up full time in one of their rooms? Perhaps it could even mean that your local pub will get rid of its stools and hand out protective suits at the door. I wouldn’t hold my breath for that one!

Wine has been a part of human culture for many, many years. It was drunk by famous people, such as Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and it was even drunk by Jesus and his disciples. Certainly, today wine has come a long way, but yet it is one of the most popular drink used all around the globe.

Today, many people hosts wine tasting parties to celebrate the wonderful beverage that is wine. Parties like this are quite enjoyable as you will be able to taste different kinds of wine and also experience new flavors. But, what is possible if you don’t have idea how to taste the wine? Surely you wouldn’t want to be the laughing stock at the party just because you don’t know how to taste wine properly. So, here are some basics on how to taste wine.

The first step in tasting wine is by looking at the wine. Never ever fill the glass with wine. The reason for this is that when it is time for you to rim test the wine, you will need to tilt the glass to take a look at its color. Now, you can’t tilt a wine glass if it is full of wine, can you?

You need to hold the wine glass by the stem and never by the bowl. Although this may feel awkward at first, you need to remember that the purpose for this is to avoid altering the wine temperature with the warmth of your hands. Another reason is to avoid blurring the color of the wine with your fingerprints.

After observing the wine’s color, the next step is swirling the wine. The purpose for this is to release the aroma as well as the flavor. Swirling the wine will also expose the tears or the legs of the wine. The more tears or legs in the wine, the higher the amount of alcohol there is in the wine.

Next smell the wine. After you swirled the wine around, the scent of the wine is exposed. Now, stick your nose right in to the bowl of the wine and inhale deeply. About two inhalations will do. The smell of the wine will also indicate its age or its origin. The quality of the wine may also be determined by the smell alone.

After that, you are now ready for tasting the wine. Tasting the wine doesn’t involve gulping everything inside the wine glass at once. It includes having small sips of the wine and most essential of all, you require to be able to taste it.

After having wine inside your mouth, you need to roll the wine around your tongue. There are three things that you need to remember when you taste the wine. The first is the first impression or what the wine tastes like when it enters your mouth, the second is the taste or the flavor of the wine when you are actually swirling the wine around your mouth and the third is the aftertaste, which is the lingering flavor after swallowing the wine.

These are the things that you need to remember when you taste wine. Remember these tips and you can be sure that you will be able to know what to do when you attend a wine tasting party.

Although the four main flavors – sweet, salty, sour, and bitter are all your tongue is really capable of tasting, the long lasting impression that wine leaves in your mouth is far more complex.  When you drink or taste wine, your taste buds and your sense of smell are involved, adding to the way you interpret wine overall.  The flavors, aromas, and sensations that wine is comprised of provide the interaction that you taste when you sample wine.

Sweetness is something that wines are well known for.  With most types of wine, grapes are responsible for the sweet taste.  Grapes contain a lot of sugar, which breaks the yeast down into alcohol.  The grapes and yeast that were used to produce the wine will leave behind various sugars, which your tongue will be able to quickly detect.  Once your tongue detects these various sugars, the stimulation of sweetness from the wine will be ever so present in your mouth.

Alcohol is also present in wine, although your tongue doesn’t really know how to decipher the taste of alcohol.  Even though the tongue doesn’t really taste alcohol, the alcohol is present in the mouth.  The alcohol found in wine will dilate blood vessels and therefore intensify all of the other flavors found in the wine.After tasting some types of wine, easily the alcohol level can have an effect on your taste buds, that makes it tough to distinguish the taste of other drinks that you may have further.

Another flavor is acidity, which will effect the sugars.  With the proper balance of acidity, the overall flavor of wine can be very overwhelming.  Once you taste wine that contains it, the flavor of the acidity will be well known to your tongue.  Although acidity is great with wine, too much of it will leave a very sharp taste.  With the right levels, acidity will bring the flavors of the grape and fruits alive in your mouth – providing you with the perfect taste.

Yet another effect of flavor are tannins, which are the proteins found in the skins of grapes and other fruits.  If a wine has the right amount of tannins, it will give your tongue a great feel, and bring in the sensations of the other flavors.  Once a wine starts to age, the tannins will begin to breakdown in the bottle, giving you a softer feel to the taste.  Tannins are essential for the taste of wine – providing the wine has been properly aged.

The last flavor associated with wine is oak.  Although oak isn’t put into the wine during the manufacturing process, it is actually transferred during the aging process, as most wines will spend quite a bit of time in oak barrels.  Depending on how long the wine is left in the oak barrel or cask, the ability to extract the flavor will vary.  Most often times, wine will be aged just enough to where the oak taste is visibly there – and adds the perfect sentiment to the taste.

