White Wine Hurts the Choppers

And he intends to drink it... eventually

(NEWSER) - Christian Vanneque has big plans for his latest wine purchase—which happens to be the priciest ever. The former sommelier has just dropped $117,000 on a bottle of Chateau d’Yquem from 1811—the so-called “comet year,” which legend has it produced superior wine thanks to the appearance of a comet in the sky. The previous 2006 record of $100,000 was also for a bottle of Chateau d’Yquem, though that one was from 1787, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

Sharing bacteria can spread tooth decay

(NEWSER) - Candy and cookies aren’t the only cavity culprits: tooth decay can actually be contagious, scientists have found. That’s because cavities result from bacteria hanging around in your mouth—and these germs can be passed from person to person, the New York Times reports. It’s a noted problem in young children; they can pick up cavities when, for example, their mothers taste their food to check if it’s cooled. More»

You may not have heard of them, but they're 'thrilling'

(NEWSER) - Ready to move beyond familiar cabernet sauvignons and chardonnays? Eric Asimov of the New York Times suggests a dozen little-known but “thrilling” wines to explore:

• Assyrtiko: This white wine grape from the volcanic island of Santorini “produces dry, deliciously minerally wines” that pair well with seafood.
• Frappato: These grapes from southeastern Sicily make “lovely, fresh and lively wines that are delicious summer reds, especially when lightly chilled.”

Riesling, Oregon, Costieres de Nimes, and Kermit Lynch are your friends

(NEWSER) - Ordering wine in a restaurant can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. "Quit being afraid of wine!" wine blogger Nilay Gandhi writes for The Awl . "There's one truth to that wine list you're so terrified to negotiate: it's full of baloney." You can't go wrong by ignoring half of the vintages on it, which are "show wines. Stop ordering them." More»

Study: Women who drink red wine pack on fewer pounds

(NEWSER) - What women who keep slim in middle age have in common isn't a brutal gym routine or an raw-vegetable diet—it's a glass or two of wine a day. So claims a new study that followed the weight fluctuations of almost 20,000 middle-age women over 13 years and found that, while almost all the women tended to gain weight, the teetotalers gained most, and the moderate drinkers—especially of red wine—gained least. More»