Malbec vs Carmenere

Part 2 of My Wine Experiment to establish my own descriptors to wine and eventually determine my favorite in a side by side comparison. This time we travel to compare a 2011 Argentinian Malbec vs Carmenere of the same vintage. Lets start the swirl...

Malbec - Contrary to other Malbecs I've had, this wine had almost no smell to it, it was a more transparent than most as well. First sip was tangy and tart, like a candy. After a minute it became much smoother, I would like to say it was because the wine "opened up" after "breathing" but I'm sure my pallet just adjusted. Light fruit flavors mostly remnant to citrus. I'm sure it would pair well with heavy fair but wasn't my favorite Malbec I've had for sipping, too light.


Carmenere - Wow!! I think it was the first time I've had Carmenere I was different that other red I've had, still working through what specific differences but really enjoyed this one. It had a long and dry finish leaving big raspberry and blackberry flavors lingering for minutes. Definitely more tannic than acidic. It also had some soft leather and charcoally taste which reminded me of camping, I bet it would great with anything on the grill!!

Winner - Carmenere!! Next week: Spanish Rioja vs Garacha

Credit - Ventisquero Reserva 2011 Carmenere & Viento Sur 2011 Malbec

Health Benefits of Wine

It may be hard to imagine any alcohol to have health benefits, other than the stereotypical drink after a stressful day at work; but a glass or two of wine has more benefits than you would imagine. Not only does wine offer great taste, but in moderation can help everything from your skin to your heart health:

Antioxidants, Antioxidants, Antioxidants!!!

As we talked about in our juicing series, Dark Berries are filled with Rich in Phytochemicals & Antioxidants. Grapes also contain antioxidant which attack Free Radical which cause nothing but trouble in your body. This concept is the basis for most of the claims that Wine is Heart Healthy!! 

Some other claims of how wine can improve your help are below but I must emphasize the moderations as excessive consumption of alcohol obviously will lead to issues that greatly outweight these benefits.


1. Antioxidants: Proven to help reduce Heart Disease, Strokes and many types of Cancer

2. Resveratrol: Reduces Bad Cholesterol, prevents blood clots, lowers risk of Diabetes

3. Polyphenols: Protects cells improving brain function and helping to prevent Dementia and Alzheimer's disease

4. Longer Life: A Finnish study showed wine drinkers have a 34 percent lower mortality rate than beer or spirits drinkers

5. Healthy Skin: Tartaric Acid can improve the quality of our skin, preventing problems and reducing wrinkles

In addition to the hundreds of other perks of joining the Night Juice Wine Club hopefully this is good reason to make the switch from beer of the boring jack and coke type drinks!! Cheers,

New Year's Goals

Happy New Year 2013!! Hope everyone rang in the new year in grand fashion; Laura & I were at the Burj Khalifa to watch the Epic Fireworks display with some close friends.

First off, resolutions in my opinion seem very immediate, without substance; where goals have lasting effect especially when planned or simplified to easily integrate into your daily routine. For example a resolution or choice to "Eat Healthy" is great but lacks the ability to achieve the end result because the commitment is open ended... a goal on the other hand to "replace potato chips with cucumbers and hummus" or "limit coffee to one cup per day" is defined giving you the opportunity for you to be proud of achieving your target.

I have a lot of things to be proud of and grateful for in 2012. L & I really came into stride when it comes to eating healthy and cooking. Yeah we still have our pizza or thai curry every now and again but for the most part we try to stick to lots of whole foods, fruits, organic veggies, eggs and lean protein mainly fish. We even bought a Juicer!

I have turned a new leaf after watching "Forks Over Knives" practically cutting out red meat and dairy from my diet. Fish is the preferred selection with Pork & Lamb in a close tie for second.

As for working out… I’ve maintained pretty much everything throughout 2012; Weight, Muscle Mass, Body Fat & BMI hasn’t changed over the course of the year. My goal in 2013 however is to increase my muscle mass, I weight about 160 right now and would love to be up to 170 by years end; this won’t be easy especially working a full time job and trying to meet the expectations of my wonderful fiancé (who wants a puppy). Anyways, 2013 Goals: 

1. Spend more time Outdoors with L: Going to the beach, golfing, camping, fishing, hiking, etc anything to get out the apartment; while safely sustaining the Dubai summer heat. 
2. Workout at least 4 times a week focusing on Multi-Muscle Lifts: Power cleans, dead lifts, dips, pullups, squats, and core training with dumbells or kettle bells. 
3. Eat more protein: Eggs for breakfast, tuna or chicken sandwich for lunch with bean salads, nuts and dried fruits for snacks, and looking forward to trying some new recipes for dinner which I’ll be try to be more diligent to post. 
4. Stretch Everyday!! Considering I can barely touch my toes I'd like to start the day stretching.
5. Write More: Weather it’s for The Healthy Press or otherwise, allocate at least 2 hours, 2 days a week and build from there; block out the time and stay focused.
6. Make Pickles: My buddy and I started making pickles a few months back aiming to sell them at the Ripe Farmer’s Market in February; check us out Mr Pickles: Famous Pickles!

