In 2011, Madeline Puckette was a 20-something sommelier serving wine across the bar when the idea popped into her head: “I should start a blog to help people learn about wine!”

Testing for inflammation

False positive results may occur when abnormal test results suggest inflammation even when none is present.

Jone Mark

It’s frustrating to be standing in a wine shop, and you find a bottle that excites you with a QR code on the label, so you pull out your phone, and get a dead end.

Many producers want to include such codes on their bottles, but struggle to maintain links or keep the information at the end of the rainbow up to date. Leveraging the power of the Global Wine Database, winemakers can dynamically generate wine information cards with scannable QR codes that lead to vetted wine information.

Are tests for inflammation useful?

Since 2014, the Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir Rootstock Trial – involving growers from across Greater Victoria – has been comparing the performance of Pinot Noir scions grafted to14 different rootstocks on two commercial vineyards 15 kilometres apart and with more than 100 metres elevation difference. One vineyard is located in a warmer coastal area of the Mornington Peninsula, while the other sits in a cooler more elevated location.

At both vineyards, Pinot Noir clone MV6 was grafted to 14 rootstocks with three replicates per treatment and one panel per replicate. Grapevines were also planted on their own roots as a control. 

Like most the B vitamins, B₆ is essential, which means your body can’t synthesize it — you have to get this vital micronutrient from your diet. Are you getting all that your body needs? That’s worth asking, particularly if you’re eating less of certain foods for health or environmental reasons.

If you tasted a new wine variety each week, it would take you 40 years to try them all.

Jone Mark

What B₆ does in your body

Since 2014, the Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir Rootstock Trial – involving growers from across Greater Victoria – has been comparing the performance of Pinot Noir scions grafted to14 different rootstocks on two commercial vineyards 15 kilometres apart and with more than 100 metres elevation difference. One vineyard is located in a warmer coastal area of the Mornington Peninsula, while the other sits in a cooler more elevated location.

A B₆ deficiency issue?

Vitamin B₆ plays a role in more than 100 enzyme reactions in the body. It helps your body break down protein, carbohydrates, and fats that build muscle, supply energy and fulfill a multitude of essential tasks. Vitamin B₆ also helps

• Keep your immune system working well
• Create important brain-signaling chemicals (neurotransmitters), including serotonin and dopamine
• Make hemoglobin, the protein responsible for carrying oxygen in red blood cells.

At both vineyards, Pinot Noir clone MV6 was grafted to 14 rootstocks with three replicates per treatment and one panel per replicate. Grapevines were also planted on their own roots as a control. 

Veganism has become hip, in addition to having potential health benefits, like improved heart health and weight loss, from cutting out animal products and increasing vegetables. 

Understanding your why and motivations

It’s one thing to give up animal products, and that move can lead to health improvements.

Jone Mark

With any kind of change, the stronger and more personal your reason, the more likely you’ll stick with it. When deciding to be a vegan, there can be an ethical and even an emotional component of concern for animal welfare and the environment. Those things mean something to you, and you’re not going to eat, wear, or use any animal products because you consider that inhumane.

But what if better health is your primary reason for going vegan? The elimination of animal products and dairy means a reduction in saturated fats and sodium, which can help with losing weight and/or preventing weight gain, and can reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease, blood cholesterol, and diabetes, Stampfer says.

Planning for pitfalls

• How often do you eat out?
• Do you like to cook?
• Do you like to socialize?
• Do you know anyone else who’s vegan who can give you tips, recipes, vegan-friendly restaurants?

Preparation is key when trying a new way of eating. Find appealing vegan recipes in cookbooks or on websites, or set up a food subscription service, and at the beginning line up two weeks of meals so what you’re going to eat isn’t a constant scramble and daily stress, Rimm says.

None of the answers are disqualifying, but you can identify potential pitfalls and get a handle on how you approach food. And the last question is key, since having support when making a change can help smooth the transition and make you feel less alone in the attempt. “It prepares people for what they’re up against,” Rimm says.