Red Wine's Resveratrol Helps Bees Live Longer

Bees? Yes. Scientists say honey bees have important similarities to humans; fed a diet including resveratrol, bees ate better!
A recent study on the red wine compound resveratrol is generating buzz with its conclusions. According to researchers at life science centers in Arizona and Norway, the behavior of honey bees is altered when they are fed diets supplemented with resveratol.

Prior studies show some promise that resveratrol may increase lifespan and preserve animals' cognitive functions as they age, according to co-author Gro Amdam, a food scientist at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. "In the current study, we tested whether we could promote healthy aging in the honey bee via the administration of resveratrol," his study states.

What does bee health have to do with human health? Honey bees, the study explains, are similar to humans socially, in that they have different social statuses. The ways in which bees behave, based on their roles in life, impacts their probability of survival. Honey bees caring for young in the hive are not as exposed to danger as foraging bees, for example. Therefore, the authors argue, if resveratrol shows health benefits for one higher-order species, there is a possibility this may carry over to other groups of organisms.

In the study, populations of bees were separated and provided either a normal diet or a resveratrol-enhanced meal of ground pollen and sucrose. Free access to sugar was always available. The scientist measured how long the bees lived.

Two resveratrol treatments, in amounts of 30 and 130 micromoles, lengthened the average lifespan in wild-type honey bees by 38 percent and 33 percent, respectively. Amdam says it's because the resveratrol-diet bees regulated their intake of sugar better. But he couldn't say if such results may translate to humans. "We do not know if resveratrol can change peoples' food perception, but this effect is clear in bees: they become less interested in sugar, and consumed less sugary drink when they have free access to it," Amdam told Wine Spectator.

However, unlike other studies, the 130 micromoles solution was no more powerful than the smaller dose; rather, the opposite was observed. "Less is more—at least for the bees," said Amdam. "That does not mean that every species, including humans, will react the same way. We have to be open to the possibility that dose responses are not a simple linear function going up into the sky. Too much isn't always better."

Jacob Gaffney
Wine Spectator

2008 Edward Sellers MAYHEM - New Release

The ideal situation would be to bypass all of the drama and MAYHEM in life, but what fun would that be?

Our first offering of MAYHEM blends the lush dark fruit and dark berry flavors of Syrah, the powerful concentration of smokey, meaty Mourvèdre, the intensity of Grenache’s crushed dark cherries, with a hint of black berry and licorice flavors of Zinfandel. This blended with a kiss of French oak produces an opulent red wine with great complexity and length.

Experience the MAYHEM with your next bone-in Rib Eye off the barbeque, or a Tuesday night retro styled, pulled Pork sandwich with friends.

And sometimes… you just need a little MAYHEM by yourself.

MAYHEM Statistics:
Blend: 65% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Zinfandel
Appellation: Paso Robles
Alcohol: 15.3%
T.A.: 5.4 g/L
pH: 3.75
R.S.: 0.19%
Cooperage: 100% French Oak
Release Date: August 1, 2012

"Experience the MAYHEM today!"

Weather Update in Our Vineyard

Mid-July is generally quiet from a viticultural perspective (at least from what we can observe) but the last two weeks are worth mentioning. This week we had two days that topped out at 72, which is a record low for those dates. A deep marine layer embedded itself here which made the air feel moist enough to drink. In contrast, during the previous week we tried to get all of our outdoor work done before noon because the temperature breached 100 (109 on July 10th!) for three straight days.

While the temperature swing itself probably will have little if any specific impact on this year’s harvest, it’s worth noting to illustrate the challenges that all farmers face.

The brief heat spell, for example, meant that we had to ensure that the vines were adequately hydrated well before the mercury began its ascent. Water stress can be a tool to quality-minded grape growers, but too much stress will kill the plants.

The low temperatures per se were not especially harrowing for the vine, but they did nothing to promote maturation. Plus, the low temp and high humidity increased the threat of powdery mildew infection and growth, keeping us on our toes and reminding us to shorten our spray interval. Now that we’re biodynamic, we must be extra vigilant against powdery mildew and other unwanted visitors.

We are still on track to normalcy phenologically, meaning the average temperature this year is closer to the 10-year average than the previous three years and the vines are advancing on pace. We will soon see some color in the reds and sugar accumulation in the reds and whites, as the vines begin to devote their energy to the fruit.

In the midst of all the weather happenings, we bottled a great new value blend in screw cap called appropriately, MAYHEM, which is an easy drinking everyday red wine, easier to open and pour. Our MAYHEM helped us muse on the last couple weeks.

Jeremy Weintraub,
Winemaker & Farmer

Vineyard Update - May 11th

May 11, 2012

Our estate vineyard is brimming with life. The plants are fully awake, the ladybugs are ganging up on delicious (to them) aphids, and, if you listen closely enough, you can just about hear the shoots growing.

