Q: Does coffee or caffeine prevent the absorption of vitamins or minerals? What about alcohol?
A: Coffee is the most concentrated source of caffeine in our diets, with each mug giving you about 100 milligrams. This caffeine can interfere with the absorption of certain minerals, including magnesium, calcium, and iron, but the loss is minimal. And [...]

January 14, 2010, 11:05 am
No doubt, as tradition dictates, you have made some resolutions with which to begin the New Year. They might include a decision to take better care of your body and keep a closer watch on what you consume – perhaps the words organic, local and sustainable have come up. Some [...]

The aromas and flavours of a wine come in many different forms, and very rarely does a wine smell or taste of grapes. Nevertheless, the grape variety employed is probably the single most important determinant of the taste and aroma characteristics of the final wine. Since the widespread use of varietal labelling (placing the name [...]

What I consider to be the six classic red grapes are detailed here, together with further details on a number of other varieties at the foot of the page. Some of the grape varieties mentioned here, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, will be familiar to even the novice wine drinker. Others, however, such as [...]

Across the centuries this most famous of wine regions has enjoyed huge significance within France, not only as a vital trading crossroads but as a cultural, religious and viticultural centre. But it has also endured much over the years; not just the ups and downs of selling wine to sometimes erratic foreign markets, and more [...]