They are not as present as those listed above, though there are other flavors added with the taste of wine.  The above flavors are the most present in wine, and also the flavors that you need to get more familiar with.  Before you try to taste wine or distinguish flavors, you should always learn as much you can about the components responsible for the flavors.This is the right way – to know more about what you are tasting plus you will truly be able to appreciate the quality of the wine.

Although beer is a drink that contains alcohol, the alcohol alone doesn’t make it dangerous to your health.  Drinking beer excessively is what leads to hangovers, headaches, and the more severe healthy problems.  If you drink beer in moderation and avoid getting drunk, you won’t experience any problems with your health.

The most common things that people say about beer, is that it can make you fat, hence the term “beer belly”.  As a whole, beer contains little to no fat, and there are plenty of beer diets out there that you can use to stay thin.  The infamous beer belly is caused by consuming too much alcohol, which affects the body’s ability to burn fat.  Even though beer can indeed lead to a “beer belly” if you drink too much of it, if you drink in moderation you should be fine.

Even though beer is low in sugar, it can affect your blood sugar levels.  Beer contains alcohol, which can drop the natural level of sugar in your blood, leading to low energy levels.  If you drink too much beer, you’ll get really tired and go right to sleep.  Alcohol in beer will also lower insulin levels as well, which makes it perfect for non diabetics, as it will reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis.

In the past, research has linked beer with reducing the risk for heart disease.  Beer contains no cholesterol, although it does have antioxidant qualities that can reduce LDL oxidation, with may help reduce your risk of heart disease.  Beer is also an excellent source of fiber, stemming from the malted barley.  Beer can also help to reduce stress, if you drink it in moderation.

To get the health benefits that beer provides, you should drink one beer a day.  You shouldn’t drink any more than this, as it can easily lead to health problems.  Alcohol will thin out your blood, which will protect your heart and reduce the risk of strokes as well.  In the past, research has even shown moderate consumption of alcohol can help with improving your memory as well.After that, if you take it excessively, it can also destroy your brain cells – the adverse effect.

Beer is also nutritious, although it can destroy your levels of vitamin C as well.The beverage beer is a big source of minerals and fiber, like potassium, magnesium, plus many B vitamins such as B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and B12.  Beer contains high levels of these vitamins, along with other minerals that are actually good for your body.  Although it offers plenty of B vitamins and other minerals your body needs, it will also destroy your vitamin C – which is why you never want to drink too much of it.

When it all comes down to it, beer may contain over 95% water, yet it is still a diuretic.  Due to the fact that beer contains alcohol, it will always be a diuretic.  When you drink beer, you should avoid drinking too much and never, ever, drink beer instead of water.  Beer can dehydrate your body fairly quickly, which is one of the biggest cons to drinking beer.  Although beer does have several health benefits, they can easily be hindered by drinking too much.  To stay on the safe side and avoid headaches and other health effects of beer, you should always drink responsibly, never drink too much – and always drink a few glasses of water when you are drinking beer.

Britain now imports more wine than any other country on the planet. As a nation we imported a grand total of 1.6 billion bottles in 2007, equating to 35 standard bottles for every adult in the country which is absolutely staggering figure. The average British adult now drinks 12% more wine than they did just five years ago and forecasts predict our consumption will continue to grow far beyond that figure. Global wine and alcohol consumption is on the rise in past years and also forecast to grow considerably. America are predicted to eventually become the world’s biggest consumer by 2012. The UK is 13th in the world, in terms of consumption per adult and despite Britain being a big importer, the amount we drink is dwarfed by other neighbouring European countries including France.
Red wine and white wine are on the increase as well as champagne and cognacs. The British public consumed 720 million bottles of red wine and 764 million bottles of white wine in 2008 and that figure is expected to grow for 2009. However red wine is rapidly falling in popularity, as white wine and rose wine take larger shares of the increasing wine industry.
Wine merchants have been incredibly busy for the year of 2008. Additionally, reports have indicated that many wine accessories such as tableware and dinnerware have been selling extremely fast as a natural accompaniment to wine. The thirst for wine is set to deepen in emerging economies such as China and Russia, whose consumption levels are soon expected to overtake that of Spain in Europe which is another nation historically associated with wine. It predicted that the financial and economic crisis affecting many wine consumer countries worldwide would only have ‘limited’ consequences for the growth of the wine sector. The report forecasts vast growth for the coming four years roughly in line with pre-crisis trends. Either way it is a very worrying thought.