Red wine kills bad bugs!

Have you every wondered what kinds of "bugs" you might be picking up when you reach into that bowl of chips, nuts or pretzels sitting on a bar?  Well, if you are drinking red wine, you are protecting yourself from certain food-borne illnesses.  A 2007 study conducted by University of Missouri-Columbia researchers found that red wine contains compounds that help ward off pathogens known to cause food-borne illness.  Strains of E. coli, Listeria and salmonella can’t endure wine’s combination of ethanol, low pH and phytochemicals.   Another good reason to drink wine with your meals!

If I buy a $30 bottle of wine, does that make me a wine connoisseur?

We've all stood in front of rows of wine bottles trying to figure out what will be the perfect gift, the best wine for dinner tonight or a wine, well, just because.  But a recent study conducted in England showed that flipping a coin might be just as reliable as looking at the price of the wine.  Richard Wiseman, professor of Psychology at Hertfordshire University says "People just cannot tell the difference between cheap and expensive wine."  He asked 578 persons to taste and guess if the wine they tasted was a cheap (around $10) or an expensive (around $30) wine.  The surprising results showed that expensive white wines were correctly guessed 58% of the time and red wines only 47% of the time.  So, go ahead, pull out that lucky penny the next time you're shopping for wine.  You've got a 50/50 chance of getting a good one.  Or, even better, stop by your local winery and taste some wines til you find one you like!