Those of you still reading this article following my hilariously unoriginal title will just be ecstatic to learn about Wayne Gretzky Wines. That’s right, folks. The NHL’s greatest is offering wines that are, well, probably NOT going to be the greatest.

The Gretzky wines will be made by Creekside winemakers Craig McDonald and Rob Power. They are priced at $17 for the red, $14 for white and $45 for the icewine and are available starting today at Willow Heights Estate Winery in Beamsville with a further release through the LCBO in the fall. A portion of the proceeds will benefit less fortunate youth who want to experience hockey.

That’s right, affordable AND Canadian, hoser. I won’t dismiss this product out of hand. It’s not that I’m not a cynic by nature, because I am, but the Greg Norman Estates produce some very nice wines, for example. Bottom line, celebrities with no relevant experience, if they hire the right people, can, and do, produce some lovely vino. I’m going to see if I can’t take one for the team and give this stuff a try.

The Standard via Luxist

A Wine Spectator Magazine score of 95 is a rarity. Generally, such ratings are reserved for exceptional wines, and exceptional wines require time. I was actually surprised to find a South African wine with a 95 score. So, too, I think, was Wine Spectator:

From Wine Spectator:

The Sadie Family Columella Swartland 2005 (95 points, $78) is a blend of 80 percent Syrah and 20 percent Mourvèdre. The wine, which debuted in the 2000 vintage, is the first in South Africa to garner a classic rating (95 points or more on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale). The 2005 Columella offers a stunning array of blue and black fruit–blackberry, boysenberry, blueberry and currant–that is pure, driven and refined, with licorice, sweet spice, vanilla, mineral and sanguine notes flittering throughout. Despite its concentration, it’s remarkably elegant, with superb length and a seamless finish.

I did manage to find one on-line retailer that sells the wine (make sure you’re looking for the correct year), but Wine Spectator notes that “Sadie Family wines are available at restaurants and retailers in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C.”

Via Everywine

Anyone that’s been on a Napa/Sonoma wine tasting tour knows that by the end of said tour one’s tastebuds, senses, and motor skills are no longer fully functioning. So it’s a rare thing when an end-of-the-tour wine stands apart from the rest. Allow me to recommend this particular wine.

It’s the Raymond St. Helena Reserve Cabernet. In fact, upon my return I discovered that Wine Enthusiast Online picked this wine as an Editors’ Choice. The Raymond cab is very, very smooth with lively fruit flavors that aren’t overpowering. At between $40-60 a bottle, depending on the year, it’s a mid-priced wine with wonderful quality.

On a side note, I was less impressed with many of the Baringer offerings — proof that the quality of wine cannot be measured solely by the size or beauty of the winery or surrounding estate. Smaller vineyards have long produced amazing wines.

I think you’ll find that this particular wine is widely available, and is well worth the price.

A bit of History

Though research is ongoing, the health benefits of wine are gaining more and more recognition. When consumed in moderation, wine has been shown to have benefits to your heart and, now, perhaps your brain.

Recently, researchers at Columbia have come to that tentative conclusion:

Cognitive tests were performed over the telephone. During the calls, the participants were asked to state the date, day of the week, year, and their location. They were also asked to remember 10 words immediately and after a delay of a few minutes. The subjects were phoned again to retake the test (some subjects got only two, but many got three or more tests), and the difference in performance was recorded. The average follow-up was two years, and during all interviews, alcohol-consumption habits were also noted.

The scientists then measured the change in test scores over time and compared scores for drinkers compared to those who reported never drinking. “All three categories of current drinkers, but not past drinkers”–meaning people who gave up drinking–”had significantly less cognitive decline than never drinkers,” wrote the authors.

We’re not talking about whole bottles in a single sitting, or even drinks consumed through jelly-fish bongs, but “the three categories of drinkers–one drink per month to one drink per week, one drink per week to two drinks per day and more than two drinks per day–scored 0.9, 1.5 and 2.4 points higher on the cognition test, respectively, than nondrinkers.”

An excuse to drink at work? Probably not. But a great excuse to relax on these cool spring evenings with a glass of wine and a loved one? Definitely.

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This is The Sporting Life’s first Good Weekend column during which we’ll talk about the weekend we - or one of our readers - had. Today we’ll talk about my own good weekend. Want to share your good weekend with us next Monday? Drop us a line at goodweekend at thesportinglife dot net.

