(明報) 05月 27日 星期日 05:05AM
【明報專訊】政府落實減酒稅後，部分葡萄酒及啤酒的零售價不減反加，多個政黨表示不滿，並引起政府高層關注。財政司 長唐英年 昨天上午高調指出，酒商曾承諾會把得益回饋市民，故希望他們能履行
廣 告
承諾。在財政司長講話後4小時，啤酒商在下午正式宣布會將節省的稅款直接回贈予市民。但協會指出，最終市民可否受惠則要視乎零售商會否減價。
啤酒是否減價漸已成為政治事件。在周五舉行的立法會 收入修例草案委員會上，三大黨議員皆批評啤酒商未有將每瓶啤酒平均減少的0.29元稅款悉數回贈予市民，消委會 調查更指出，有部分啤酒不減反升，加幅達50％。
唐英年﹕盼實際行動履行承諾
正當事件升溫之際，唐英年昨晨出席公開活動時高調表示，提出減酒稅其中一個目的要惠及市民，在公布財政預算案前，酒商曾指希望政府減稅，承諾把得益回饋市民，故「希望啤酒商會履行他們的承諾，作出實際的行動回饋市民。」葡萄酒方面，唐英年表示，根據調查所得，葡萄酒的商人有回饋市民。
代表本港八成啤酒入口商，合共40多隻啤酒牌子的香港啤酒聯盟在下午隨即宣布，6月1日會向批發商及零售商發出新價目表，平均每瓶啤酒可以減0.29元，發言人許麗蓮強調沒有受任何政府壓力，他們是聽取了所有立法會議員的意見後，決定採用直接減價方法。聯盟會向政府提供新價目表，供政府監察，確保節省稅款可回贈客戶。
啤酒商﹕市民最終受惠與否 視乎零售商
但許麗蓮表示，酒商已做好本分，也希望零售商做好本分，將稅額全數退減。她解釋，酒稅以啤酒出廠價計算，節省的0.29元只在出廠及批發層面上節省，最終市民可否受惠要視乎零售商會否同步減價。減稅後，啤酒平均減幅只有0.1元及0.2元，餘下只以優惠及贊助方式回贈市民。
代表飲業界的立法會議員張宇人歡迎聯盟直接回贈市民，他會在明天去信各大超市及零售商，要求他們同步減價。立法會議員李卓人 亦歡迎有關建議，故會取消作出收窄酒稅減幅的修訂。
惠康 超市發言人表示，要待批發價調低後，才可研究零售價減幅。百佳 發言人則表示，會與供應商保持聯絡，若再有空間定會進一步減價。但兩間超市皆表示，可否減價亦要計算其他成本因素。
政府發言人強調，歡迎香港啤酒聯盟新措施，當局會密切留意啤酒價，確保所節省稅款可令市民全數受惠。
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Friday, December 8, 2006
Sunday, December 3, 2006
Study finds more reasons to drink red wine
Monday August 3 4:58 PM EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - British researchers said Monday they had found more evidence that red wine, as opposed to other forms of alcohol, can protect against heart disease.
They said they had detailed information on how substances in red wine can act as antioxidants, which can help stop fat from sticking to artery walls and clogging them up.
Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, they said red wine in its natural form worked best, but capsules containing these substances, known as polyphenols, also worked to a degree.
"Red wine but not white wine has antioxidant activity when given to volunteers and this difference is most likely due to the content of wine polyphenols which are abundant in red wine but not in white wine," Shailja Nigdikar, Alan Howard and colleagues at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England, wrote.
They said theirs was one of the first studies to break down how this happens in living human volunteers, as opposed to in a test tube or laboratory animals.
In their study, 30 healthy, nonsmoking men aged 35 to 65 were given either a half-bottle of Cabernet sauvignon red wine, a glass of white French table wine with polyphenols dissolved in it, or polyphenol capsules every day for two weeks.
A "control" group got a drink made with 10 percent vodka and lemon soft drink.
Polyphenols include catechin, quercetin, resveratrol and other substances. They are found in grape skins, and thus in purple grape juice. Grape skins are used in making red wine but are removed early on in the process of making white wine.
"In our study red wine consumption in volunteers increased plasma and LDL polyphenols and enhanced antioxidant activity," Howard and Nigdikar's team wrote.
"Red wine but not white wine contains abundant polyphenols, which inhibit the oxidation of human LDL (low density lipoprotein -- the so-called "bad cholesterol" that can block arteries)," they wrote.
Levels of the polyphenols were elevated by 38 percent with red wine, 28 percent with capsules and 27 percent when the red wine polyphenols were dissolved in white wine.
They measured antioxidant activity by looking at plasma lipid peroxides -- byproducts in the blood of the oxidation of fat. Peroxides were lowered 32.7 percent with red wine, 29 percent by the capsules and 28 percent by the polyphenol-white wine mixture. They were not reduced at all by the vodka drink.
