My mom and I are watching Acorn TV’s Under The Vines series. It’s an excellent drama-comedy about two city slickers, Daisy Monroe, portrayed by actress Rebecca Gibney and Louis Oakley, portrayed by actor Charles Edwards, who both inherit a failing vineyard in rural New Zealand. The only problems are that neither of them has ever done a hard day’s work- and they initially despise one another.
Both of them are experiencing financial, social, and existential crises. They become interested in the winery’s future but frequently don’t see eye-to-eye. Furthermore, a neighboring vineyard wants to buy their vineyard, Oakley Wines, and isn’t happy that the inexperienced newcomers might stay.
What I like about the show is that the storylines tackle the complexities of modern life with humor. For example, Daisy’s best friend, Griffin ‘Griff’ Galway, is a closeted gay Australian famous international actor who chooses to hide his identity but then has to deal with the consequences.. Griff confronts Daisy about how selfishness has stopped her from finding long-lasting love. We rarely see the depth of friendship between a heterosexual woman and a gay man on screen, and if it is, it’s usually for laughs. This show digs deeper and shows how two chosen family members offer tough love. Daisy and Griff aren’t afraid of being honest with each other about the other’s shortcomings, and they love each other for it. They sleep in the same bed and are comfortable with each other’s awkwardness, inconsistencies, and imperfections.
Struggling with coming to terms with your sexual identity can be challenging for your health. Research shows that LGBTQAI+ people have unique health disparities and worse health outcomes than their heterosexual counterparts regarding diabetes care and education. We spotlight LGBTQAI+ people living with, affected by, and at risk of diabetes on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast with music from Indigo Girls. Podcast guests include The Flood Girls & The Small Crimes of Tiffany Templeton, Author Richard Fifield, Mutha Chucka, and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES. Throughout the podcast, we will feature music from theirIndigo Girlsalbum courtesy of SONY Music.
Watching Under the Vines also piqued my curiosity about winemaking. How couldn’t it? There are so many beautiful panoramic shots of the vineyard and countryside.
How do growers and winemakers know when grapes are ready for harvesting?
Many growers and winemakers still rely on sugar readings to decide when the grapes are ripe.
My friend, who works for a winemaker, said every winemaker is different. Most rely on the grapes’ sugar and acid levels and by taste. The winemaker she works for wants to make high-acid wines, so we pick early. Acid and sugar levels are inverse so the riper and more sugar in the grapes means less acid. Winemakers can fix it by adding acid back into the juice after they have been picked. You can also add sugar in some places (in others, it’s illegal). The winemaker my friend works for makes natural wine, so they don’t add anything, which makes the picking decision even more important!
Additionally, I’ve read that winemakers rely on technology to know when to harvest the grapes. They’ll take a portable refractometer into the vineyard and measure sugar levels. The higher the sugar, the riper the grapes. They’ll look for pH and titratable acid (TA) levels in the lab.
We’re talking about living well with type 1 diabetes, alcohol’s effects on blood sugar levels, and our love for ‘all things Italian’ on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast with musical inspiration from Dean Martin.
Dean Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti and was later nicknamed “The King of Cool.” His big break while performing as a duo with comedian Jerry Lewis, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes later in life at 71.
Podcast guests: Fran Carpentier, Mama Rose Marie, and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES. This podcast will feature music from The Essential Dean Martin album courtesy of SONY Music.
The tradition of drinking champagne to mark celebrations originated in the royal courts of Europe before 1789, where the expensive drink was viewed as a status symbol.
A 5-ounce serving of champagne has 3 to 4 grams of carbohydrates and 1.5 grams of sugar. Champagne tastes less dry than wine because the acidity level is very high.
However, remember that these grams of carbs and sugar will add up with every glass of champagne you drink.
Unlike Champagne and some sparkling wines, Prosecco is made using a less expensive method than champagne.
For a long time, Prosecco was regarded as something of a ‘poor man’s Champagne,’ but its popularity has soared since 2000, and in 2013 it outsold Champagne for the first time worldwide.
A glass of Prosecco contains 1.5g of sugar per glass (80 calories).
A six-ounce glass of other well-known Proseccos is around 100 calories, and for Champagne, around 140 calories. It should be noted that Champagne is always going to be higher in calories because it contains more alcohol compared to Prosecco.
Skinny prosecco contains half the sugar and just 67 calories a glass.
Pink champagne is a victory lap in a glass. The pale color, the effervescent bubbles, and the unique shape of the glass lend themselves to marking milestones. The elegant way you sip it and how it sparkles on your tongue make moments real or imagined better. For these reasons and more, I chose pink champagne over other cocktails to be featured in my song, Pink Champagne.
