Lately I’ve mentioned ways to find wines with a high QPR. In the past we’ve also covered the wonderful health benefits of wine. But not all wines deliver that benefit because of chemical residue on vines from pesticides, fungicides and also additives in wine that can compromise health. And there is one other health factor we have not covered. There are calories in wine. Oh, the horror! Why didn’t someone tell me? Well, we are telling you right now and how to manage your caloric intake. Then under music we look into jazz fusion, its history and leading artists which leads into films about jazz or with great jazz scores. I’m posting this entry later than usual due to travel through California wine country.
Understanding Calories in Wine
Once again, Wine Folly to the rescue. Much of this information comes from an article by Madeline Puckette using the title above. I loved her comparisons with glasses of wine and various foods one might indulge in to get a better feel of the relative impact. Brilliant, as her writings often are.
Depending on the wine, one glass of wine can range between 92 – 300 calories. The range has to do with alcohol content, inherent sweetness of the wine, and serving size. OK, let that sink in.
The highest calorie wines tend to have the highest alcohol content. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram versus carbohydrates (sugar), which have 4 calories per gram. That means that some low-alcohol sweet wines have less calories than some dry wines! Some examples will follow.
A standard 6 oz. glass of dry wine with 15% alcohol has 175 calories. And Port also carries a high caloric count because of high residual sugar and high alcohol; making 2 oz. of Port 103 calories. And don’t even think about a second glass. At least not without a Havana cigar.
Champagne is often represented by sleek, be-gowned women sipping delicately. While the alcohol is around 12.5%, the dosage or added sugar for sweetness can go from a 5 oz pour of Brut Zero at 124 calories to the very sweet Doux of 175 calories.
Some fun examples:
- Brut Nature Champagne vs. Starbucks Tall Nonfat Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte: 120 calories
- Napa Cab vs. ⅓ of an Egg McMuffin Sausage Sandwich: 175 calories. I think I’m switching to wine for breakfast! (Madeline said two bites of the McMuffin, but not everyone has the same bite radius. I could probably demolish an Egg McMuffin in two bites.
- 2 Servings of Tawny Port vs. 2 Small Scoops of Chocolate Ice Cream: 300 calories
And our favorite wines; 6 oz. pours:
- German Spatlese Riesling: 110 calories
- Cabernet Sauvignon from France: 160 calories
- German Auslese Riesling: 160 calories
- Cabernet Sauvignon from California: 175 calories
- California 16% Zinfandel (Bob Biale): 190 calories
- Australian Shiraz (Mollydooker The Boxer): 190 calories
- Chateau d’Yquem: 270 calories (although the standard serving size is 2 oz, if you can afford it, you might drink 6 oz.)
- Ruby Port: 310 calories, but again a 2 oz pour of 103 calories is recommended, and now you know one of the reasons why.
Spätlese means “late harvest,” grapes have a sweetness level of 172–209 g/L sugar when harvested.
Auslese meaning “select harvest”, Auslese is even sweeter picked at 191–260 g/l sugar where the grapes are hand-selected and have noble rot (botrytis).
Zero sugar wines: Lifevine Wines
When I was first approached to try out three Lifevine wines I was a bit skeptical. No sugar; that sounded too good to be true. I was already aware of the calories in wines and had that dramatically proved when I was unable to drink wine for three months after knee surgery and discovered I’d lost over 15 pounds.
Naturally I resumed drinking wine as soon as I got the green light, but not all the weight came back. Since these wines were shipped to me at no charge I was committed to providing a proper wine tasting with other wine professionals. In this case there were six of us trying these wines.
I set out separate white, red and water glasses, did a double decant of the Cabernet Sauvignon and we had cheeses, chips and crackers and other goodies our guests provided. We took plenty of time to try each wine, commented on our reactions and were generally very impressed with the wines.
The alcohol level of each wine confirmed that a good brix level was used and ripe grapes. The alchemy they used to remove the sugar I do not know, but the results were pleasing. It should also be noted that these wines use organic grapes that are pesticide-free. And using our 7/4 formula we save 36.36% of the total calories, but not all unless you want zero alcohol wine, and then what was the point?
