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Cycle For Sight Napa Valley • April 18th, 2015

Cycle for Sight/California Veterans festival is coming up on April 18th, 2015 in Napa and GrapeHeart will be there to support the event.
Local wineries and microbreweries will be represented along with live music.  Proceeds will benefit two local organizations: Enchanted Hills Camp For The Blind & Visually Impaired and The California Veterans “Pathway Home Project.”  The goal is to raise $100,000.
We look forward to seeing you at Justin Siena High School, 4026 Maher Street in Napa, CA on April 18th, 2015….

 

San Francisco Vintners Market 4/11-12: 50% off tickets

San Francisco Vintners Market – Swirl, Sniff, Sip, Buy, Repeat!
Come taste our wines in the Reserve Area of the Fort Mason Vintner’s event in the Festival Pavilion. Get 50% off your entry fee using this link

San Francisco Vintners Market
The SF Vintners Market is the first and only wine tasting and buying event in the Bay Area.  Similar to a farmers market, our event allows consumers to sample the wines on display and buy them on the spot, featuring up to 200 wineries from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Russian River Valley and around the world.  Wineries will be pouring their favorite wines including new releases, special collections and hard to find vintages.

GrapeHeart Vineyards Debuts Award Winning Wines….

SUISUN VALLEY: Ramzi and Isabel Deeik faced an initial, major task when they began making wine with Suisun Valley grapes–coming up with a name for their product.

“It’s so hard to find a name,” Isabel Deeik said. “We thought, ‘Let’s have something to do with the heart.’ ”

They chose the name GrapeHeart Vineyards because it gets to the heart of the matter for them.

Ramzi Deeik is a local heart surgeon. He was picked by NorthBay Medical Center to help design its $4.6 million cardiovascular surgery center, the first in Solano County. Before the center opened in 2009, people who needed heart surgery had to be taken to a hospital outside of the county.

The Deeiks brought that interest in the heart to their winemaking efforts. GrapeHeart donates part of its proceeds to the Sister to Sister Foundation, a nonprofit group that works to prevent heart disease in women.

Then there’s the wine itself.

“I’m a big believer in the benefits of wine for prevention of heart disease, as well as a Mediterranean diet and exercise,” Ramzi Deeik said.

Highly extracted wines are high in tannins from the seeds and stems. The resulting antioxidants are heart-friendly, according to some health experts.

“They basically help protect the linings of the blood vessels in the heart,” Ramzi Deeik said.

GrapeHeart Vineyards made its first wines in 2010 and released the results this year. The Beat, a Cabernet-based blend of reds, won the Best of Solano award at the North Coast Wine Challenge and Best of Class and Gold at the International Women’s Wine Competition. The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon won Silver at the U.S. National Wine Competition.

The Deeiks live in Napa, the epicenter of the nation’s wine world. They make their wines in St. Helena in the Napa Valley. But they turned to Suisun Valley for their grapes.

“We really believe Suisun Valley makes great wine,” Isabel Deeik said.

She noted they’re not the only ones from Napa who believe in Suisun Valley. Caymus Vineyards of the Napa Valley recently announced it would open a winery on Cordelia Road in lower Suisun Valley under the name Wagner Family of Wine.

GrapeHeart Vineyards is 40 acres on Suisun Valley Road. The vineyard was planted in 2000 and the Deeiks purchased it in 2009.

Ramzi Deeik was driving the back roads from Napa to Fairfield at the time to avoid traffic, going through Wooden Valley and Suisun Valley. On one of those trips, he saw the Suisun Valley vineyard for sale.

“We’ve always had a passion for wine, even back when we were in Chicago where we met,” Ramzi Deeik said. “We always wanted to come to the Wine Country and start a project like this.”

The Deeiks contacted the Napa wine producer farming the Suisun Valley land and tasted wine made from the vineyard grapes. That helped convince them to buy the land.

“I was very impressed with the quality of the wine,” Ramzi Deeik said.

Newcomers to the world of wine production, the Deeiks got to work. They secured Howard Babcock as their vineyard manager and Fred Delivert as their winemaker.

“We have great professionals around us,” Isabel Deeik said.

GrapeHeart has no tasting room; at least, not yet. People can buy its wine at such restaurants as the Mankas Steakhouse in Suisun Valley and Redd’s in Yountville. They can also go to www.grapeheartwines.com to buy wine.

