Monday, December 13, 2010

Alcohol And Calories

Hi everyone!  Sorry it's been a few days but I honestly had nothing to share with you.  It was a busy weekend with company visiting from the east coast of Florida (Melbouring, FL and Palm Gray, FL).  Overall, both Tiffany and I ate a wee bit too much but stuck with our new meatless lifestyle and picked better menu choices.

On Friday afternoon it was salad bar at Ruby Tuesday.  Friday night was grilled veggie sandwich and onion rings at Bahama Breeze.  Saturday I stayed home and ate a veggie patty on whole wheat bread.  

Sunday?  This was different.  "Different?" you ask.  Yes.  Yesterday was the last wine class of 2010 held at Total Wine & More, Orlando.  This month's class was a most delightful "Celebrate with Sparkling and Champagne".  Eight wines to be sampled which included three Grand Cru champagnes!!!

Tiffany and I began our day with Tiffany's Super Blendtec Smoothie.  We met our friends and wine classmates before the class at SEA Thai restaurant.  I had Seaweed Salad as an appetizer and concluded with a most delicious Lad Nah with Tofu.  No sooner had we eaten and paid for our meals than it was time to trek a few blocks down US 50 to the class.

The wine-pairing and palate cleansing hors d'oeuvres included:  French baguette bread slices, roasted peanuts, spicy roasted peanuts, fresh strawberries, assortment of spreadable cream cheeses, chocolate, dark chocolate, whole grain crackers, and fried chicken (off limits for Tiffany and I).  As Jeremy, the day's wine instructor announced, "Everything pairs well with champagne!"


The wines?  (Ratings = Chucky/Tiffany)
  • Vignal Prosecco - 88/87 points
  • Conde de Caralt Brut - 89/90 points
  • Albrecht Reserve Brut - 89/89 points
  • Louis Bouillot Blanc de Noirs - 91/87 points
  • Montaudon Brute - 88/90 points
  • Bernard Bremont Grand Cru Brut - 90/91 points
  • DeMargerie Grand Cru Brut Rose - 89/88 points
  • Mailly Grand Cru Les Echansons 1999 - 91/90 points
Oh?  The calories?  Oh yes, that's the purpose of today's blog isn't it?  How does alcohol figure into my Diet Power tracking program?  The numbers are shown below.

As a general rule of thumb, red wines possess more calories than white wines.  The sweeter the wine, the less the alcohol.  The higher the alcohol, the more the calories.  Since sugars convert to alcohol during the fermentation process, it can be assessed that alcohol contains more calories than sugar!

Generally, the sweeter the wine the more sugar and less alcohol.  This is because not all of the available sugars have been converted into alcohol.  And because the higher alcohol, the higher the calories.  Therefore, it can be deducted that alcohol content is the predominant factor in determining calories.


Oh?  After the class?  Tiffany and I dropped by The Loving Hut vegan restaurant to indulge in their Sunday buffet.  Once again, we were fortunate enough that very few of the available dishes contained fried foods.  And, once again, The Loving Hut outdid themselves!

Tiffany and I shall miss our wine classes until the begin all over again next year.  That's next year as in next month!  :) 

Hi-dee hi-dee cheers-ho my fine friends!

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