Review: March 27, 2023/Rob Theakston (Rating of Pinot Noir & Chardonnay)
Oregon’s Lifevine wines should be rightfully commended for their commitment to full and unapologetic transparency, with their website declaring their line pesticide-free, organic, and sugar-free. LifeVine is one of the first wine brands to post both serving facts and full ingredients on its label. It’s also keto-friendly, lab tested for any contaminants and over 200 pesticides, and is the recipient of the Purity Award from the Clean Label Project.
2021 Lifevine Chardonnay: A traditional, straight-ahead Chardonnay from California, with heavy green apple and melon notes complementing a slight minerality coming up on the palate. A slight touch of cream makes a brief cameo on the finish, which otherwise presents a clean finish full of melon and lemon zest. Well-balanced and lively. $20
2021 Lifevine Pinot Noir: A bit of an odd duck as far as pedigree: grapes from Chile vinted and bottled in Oregon. Lots of fruit on the nose and palate – strawberry, blueberry, and plum. Easy drinking but surprisingly dry on the finish, which pivots slightly from being fruit-forward with a hint of oregano and some mild tannins. An interesting bottle, but it needs a bit of time decanting: 20 to 30 minutes. $20
Winemaker notes: The wine presents a dark ruby color with deep density and hues of purple. Plum and blueberry aromas jump from the glass, while hints of vanilla, iris and blanched almond remain restrained. On the palate this dry wine offers copious dark berries and plums, with savory fresh oregano and the faint richness of maple syrup and graham cracker. The texture is round, rich and bright, while the balanced tannin and complex finish suggests a far more mature Pinot Noir.
My comments: I’d agree about the Chardonnay, smooth and clean with nice minerality. I decanted the Cab, but not the Pinot and it did show better after it opened more. And it did seem strange to go all the way to Chile for grapes that grow abundantly in Oregon, but the grape cost would be considerable less with Chilean grapes and most Oregon-based Pinots start at $30 and go up. So getting a good-tasting Pinot Noir with zero sugar at around $15, sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
BTW: The prices I saw for these wines currently were under $15 each.
2020 Lifevine Cabernet Sauvignon: We all liked this wine, not too tannic, but still a bit too young. I did ask about aging of zero calories wines and the response was that there was no discernible difference between zero sugar and regular wines. However, I think it’s still too early to know about ageing characteristics, and I will be tracking this in the future as I follow up on Lifevine wines.
Winemaker notes: “The nose offers a complex bouquet of cassis, blackberry syrup, and blueberry pie. The fruit profile is deep and dense, yet remains fresh and vibrant, not showing any signs of over-ripeness. Following the bold fruit structure, there are pretty notes of fresh red and purple flowers, mint chocolate chips, and dark soil tones. A luscious wave of vanilla bean, toast, and smoke supports the intensity of the rich fruits and adds accent flavors and structure in the way of wood tannin. There is so much richness, yet it is detailed and pure with its fruit, oak, and earth balance. Its early approachability is a pleasant surprise, but don’t let this deter additional aging for years to come.”
These wines are available online or Total Wine retail stores. If you are concerned about the caloric load of regular wines I highly recommend you try them out.
Jazz Fusion: The Best Artists
I got hooked into jazz fusion when my three brothers were recommending albums from guys I’d never heard of, but after buying a couple of albums – this was when vinyl was still king – I was into it. This section covers some of the history and the best artists of this era that have continued into the 21 century.
Jazz fusion is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyboards employed in rock and roll were picked up by jazz musicians, influenced by listening to rock and roll.
Jazz fusion arrangements vary in complexity. Some employ groove-based vamps fixed to a single key or a single chord with a simple, repeated melody. Others use elaborate chord progressions, unconventional time signatures, or melodies with counter-melodies. These arrangements, typically included improvisation as with other forms of jazz.
Some groups might employ brass and woodwind instruments such as trumpet and saxophone, but other instruments often substitute for these. A jazz fusion band is less likely to use piano and double bass, and more likely to use electric guitar, electric piano, synthesizers, and bass guitar. With jazz fusion you are plugged in!
Jazz Fusion History
When John Coltrane died in 1967, rock was the most popular music in America, and DownBeat magazine even suggested in a headline that: Jazz as We Know It Is Dead. Now I know why it’s called Downbeat. However in 1967, the worlds of jazz and rock were still nearly completely separate.