I’m in training for a marathon so I’m trying to be good. I ran 7 miles on Saturday and settled in, thinking we’d spend the evening quietly with friends. However, at the last minute I figured I needed to let loose a little so I invited some family friends over — Paul and his wife Petra — and we grilled steaks. I’ve been in a steak frites mode recently so I peeled, cut, and soaked some spuds and them tossed them in oil and baked them for about 40 minutes. The steaks were a few sirloins I had in the freezer. Thawed them out and put them on, rubbing them with garlic salt after I flipped them.
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When it comes to myth, superstition and complete bullshit, there is as much circulating about alcohol as anything else. So, despite constantly hearing whispers about the health benefits of red wine, it’s one of those ‘facts’ we’ve always chosen to half-believe.

Antioxidants – don’t know what they are. Reduced rates of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and heart disease – surely not. Resveratrol? Is that even a word?

Turns out it’s all true, and more (kinda):

A French study published in Cell reports that mice given resveratrol (at doses equivalent to slamming roughly 8000 bottles per day) become more athletic, as assessed using tiny mouse treadmills. Treated mice can run twice as far, and have reduced heart rates compared to controls.

Actually, a whole history of the popularization of the ‘red wine good for you’ theory is given here. In a surprise twist, from 1992 until now, the theory has traveled the opposite road to most similar hypotheses. Rather than being a solid theory, slowly eroded by science into ridicule, it started is life as the crackpot ravings of drunken Frenchmen and then built up a weight of scientific evidence.

Sniffing Cork: Bench-Top Boozing and the Health Effects of Red Wine [via Vinography]

Wrapping it up in a brown paper bag and glugging direct from the bottle has, thus far, been the most convenient way to enjoy a little wine while on-the-go. And we won’t for a second judge anyone who decides that its still the best option.

But we welcome an alternative.

Longtime fans of portable cocktails, we’re pleased to see the this convenient, useful and discreet portable option available for those who prefer a bit of plonk in the park.

Not only insulated, this wine tote also contains a bottle stopper (use unknown), two glasses, some napkins and a corkscrew. And, unlike portable cocktail sets, is actually reasonably priced at $29.

What was that? A wholesome afternoon stroll? Sure thing, just let me grab my bag…

Wine Tote for Two [Amazon via Cheap Fun Wines]

With Halloween approaching (in some parts of the world), we’ll let you waste time selecting your costume, while we select your wine (and we’ll keep it cheap, so you can waste money on that stupid costume, too).

The people of Transylvania are as famous, apparently, for their winemaking as they are infamous for, you know, all that Dracula crap. And Vampire Wines’ 2004 Pinot Grigio and 2003 Pinot Noir, according to the Toronto Star, are “bloody good” (arf) for the C$11 they’ll set you back.

Halloween – dress like an idiot, drink like a budget-conscious Romanian.

Good Scotch, great Scotch and Count Dracula’s wine cellar [Toronto Star via Cheap Fun Wines]

Like everyone would, we initially let out a short “Oh, cool” when first presented with the sight of the Mood-light Champagne Ice Bucket “Chiller”.

But, after closer imagination, we’ve tossed it into the category of ‘wacky cocktail party accessories’ with the punch fountain.

In fact, so many questions are raised by this that it possibly falls into a lower, more horrible category. Rather than just being a little naff, we’re concerned about:

• In these energy-conscious times, a gadget which creates light and is meant to keep something cool;
• Its €199 price tag;
• One of its listed features being that it’s “Water Resistant”.

But if you’ve money to burn, are unconcerned about the environment and have absolutely no taste – this one’s for you.

Mood Light ‘Chiller’ [via Red Ferret]

If you find a weekend tasting trip or run-of-the-mill wine companion book just isn’t satisfying your thirst for knowledge, then maybe it’s time you considered a diploma.

The Wine School of Philadephia, along with all its tasting lessons and casual courses in winemaking and the world’s wine regions, are now offering a university-level, year-long Diploma Oenotropae.

Remembering some of the fraudulent courses we took as an undergraduate just to make up the minimum hours, and yet all that wine we drank in those years didn’t count for a single point of credit…

Philadelphia: new wine diploma [Decanter]