Earlier this month wine buyers from all over the world attended the 3 day wine trade fair Vinisud, held in Montpellier, France. Many potential export clients, wine professionals and wine critics visited the Delicata stand, tasting the winemakers comprehensive range of Maltese and Gozitan D.O.K. and I.G.T. quality wines.
The bi-annual Vinisud has become one of the top international wine exhibitions for Mediterranean wines and has gained a reputation over the years as an exemplary showcase that offers visitors the opportunity to appreciate the variety and quality of Mediterranean wines, all under one roof. The fair is organised by country, region and appellation, making it the number one trading place for Mediterranean wines with more than 33,000 professional's visitors attending.
Michael Delicata, Delicata's Export Director said "We are delighted with the interest shown for our wines by people from various sectors of the wine trade, many of which had not tasted Maltese wines before. The comments we received were all positive. All of the wines performed well and our new Pjazza Regina I.G.T. wines, made from unique blends of Malta grown grapes, were a big hit, with many tasters commenting in particular on their quality and their outstanding value. For us it has been a very successful fair"
Georges Meekers from Delicata was also at the trade fair and is pictured here on the Delicata stand with German Oenologist / Wine Journalist Klaus Hermann and his wife tasting a selection of Medina D.O.K. Malta wines.
WOMEN, WINE AND WAISTLINES.
According to an article by New York Reuters - Light to moderate alcohol consumption, especially red wine, is not only good for a woman's heart, it's also good for her waistline, according to a recent study sourced from Archives of Internal Medicine, March 8, 2010.
The study started out with nearly 20,000 trim middle-aged and older women. Over time, women who drank alcohol in moderation put on less weight and were less apt to become overweight compared to non-drinkers. This was true even after taking into account various lifestyle and dietary factors that might influence a woman's weight.
Red wine seemed best at keeping weight in check, but white wine, beer and spirits also had some benefit.
"Our study results showed that middle-aged and older women who have normal body weight initially and consume light-to-moderate amount of alcohol could maintain their drinking habits without gaining more weight compared with similar women who did not drink any alcohol," Dr. Lu Wang from the division of preventive medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, noted in an email to Reuters Health.
The women were all at least 39 years old when the study began. About 38 percent said they did not drink alcohol; 33 percent said they drank less than 5 grams daily (a standard drink has about 10 grams of alcohol); 20 percent drank 5 to less than 15 grams daily; 6 percent drank 15 to less than 30 grams daily; and 3 percent downed 30 grams of alcohol or more daily (about 2 to 3 drinks per day or more).
Over an average of about 13 years, the women generally gained weight. However, the teetotalers gained the most weight, with weight gain decreasing with increasing amount of alcohol consumed.
Women who drank higher amounts of alcohol were generally more physically active, weighed slightly less at the outset and were more apt to be smokers, than other women. However, the association between drinking and less weight gain and risk of becoming overweight or obese remained strong after accounting for these factors. This suggests that alcohol may independently affect body weight beyond its relationship with diet and lifestyle factors. To read the full article go to. www.reuters.com