Merlot's Back From the Brink

New studies address weight issues

(NEWSER) - A wealth of findings offer some new tips to keep off the pounds. Looks like tree nuts, red wine, and plenty of sleep can all help you stay fit.

• Researchers found that nut eaters weighed less and had a lower waist circumference and BMI than those who don't eat nuts, the Daily Mail reports. The snacks may also help fight heart disease.

Not bad, according to one reviewer

(NEWSER) - Two-Buck Chuck has long been a Trader Joe's institution, and now Whole Foods has its own value wine. It's not quite as cheap as the Chuck—Charles Shaw wines go for as low as $1.99—but you can snag the Three Wishes Vineyards offerings for $3. The non-vintage wines come from "an emerging wine-production area" in California, writes Kristine Hansen for Slashfood —and they're not bad. In fact, she declares: "For $3? Good," and says they even beat "a lot of $8-$10 wines." 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»