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Number of generations that may pass before European truffles become extinct. In a study by scientists at the University of Stirling, England, the researchers concluded that between 2071 and 2100, the harvest of European truffles will decrease by 78% to 100% due to climate change. Yes, 100%. Tartufi—finito.

Alcohol gives wine its antiseptic properties.

Answer: False.

It’s actually the polyphenols in grape skins, not ethanol (the type of alcohol in wine), that give wine the antibacterial and antioxidant properties to kill pathogens and prevent infection. (As an aside: isopropyl rubbing alcohol, 2x more toxic than ethanol, will disinfect most germs). During the Middle Ages, physicians of the time believed wine could cure most ills, but it was principally used to clean wounds. Because red wine has spent more time in contact with grape skins, accumulating more polyphenols, it was preferred over white. As the medieval water supply was often contaminated, doctors would also use wine to clean their surgical instruments. Hospitals often accepted vineyard plots as payments and made their own supply of medicinal vino. A number of hospitals (hôpital or hospice in French) in Europe built impressive cellars to store this pharmacopeia, and a few now operate as museums. The Cave Historique des Hospices de Strasbourg offers tours of the caves originally installed at the Hôpital Civil de Strasbourg in France in 1395. The Hôtel-Dieu museum in Lyon, France, commemorates the Hospices de Beaune, founded in 1443, which is funded by the celebrated annual wine auction of the same name each November.

The Myth of Chocolate and Cabernet

I know. I know. National Chocolate Day is coming up (it’s October 28th). But please don’t drink that great cabernet with chocolate. It may sound romantic—even inspired—but as marriages go, chocolate and cabernet are a… Continue reading

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