Our Grenache vines are the most advanced so far, with shoots about 6 inches long. The Roussanne is lagging, with shoots between one-half inch and 2 inches. The trend will likely continue past fruit set, but we will undoubtedly harvest Roussanne before Grenache.

As noted in a previous post, we’ve begun some important changes here at Edward Sellers. We have purposely cut back on the available fruiting positions on the vines to redirect some of the energy back into the wood and, further down the road, the potential grapes. Come harvest, the vines will yield no more than about 2 tons of fruit per acre. In doing so this year we hope to enliven the vines and make the fruit that we do harvest that much more concentrated.

With all the desirable growth we must also contend with springtime’s unwanted visitor: powdery mildew. Mildew is present in every vineyard worldwide and loves the kinds of temperatures that grapes and humans also like: 70 degrees to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Left unchecked, powdery mildew will destroy a season’s crop.

To combat powdery mildew we spray a mixture of organic horticultural oil and a dilute tea that we make from the plant Equisetum arvense, commonly known as horsetail. We follow the UC Davis Powdery Mildew Index to determine when and how often to spray. Generally, we will do so every 12 to 14 days until the fruit reaches about 13 brix.

Next week we will begin thinning shoots and removing suckers. This cultural practice will allow the vines to focus on growing the fruit that we want and it will open them up to the sun and the wind.

Going Biodynamic!

The 2012 growing season has just begun here at Edward Sellers and along with the change of seasons we are taking a new approach to growing our grapes. We are now farming our estate biodynamically, with an eye toward enlivening not just our grapevines but also our olive trees and our soils in general. We hope this approach will lead to even more interesting wines and a healthier environment for all the animals (those that drink wine and those that don’t) that visit our estate.

Austrian farmer and philosopher Rudolph Steiner developed the Biodynamic farming method in the 1920s as a holistic way to grow crops, and he did so with the understanding that farming is not just about rainfall, micronutrients and heat. There are spiritual forces at work, too. The Biodynamic method of farming incorporates the rhythm of the earth and the movements of the planets, enfolding these seemingly disparate systems into a whole. Think of your own circadian rhythms, or the effect of the moon on the tides, and you’ll get an idea where the biodynamics is coming from.

In practical terms, that means, among other things, rejuvenating the soil by applying concentrated amounts of cow manure to the ground after we have stirred this mixture by hand for an hour. And when we prune now, we do so according to the position of the moon and the planets.

We don’t expect to see results immediately. We may not, in fact, see any measurable results for several years. That’s okay. We are farming this estate for the future and making wines that can be enjoyed for years to come.

Jeremy Weintraub
Winemaker

It’s mid-October and we’ve brought in just viognier, marsanne and grenache blanc. The reds are still not ready to be picked, though this week’s beautiful weather should move syrah into the harvest window.

For the last two weeks we’ve spent lots of time in the vineyard. Two weeks ago, for example, the weather forecasters were calling for rain and clouds—the perfect cocktail for botrytis bunch rot. We took preventative measures in all of our estate blocks, such as pulling leaves and making certain that clusters were not touching each other. The skies cleared up after just a night of rain and we immediately dropped those clusters that had incipient rot.

Now it’ a waiting game: Waiting for continued sugar ripening and the further advancement of all the inexplicable things that signal it’s time to pick.

The whites that are in barrel taste great. The viognier is already a new wine with a sexy nose. We picked the marsanne and grenache blanc at very low brix levels (and the grenache blanc just before a full moon—for those who pay attention to such things). The rousanne is still on the vine and could be ready by next week.

The reds are developing great flavors at low brix levels this year. We’re all anxious for the reds to turn the final corner and the sunny and warm days are making us feel hopeful.

Jeremy Weintraub, Winemaker

It’s mid-October and we’ve brought in just viognier, marsanne and grenache blanc. The reds are still not ready to be picked, though this week’s beautiful weather should move syrah into the harvest window.

For the last two weeks we’ve spent lots of time in the vineyard. Two weeks ago, for example, the weather forecasters were calling for rain and clouds—the perfect cocktail for botrytis bunch rot. We took preventative measures in all of our estate blocks, such as pulling leaves and making certain that clusters were not touching each other. The skies cleared up after just a night of rain and we immediately dropped those clusters that had incipient rot.

Now it’ a waiting game: Waiting for continued sugar ripening and the further advancement of all the inexplicable things that signal it’s time to pick.

The whites that are in barrel taste great. The viognier is already a new wine with a sexy nose. We picked the marsanne and grenache blanc at very low brix levels (and the grenache blanc just before a full moon—for those who pay attention to such things). The rousanne is still on the vine and could be ready by next week.

The reds are developing great flavors at low brix levels this year. We’re all anxious for the reds to turn the final corner and the sunny and warm days are making us feel hopeful. Jeremy Weintraub, Winemaker