Guitarist Larry Coryell, sometimes called the godfather of fusion, commenting on his fellow musicians who’d grown up on rock and roll said, “We loved Miles but we also loved the Rolling Stones.” In 1966 he started the band Free Spirits and its first album, Out of Sight and Sound, was released in 1967.
The pioneers of fusion emphasized exploration, energy, electricity, intensity, virtuosity, and volume. Charles Lloyd played a combination of rock and jazz at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1966 with a quartet that included Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette. His albums Dream Weaver and Forest Flower suggested influences of the California psychedelic rock scene and were some of the bestselling jazz albums in 1967.
That was when one of jazz’s greatest artist stepped into the picture; Miles Davis. Davis’s band included other future fusion greats Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. When Davis recorded Bitches Brew in 1969, he mostly abandoned the swing beat in favor of a rock backbeat and bass guitar grooves. The album “mixed free jazz blowing by a large ensemble with electronic keyboards and guitar, plus a dense mix of percussion.” Davis played his trumpet plugged into electronic effects and pedals.
- By end of year, Bitches Brew sold 400,000 copies, four times the average for his albums.
- As one would expect with an artist forging new directions some critics accused Davis of betraying the essence of jazz.
- Miles’ guitar player John McLaughlin formed his own fusion group Mahavishnu Orchestra. Blending Indian classical music, jazz, and psychedelic rock.
- Herbie Hancock brought elements of funk, disco, and electronic music into his albums Head Hunters (1973) and Feets, Don’t Fail Me Now (1979).
In the early 1970s Chick Corea combined jazz, rock, pop, and Brazilian music in his Return to Forever series of albums, with sidemen Stanley Clarke on bass guitar and Al DiMeola on electric guitar. Corea split his career between acoustic and electric music with a band for each: the Akoustic Band and the Elektric Band.
The Mahavishnu Orchestra was influenced by both psychedelic rock and Indian classical music. The band’s first lineup broke up after two studio albums and one live album, but McLaughlin formed another group in 1974 under the same name with jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, one of the first electric violinists.
- During the late ’70s, Lee Ritenour, George Benson, Spyro Gyra, the Crusaders, and Larry Carlton released fusion albums.
And of course I have vinyl of all these guys as well as later CDs and after subscribing to Jazziz magazine compiled the several hundred jazz albums that I have now. I’m a self-confessed jazz junkie.
The Best Jazz Fusion Albums of All Time (Jazzfuel.com)
- Larry Coryell – The Free Spirits: Out of Sight and Sound (1967)
- Miles Davis – In a Silent Way/Bitches Brew (1969/70)
- Donald Byrd – Black Byrd (1973)
- Byrd was a hard bop trumpeter in the 1950’s and 60’s as leader and sideman for Blue Note Records. In the late 1960’s his interest turned to African music, funk and R&B.
- Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters (1973)
- Billy Cobham – Spectrum (1973)
- Billy worked with both Miles Davis and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Many regard Billy Cobham the most prolific jazz fusion drummer of all time.
- John McLaughlin – Mahavishnu Orchestra: Birds of Fire (1973)
- His Concerto for Guitar & Orch, “The Mediterranean” is excellent
- Wayne Shorter – Native Dancer (1974)
- Saxophonist/composer Wayne Shorter was a member of Miles Davis’s Second Great Quintet, as well as being a co-founder of the fusion band Weather Report.
- Joe Zawinul – Weather Report: Heavy Weather (1977)
- Austrian pianist and composer Joe Zawinul previously was in Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis’ bands, before co-founding Weather Report with Wayne Shorter in 1970.
- Chick Corea – Return To Forever: Romantic Warrior (1977)
- Pat Metheny – First Circle (1984)
- Jazz guitarist/composer Pat Metheny became successful in the 1980’s with the Pat Metheny Group, winning 20 Grammy Awards and selling millions of records.
The Best Jazz-infused Films
Jazz music not to mention its often conflicted musicians have fascinated film directors for quite some time. Consider the themes to explore from race, identity and discrimination to sex, drugs and hedonism, jazz has been a great backdrop for film scores as well as with jazz artists as the subject. So here are some films and scores to check out. Much of this info came from Matt Fripp at Jazzfuel with my additions.
