Last week, I found myself in the tropical southern Indian state of Kerala, where I had the opportunity to see how toddy—or kallu, as locals call it—is tapped. Sap collected daily by licensed villagers from the buds of coconut palm flowers, then left to ferment throughout the day. The tappers hand a specific percentage of their toddy to the state, which is then distributed to local kallu shap, or toddy bars. My traveling partner and I were able to cut out the middle man and secure ourselves some toddy straight from the palm tree, which we drank in the home of a most gracious toddy tapper. Our tour guide, Raju, took us on his slender wooden boat to his hometown of Aimanam, a small village which isn’t accessible by road. When we arrived, Raju introduced us to his friend from the village, a local toddy tapper. His friend expertly climbed up the trunk of three toddy trees, collecting the sap from the flower buds of each, which he lets continuously drip into a vessel placed underneath the bud.

Raju explained that the toddy tappers extract three to four liters everyday from each tree, and they scurry up the trees to collect the sap three times daily. While they’re up there, they cut the flower buds, which causes the buds to continuously produce sap. It is believed in Ayurvedic philosophy that your skin turns golden from drinking toddy. Toddy is a gift from God. When Raju’s friend was done collecting the toddy from his designated trees, he hopped into his boat, we hopped into ours, and we headed across the river to his house. Raju told us that his friend had been collecting toddy for 20 years, since he was ten years old. This guy was a serious kallu professional, and he had the agility and build to prove it. “It is believed in Ayurvedic philosophy,” Raju told us, “That your skin turns golden from drinking toddy. Toddy is a gift from God.” After hearing this, we picked up our glasses of toddy, cheersed, and put the sweet coconutty liquid to our lips. It tasted slightly fermented, and we were told that, at this early stage, the toddy had the ABV of beer (given that this was India, that probably meant around 6%, like standard lager).

When we tried the toddy in our hotel room six hours later, the liquid had turned fizzier, and it tasted even more fermented and tart. It had also lost most of its sweetness while retaining a distinct and pleasant coconut flavor. best off dry wineI’m just now remembering another fascinating fact the toddy tapper told us: He gave his child a small glass of toddy to go to sleep at night. where is the best port wine fromHaving personally experienced the glorious effects of toddy, I can only imagine how happy that child must be.best red wine from 2009What to Eat Nowfour seasons wine cost in india Check out some of the best wine made with organically grown grapes, and check back periodically for updates.best prices for rose wine

What Makes Organic Wine Organic?What Makes Organic Wine Organic?There's a lot of confusion over organic wines, and for good reason. Grapes can be certified organic, as can entire vineyards or the wineries themselves. But even wines made from organically grown grapes can't always be labeled as "organic wine" – if sulfites, which can be naturally occurring or added – exceed certain concentrations. best wine tours los angelesBy law, 100% organic is as pure as it gets, but a wine can be labeled "organic" even if it is 90% organic – but only if those sulfite concentrations are low. best wine for teachersAnd, a vineyard can't label its grapes organic until it's completed three growing seasons without using chemical pesticides or fertilizers.top 10 nz white wines

Adding to the confusion, some winemakers fear that buyers perceive organic wines as being lower in quality, so even if they're growing their grapes and making their wines to highest organic standards, they may not want to label their bottles as such.best wine labels in the worldFor the purposes of this feature, we're lumping all the aforementioned together. If it meets USDA organic standards – for 100% organic, plain-old organic, or "made with organically grown grapes" – whether the winemaker trumpets the fact or not – we're highlighting it. But only if we've tasted it and believe it deserving of your table.We have all the details on what makes organic wine organic, so delve in for more details. Or continue perusing this feature for the lowdown on some of our favorite "organic" wines. Chateau Maris La Touge SyrahChateau Maris La Touge SyrahThe 2009 Chateau Maris La Touge Syrah is a biodynamic vegan wine made with organic grapes that lives up to its billing as having "cherry and berry aromas with a plush and seamless mouth feel."

Set in the South of France's Languedoc region, Chateau Maris has been carefully restored from depletion since 1996 by biodynamic vintner Robert Eden. He's in the midst of building what he calls the world's first zero-carbon wine cellar made from hemp bricks. Unlike concrete or metal, hemp bricks "are 'alive' and able to breathe," helping to maintain proper temperature and humidity. Easy and Nutritious Recipes 19 Dishes to Bring to Your Next Potluck Get Daphne Oz's 7 Favorite Recipes for Your Best Party Yet 5 Reasons Why Donut Walls Are This Year's Best Wedding Trend The Cutest Little Watermelon Napkin You Ever Did See 18 Easy Side Dishes to Make for Memorial Day Make This Cute Pastry Tree for Your Next Party 28 Red, White and Blue Treats for July 4th The 6 Cocktails Your Next Brunch Needs This Super Bread Bowl Dip Will Score You All the PointsResveratrol is a type of antioxidant naturally found in grape skin, peanuts, blueberries, cranberries and red grape juice.

Red wine is made from grapes and their skin, so it is a good source of resveratrol. White wine is made from grapes, but the skin is removed during production, so it is not a good source of resveratrol. , most of the research on resveratrol has been done on mice and there are not many human studies to recommend resveratrol use for health benefits. Complicating this picture are the 2012 allegations of fraud by Dipak Das, who conducted many resveratrol studies. , "the University of Connecticut found evidence that Das had fabricated and falsified data in dozens of published papers, many asserting that resveratrol, found in red wine, improved cardiovascular health. The university is in the process of dismissing Das." Some popular red wines are pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, syrah, merlot, malbec and zinfandel. A study published in 1995 in the "American Journal of Enology and Viticulture" compared various wines from around the world and found that pinot noir wines had the highest content of resveratrol regardless of country of origin.

The amount of resveratrol in wines not only depends on what type of grape is used, but also the region. The 1995 study mentioned above found that wines from cooler regions like Ontario and the Bordeaux region of France had higher concentrations of resveratrol compared to wines from warmer regions like California, Australia, Spain and South America. In particular, cabernet sauvignons from cooler regions, Italian sangiovese wines, Australian shiraz and French burgundy wines had high concentrations. , the daily amount of resveratrol necessary for humans to see a health benefit, based on animal studies, can be found in 100 to 1,000 bottles of red wine, so drinking wine is an impractical way of getting resveratrol's benefits -- if any. The American Heart Association recommends to keep it to one to two alcoholic drinks a day for men and one alcoholic drink a day for women. One alcoholic drink is considered to be 12 oz. of beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80 proof spirits or 1 oz. of 100 proof spirits.

Gain 2 pounds per week Gain 1.5 pounds per week Gain 1 pound per week Gain 0.5 pound per week Maintain my current weight Lose 0.5 pound per week Lose 1 pound per week Lose 1.5 pounds per week Lose 2 pounds per week How Much Red Wine Do You Need to Get Enough Resveratrol? Health Benefits & Clear Skin From Grape Juice The Calories in One Bottle of Wine How Many Calories Are in Chardonnay Wine? How Much Red Wine Do You Need to Drink for Health Benefits? Negative Effects of Resveratrol The Best Red Wine for Health Benefits What Is the Difference Between Resveratrol & Grape Seed Extract? Sugar Content in Alcoholic Beverages The Health Benefits of White Wine How Much Grape Juice Should I Drink for Its Benefits? Side Effects of the Acai Resveratrol & Pomegranate Grape Juice Vs. Wine for Health Benefits Which Face Cream Contains the Most Resveratrol? Is Red Wine Good for Fatty Liver?