We also plan to cut down on the drinking and going out to bars to once a week. A nice night in or with close friends over a decent bottle of wine is the preferred poison now days. I have been trying to learn more about wine and fascinated with the depth of the industry, expect some upcoming posts about Wine and my progression from 2 buck to chuck to hopefully a respectable standard. 

Wishing everyone a Happy & Healthy New Year!! Cheers,

Juice Kiwi

For the 10th episode in the Juicing Series I was planning to tell a joke and write about juicing onions or walnuts or something crazy like jalapeño peppers but decided against it... 

So upon special request from 1 of my 20 dedicated followers; I am proud to present the final issue of the Juicing Series... Juice Kiwi!! and heres why:

• Love the Antioxidants & Flavonoids to combat against those Free Radicals

• Protects children with asthma

• 2nd highest concentration of Vitamin C of any fruit; 7th overall, check it out

• Fiber controls blood sugar, lowers cholesterol and risk of heart disease

• Potassium will boost your Metabolism

• Juice the Skin to introduce Prebiotics or Good Bacteria in your body

• Lutein can prevent eye disease

• Contains only 46 Calories!! Have 2...

• Overall promotes Healthy Living...

Juice Recommendation: Some Kiwi Blueberry & Banana Action...

Juice Blueberry

Hope you read my recent Juice Spinach blog post as it give a little background on the superfood concept. Blueberries are another of these so called Superfoods. Quick Hint:

• Dark Colors = Superfuits = Rich in Phytochemicals & Antioxidants

Blueberries are arguably the best disease fighting specifically Cancer prevention and suppression. However I can't overlook the amazing health benefits of the other berries so just to mix up the Juicing Series lets assume that Blueberries are the Best of Everything Ever and you should eat them more often than you are already doing and give a brief overview of the other berries shadowed by the blue ones.

• Blueberries: Proven to reduce the size of tumors

• Strawberries: High quantities of Vitamin C & Folic Acid will boosts your immune system

• Raspberries: Prevents age related mental decline

• Cherries: Melatonin rich to help you sleep, also helps improve your memory with Anthocyanin

• Cranberries: Protects Brain from Free Radicals

• Tomatoes are technically really big Berries 

Keep in mind all the above berries all have amazing antioxidant qualities and disease prevention so feel free to juice and blend them to your liking... Not sure how tomato will mix with tart, hopefully they don't make you turn into something out of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory!!

Juice Green Apple

The Apple: Commonly identified as the Forbidden Fruit in the Garden of Eden has been linked with knowledge & temptation. Below are 10 quick & simple reasons to grab that Daily Apple:

1. Wake Up!! Simple sugar provide a morning kick start
2. Prevents Heart Disease: Just google Flavonoids...
3. Curbs Cravings: Substitute for the sweet tooth.
4. Natural Tooth Brush: Kills bacteria in your mouth
5. Immune Booster: Rich in Vitamin C
6. Cancer Prevention: Colon & Breast to be specific
7. In with the Good Cholesterol out with the Bad
8. Proven to help prevent Alzheimers & Parkinsons
9. Fiber content improves digestion
10. Actually improves lung capacity & function

Ok just to clarify point #1... there are myths that Green Apples are a better stimulus compared to Coffee. This is false however every once in a while I'll skip the Coffee and opt for crisp, slightly sour substitute and by gosh I think it works just as well. Maybe it'll all mental, maybe my body responds to Fructose better. I would be very interested to know what you think??

Juice Recommendation: Cucumbers, Ginger & Lemon!! 

Our Incredible Juicer

It was a Big Day in the lives of L & E... We bought a Juicer!! So we raided the produce section to start experimenting!! Our first concoction consisted of the following... I call it The Ginger Hulk!!

 - Fresh Spinach: Nuval Score 100

 - Green Apples: Nuval Score 96

 - Cucumbers: Nuval Score 93

 - Parsley: Nuval Score 99

 - Ginger: Nuval Score 87

We even made a homemade Tomato Soup from roasted Garlic, Onion & Tomatoes... Fresh Juice is a quick, easy and surprisingly filling snack or breakfast idea jam packed with all sorts of essential vitamins and nutrients!! Super excited about the possibilities mixing Fruits & Vegetables!! Some great ingredients I am looking play with:

 - Beetroot: Nuval Score 99

 - Blueberries: Nuval Score 100

 - Pomegranate: Nuval Score 91

 - Celery: Nuval Score 100

 - Lemon & Mint: Nuval Score 99

 - Red Peppers: Nuval Score 99

 - Jalepeno Peppers: Nuval Score 99

 - Bananas: Nuval Score 91

 - Grapefruit: Nuval Score 99

 - Kale: Nuval Score 100

 - Kiwi: Nuval Score 100

 - Carrots: Nuval Score 99

Check out the links to learn more about the Health Benefits of each Ingredient!! I strongly recommend for anyone interested in Healthy Living or Mixology to get one...

Happy Blending!!