Young Man with a Horn (1950): Dir Michael Curtiz with Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Doris Day 1:52
This Hollywood creation is based on the true biography of cornetist Bix Beiderbecke and starred Kirk Douglas in a great early role. Beiderbecke is one of the first in a long line of jazz musicians with a tragic story – he died at the age of 28 of complications from drinking. Those had to be serious complications and tragic consequences.
Fortunately for us Douglas stayed around until the ripe old age of 103 and despite a stroke was still acting in his mid-90s. Even though Harry James plays trumpet in this movie the jazz is rich and Curtiz (Casablanca) with 140 films to his credit can still direct with attention and polish.
The Cotton Club (1984): Dir – Francis Coppola with Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane R: 2:09
The Cotton Club is Harlem’s most legendary jazz venue; all the jazz greats played there. Sex, drugs, gangsters, music and dance all wound together in a thoroughly enjoyable movie. Roger Ebert gave it 4 stars and praised its deep cast of good actors, with elements of the Godfather. Regarding the music he commented; “It gives the movie continuity and an underlying rhythm that makes all of the characters’ lives into steps in a sad ballet.” Yup I’ll quote Roger any chance I get.
There is a new director’s cut; The Cotton Club Encore with 27 minutes added now on Freevee.
Round Midnight (1986): Dir Bertrand Tavenier with Dexter Gordon R: 2:13
Now here is some real jazz for you, the jazz great Dexter Gordon blowing sax and Herbie Hancock providing the score, which is also a great film score to own and won Hancock an Oscar. Roger Ebert also gave this movie 4 stars and noted that only a jazz artist could have played the role of Dale Turner (Gordon) and said:
“Musicians who use breath to play their instruments – those who play the various horns – arrive sooner or later at a point where they play and speak in the same voice. Gordon makes it easy to hear that; the music that comes from his saxophone is sad and tender, and so are his words.”
Bird (1988): Dir Clint Eastwood with Forrest Whitaker
Eastwood’s interest and inclusion of jazz is near legendary. An early example is his 1971 classic Play Misty for Me, where a late-night jazz DJ (Eastwood) takes a stroll through the real-life Monterey jazz festival. Well why wouldn’t the ex-mayor of Carmel do that? Eastwood has infused jazz and its themes into more of his movies than anyone else. I don’t necessarily recommend his singing, however.
Mo’ Better Blues (1990): Dir Spike Lee with Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, Cynda Williams R 2:10
Even if this isn’t Spike Lee’s best film, Mo’ Better features Denzel Washington in one of his most memorable roles. Washington portrays fictional bandleader Bleek Gilliam, a formidable talent who struggles to keep his life in order. Naturally this is jazz so we know things are going to spin out of control which starts with sultry Clarke (Williams) as the woman he shouldn’t mess with and does. The soundtrack is by the Branford Marsalis Quartet with trumpeter Terence Blanchard.
Kansas City (1996): Dir Robert Altman with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson, Harry Belafonte R 1:56
Once again we mix gangsters and jazz, this time in Altman’s home town where he knew the jazz clubs and bad guys in the 1930s where the story is set. Like Chicago and other Midwestern cities illegal booze and prostitution made big money in KC. Tommy guns and double-breasted suits and cigar smoke added just the right atmosphere. And a wigged out Leigh and Richardson form an unlikely couple.
Whiplash (2014): Dir Damien Chazelle with Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons R: 1:46
While some jazz purists have been unhappy with how Whiplash depicts the world of professional music, it’s undeniably one of the few films that attempt to delve into the pressures and competitiveness of jazz education. Simmons does his best R. Lee Ermey drill sergeant as music instructor Terence Fletcher. Even the nuns of Our Lady of Sorrows would have cringed at his disciplinary approach.
Miles Ahead (2015): Dir Don Cheadle with Don Cheadle R: 1:40
Miles Ahead is a entertaining and unconventional character study of Miles Davis. It was co-written by Don Cheadle who also played Davis in a very good performance. While Cheadle’s performance was extolled, the actually story gets lost and is sometimes a heist movie rather than a biopic movie. Some have called it a missed opportunity. I’m still inclined to watch it; because it Miles, man.
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