The researchers urged that more trials be held.
Several studies have shown that a moderate intake of any alcohol, not just red wine, can help protect against heart disease and perhaps cancer. Moderate means one or two drinks a day and no more.
But heavy drinkers have above-average mortality rates.
A Harvard School of Public Health report said women who consume two to five alcoholic drinks a day have a 41 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer than do nondrinkers.
Green tea is also known to contain polyphenols, as does black tea.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - British researchers said Monday they had found more evidence that red wine, as opposed to other forms of alcohol, can protect against heart disease.
They said they had detailed information on how substances in red wine can act as antioxidants, which can help stop fat from sticking to artery walls and clogging them up.
Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, they said red wine in its natural form worked best, but capsules containing these substances, known as polyphenols, also worked to a degree.
"Red wine but not white wine has antioxidant activity when given to volunteers and this difference is most likely due to the content of wine polyphenols which are abundant in red wine but not in white wine," Shailja Nigdikar, Alan Howard and colleagues at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England, wrote.
They said theirs was one of the first studies to break down how this happens in living human volunteers, as opposed to in a test tube or laboratory animals.
In their study, 30 healthy, nonsmoking men aged 35 to 65 were given either a half-bottle of Cabernet sauvignon red wine, a glass of white French table wine with polyphenols dissolved in it, or polyphenol capsules every day for two weeks.
A "control" group got a drink made with 10 percent vodka and lemon soft drink.
Polyphenols include catechin, quercetin, resveratrol and other substances. They are found in grape skins, and thus in purple grape juice. Grape skins are used in making red wine but are removed early on in the process of making white wine.
"In our study red wine consumption in volunteers increased plasma and LDL polyphenols and enhanced antioxidant activity," Howard and Nigdikar's team wrote.
"Red wine but not white wine contains abundant polyphenols, which inhibit the oxidation of human LDL (low density lipoprotein -- the so-called "bad cholesterol" that can block arteries)," they wrote.
Levels of the polyphenols were elevated by 38 percent with red wine, 28 percent with capsules and 27 percent when the red wine polyphenols were dissolved in white wine.
They measured antioxidant activity by looking at plasma lipid peroxides -- byproducts in the blood of the oxidation of fat. Peroxides were lowered 32.7 percent with red wine, 29 percent by the capsules and 28 percent by the polyphenol-white wine mixture. They were not reduced at all by the vodka drink.
The researchers urged that more trials be held.
Several studies have shown that a moderate intake of any alcohol, not just red wine, can help protect against heart disease and perhaps cancer. Moderate means one or two drinks a day and no more.
But heavy drinkers have above-average mortality rates.
A Harvard School of Public Health report said women who consume two to five alcoholic drinks a day have a 41 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer than do nondrinkers.
Green tea is also known to contain polyphenols, as does black tea.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
年齡不是葡萄酒的秘密.
常常聽到人們說2000好, 1993差, 1982是夢幻vintage; 到底是甚麽意思呢?
首先問大家一個問題, 對葡萄酒有相當的研究嗎?
[我就連“品牌名”或“產地”的讀法也不清楚. 即使向店員請教, 最多也只得到 : 單寧重, 有豐富的水果味. 這類答案....不知怎樣辦... ]
當你越想越懊惱, 最後在迷惘至極的時候就決定只以價格為基準來挑選, 最後就選了瓶不合適的葡萄油...當這種經驗周而復始, 你就會開始覺得 [喝葡萄酒真麻煩 !]
其實, 就算沒有淵博的葡萄酒知識, 也有選擇優質葡萄酒的方法. 當中最快捷的方法就是知曉 Vintage(葡萄酒的生產年份). 葡萄酒理所當然是由葡萄釀造的, 由於葡萄是農作物, 自然會有豐收和失收的時候; 在適合的天氣和沒有冰雹等災害的情況下, 這一年就能收割到大量優質的葡萄, 這樣的年份稱為 [ Great Vintage], 釀成的酒就算是一般級數的, 通常都會很出色.
不過要注意的是用Vintage來選擇葡萄酒, 對新世界(指釀造葡萄酒的後興國家如智利, 澳洲等) 葡萄酒並不合用, 因為不同Vintage的葡萄酒在新世界中分別並不明顯. Vintage主要是針對舊世界葡萄酒(可以說是歐洲)而言.
