The Mediterranean Diet and Wine

Wine Diva Uncorks Secrets

No more frustrations over serving the wrong wine.
Salud! Wine Diva Uncorks a Few Secrets
By Shawn McKee
eDiets Staff Writer


I am a relative wine novice. Most of my "fine wine" experience comes from the boxed variety, but a Grigio greenhorn I shall be no more. I have a secret weapon: The Wine Diva.

Christine Ansbacher, dubbed the Duchess of Cork by The New York Post, is a venerable vino veteran who holds a diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, is a Certified Wine Educator and just wrote a pocket-sized wine guide chock-full of useful wine tips called, "Secrets from The Wine Diva."

eDiets Mediterranean Diet can help you make healthy choices without sacrificing flavor and variety. Plus, you can even have a glass of wine with your dinners! If you're ready to get serious about your health, visit eDiets and set up your personal profile to get a plan personalized to meet your needs.

This is no hoity-toity, pretentious guide to wine snobbery. Christine didn't even laugh when I told her of my box wine exploits.

"Box wine is a good place to start, but sooner or later you'll want to trade up," Christine suggests. "I want to help people get more pleasure from their glass and not have to pay a lot for their pleasure!"

She likens it to training wheels on your bicycle. You may not taste the difference in wine from a box or a bottle, but as your skills and tastes develop, you'll want to take your wine exploration to the next level.

This handy wine guide is not just ostentatious "vino babble." Christine claims her book will teach you how to pair the right wine with food, pronounce it with friends and much, much more. The trick is pairing the proper wine with the proper dish to bring out the flavor in both, because as Christine says, "a meal without wine is called breakfast!"

The Wine Diva takes her years of technical wine training and turns it into practical advice for aspiring oenophiles (wine experts). She's trained in winemaking from soil to storage, and everything in between, but explains that most people don't need to know all that.

"To learn about wine there is simply no substitute for pulling corks. Which is why I believe in wine drinking, not wine thinking," Christine says. So basically, to become a connoisseur you simply need to consume more wine.

If you think a glass of wine with dinner will shatter your diet, you shouldn't give up your wine wishes just yet. As my great-uncle used to say, "Ifa you lika de vino, drinka de vino... bellisima!" The popular eDiets Mediterranean diet not only includes delicious dishes, but allows for your favorite wine to accompany your delectable dinner.

Wine won't cork weight loss plans, but is it actually healthy?

"Red wine is part of a healthy, active and fit lifestyle. It's been shown to lower the risks of coronary heart disease, Alzheimer's, arthritis and cataracts -- and it contains cancer-fighting properties. It's part of my healthy lifestyle -- and it's delicious," Christine says.

The American Heart Association acknowledges the benefits of moderate wine consumption -- two glasses for men and one for women per day -- to lower the risk of coronary heart disease. So grab a glass.

"When you are thirsty drink water; when you want pleasure drink wine," Christine suggests.

Water's easy, but how can you pick the right wine for dinner? Don't panic. Here are tips for pairing the right wine with your meal, straight from The Wine Diva:

When foods are browned via broiling, grilling, baking and roasting, the juices are caramelized. Connect these caramel flavors from cooking with the caramel flavors of oaked wines like Chardonnay and Cabernet.

When foods are cooked in clear liquids -- steamed, poached, lightly sauteed, or braised -- no extra flavors are added, so reach for "clear," unoaked whites like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Muscadet; and reds with very subtle oak like Barbera from Italy, Shiraz from Australia, Beaujolais Village and Chinon from France, and Merlot or Pinot Noir from Chile.

Christine also adds this tidbit for those counting calories, "Read the labels. Wines with more moderate levels of alcohol will have fewer calories. More alcohol equals more calories."

And remember: "If you can't tell the difference, don't pay the difference. Wine doesn't have to be expensive to be good," says Christine.

Grab a bottle (or two) and call your friends, it's time to throw the ideal dinner party. Just make sure you swirl the wine and sniff it first. This will increase your enjoyment and make you look like an instant expert. Welcome to high society.

eDiets has great ways for you to eat healthy, lose weight and take control of your health. We're here whenever you need us for inspiration and support!

Shawn McKee graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BA in Journalism and has written for The Broward and Miami New Times.