舉例來說, 2003年法國夏天酷熱得有人熱死, 但對某些釀酒葡萄來說卻是好天氣, 在法國最大的葡萄酒產地Bordeaux(波爾多), Cabernet Sauvignon 罕有地出現豐收. 因此, 2003波爾多(以Cabernet Sauvignon為主體的波爾多左岸葡萄酒)紅酒十分優秀, 就是價格較廉宜的也應該不錯. 至於法國東南部地方的另一大產區Burgundy(勃根地), 它的情況如何呢? Burgundy主要的葡萄Pinot Noir 因為酷熱天氣而失收. 因此和Bordeaux正好相反, 2003年Burgundy的葡萄酒得到不樂觀這下等評價. 如果要喝美味的Burgundy葡萄酒的話, 推薦大家年份2002的葡萄酒, 因為是得到高度評價 [ Super Great Vintage] . 只不過, 在 [Great] 的年份出產的葡萄酒屬於成熟期長的類型, 飲用時需要特長的 “透氣” 時間.
紅葡萄
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Château Latour-Martillac CRU CLASSE DE GRAVES
Appellation Pessac-Léognan
Wines at Château Latour-Martillac are made in such a way as to reduce oxidation to a minimum, which is always harmful for their freshness and balance.
The " red " vathouse has special equipment and manual sorting table which enables the harvest that has just been hand-picked under strict supervision, to be de-stalked, crushed and put into vats in record time. The produce of our old vines and that of the younger ones which is used to make our second wine - Lagrave-Martillac Red - ferments in stainless steel vats fitted with electronic temperature control.
Our red wines are aged for 18 or 20 months in oak barrels, half of which are renewed every year. Bottling of every vinetage follows fining with egg whites and blending of the wines selected from the different parts of the vineyard, only the best of which go into the first wine, Château Latour-Martillac.
For the white wine, pickers go through the vines several times selecting just those grapes that are ready and putting them in wooden fruits trays or flat boxes so as not to damage them. The harvest is then pressed traditionally as the press slowly rotates. The must is filtered cold and the clear juice alone is fermented in oak barrels, that are also renewed by half everey year. This way the natural aromas of the grapes are kept intact. Their complexity comes largely from the old grape varieties used by our grandfathers, magnified by the great age. The young vines are harvested in the same way to make a new Lagrave-Martillac White.
The white wines are kept on their lees for over a year, then bottled in dark glass to enable them to develop as dry wines for decades.
CHÂTEAU LATOUR-MARTILLAC red wine and white wine is available at Purple 6 Wine Delivery.
Information provided by DOMAINES KRESSMANN - Société Civile Fermière des Domaines KRESSMANN
CHÂTEAU LATOUR-MARTILLAC
Saturday, November 18, 2006
紅酒抗氧化劑酮類物質
紅酒中含有豐富的抗氧化劑「酮類物質」，這些酮類物質的抗氧化能力比維生素Ｅ還強30倍，因此每日一小杯紅酒就可減少這些血管疾病的發生率。
酮類物質主要存在於葡萄皮中，紅酒的製造過程保存了葡萄皮中最珍貴的成分。紅酒中的酮類物質能刺激血管_皮細胞合成一_化_，而達到擴張血管的效果。在飲用紅酒九十分鐘後，會使阻塞的冠_動脈_生擴張作用，因此高血壓及心絞痛的患者，每日一小杯紅酒，可保護心、血管系統。
世界衛生組織(WHO)的研究也發現，法國人血中的膽固醇含量及血壓皆比美國人高，但是美國人的心肌梗塞死亡率是法國人的2.5倍。法國人長壽的祕密就是靠著紅酒。醫學研究也發現，適量紅酒也可減少近五成的心血管疾病死亡率。
新英格蘭期刊上發表的研究報告也顯示，紅酒中的酮類物質對於大腸癌、食道癌、及皮膚癌有預防效果，而喝烈酒及啤酒反會增加大腸癌。每天一小杯的紅酒，有助於食物的消化，也有助睡眠品質的提升。
Friday, November 17, 2006
Red Wine - Heart Health benefits?
Does red wine protect against heart disease? Maybe. Many studies investigated the benefits of red wine suggested that moderate amount of red wine (one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men) lowers the risk of heart attack for people in middle age by ~ 30 to 50 percent. It is also suggested that alcohol such as red wine may prevent additional heart attacks if you have already suffered from one. Other studies also indicated that red wine can raise HDL cholesterol (the Good cholesterol) and prevent LDL cholesterol (the Bad cholesterol) from forming. Red wine may help prevent blood clots and reduce the blood vessel damage caused by fat deposits. Indeed, studies showed that people from the Mediterranean region who regularly drank red wine have lower risks of heart disease What\'s in Red Wine that are good for heart? Red wine is a particularly rich source of antioxidants flavonoid phenolics, so many studies to uncover a cause for red wine\'s effects have focused on its phenolic constituents, particularly resveratrol and the flavonoids. Resveratrol, found in grape skins and seeds, increases HDL cholesterol and prevent blood clotting. Flavonoids, on the other hand, exhibit antioxidant properties helping prevent blood clots and plaques formation in arteries. Written by Gloria Tsang R.D.
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