So far, so good for GrapeHeart.


Daily Republic – Fairfield Suisun
http://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/business-local/grapeheart-vineyards-debuts-award-winning-wines/

How to Choose a Red Wine

When I ventured out into the red wine territory from my white wine habit, I was intimidated.  Even the experts offered conflicting advice and direction.  You don’t have to be intimidated.  Below is a great short list of how to approach red wine, found on the Napa.org website.

You don’t have to rely on just Napa and Sonoma Valley wines from Northern California.  Suisun Valley wines are up and coming, rapidly taking a place on the table in restaurants and wine bars.  Try one on your dining room table and envision a walk through the vineyards in Suisun Valley.

Enjoy!

Choosing the Intensity

The first step is determining what type of red wine you are interested in. You may be looking for a wine that is dry and intensely flavored, or one that is lighter and fruitier. The more intense red wines are Cabernet sauvignon, Shiraz, and red zinfandel. The lighter red wines include Chianti, Beaujolais, and red table wines.

Finding The Right Vintage

When you set out to buy red wine, it is important to know that these wines get better with age. Generally, wine experts agree that red wine reaches its maturity after three years, so look for wines that were bottled at least three years ago.

Experiment With Wine From Different Regions

While browsing through wine choices, you will notice that there are varieties from all over the world. It used to be that most of the wines available were either French, Italian, or from the Napa Valley. However, today it is easy buy red wine from places such as Chile, Bolivia, Australia and South Africa, and they are readily available in most stores. Try some from each region in order to get an idea of the subtle differences in flavor.

Ask For Recommendations

Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations from salespeople. Most major supermarkets these days have their own wine buyers and employ knowledgeable representatives in the store who can help you make your choices. If you are shopping at a wine store, there are sure to be experts available there to answer any questions you have.

As seen on Napa.org

Heart Health Myths

How much do you really know about your heart’s health? It’s easy to be fooled by misconceptions. After all, heart disease only happens to your elderly neighbor or to your fried food-loving uncle, right? Or do you know the real truth – that heart disease can affect people of any age, even those who eat right?

Relying on false assumptions can be dangerous to your heart. Cardiovascular disease kills more Americans each year than any other disease. But you can boost your heart smarts by separating fact from fiction. Let’s set the record straight on some common myths.

  1. “I’m too young to worry about heart disease.” How you live now affects your risk for cardiovascular diseases later in life. As early as childhood and adolescence, plaque can start accumulating in the arteries and later lead to clogged arteries. One in three Americans has cardiovascular disease, but not all of them are senior citizens. Even young and middle-aged people can develop heart problems – especially now that obesity, type 2 diabetes and other risk factors are becoming more common at a younger age.
  2. “I’d know if I had high blood pressure because there would be warning signs.” High blood pressure is called the “silent killer” because you don’t usually know you have it. You may never experience symptoms, so don’t wait for your body to alert you that there’s a problem. The  way to know if you have high blood pressure is to check your numbers with a simple blood pressure test. Early treatment of high blood pressure is critical because, if left untreated, it can cause heart attack, stroke, kidney damage and other serious health problems. Learn how high blood pressure is diagnosed.
  3.  “I’ll know when I’m having a heart attack because I’ll have chest pain.” Not necessarily. Although it’s common to have chest pain or discomfort, a heart attack may cause subtle symptoms. These include shortness of breath, nausea, feeling lightheaded, and pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the jaw, neck or back. Even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, call 9-1-1 immediately. Learn you risk of heart attack today!
  4. “Diabetes won’t threaten my heart as long as I take my medication.” Treating diabetes can help reduce your risk for or delay the development of cardiovascular diseases. But even when blood sugar levels are under control, you’re still at increased risk for heart disease and stroke. That’s because the risk factors that contribute to diabetes onset also make you more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. These overlapping risk factors include high blood pressure, overweight and obesity, physical inactivity and smoking.
  5. “Heart disease runs in my family, so there’s nothing I can do to prevent it.” Although people with a family history of heart disease are at higher risk, you can take steps to dramatically reduce your risk. Create an action plan to keep your heart healthy by tackling these to-dos: get active; control cholesterol; eat better; manage blood pressure; maintain a healthy weight; control blood sugar; and stop smoking.
  6. “I don’t need to have my cholesterol checked until I’m middle-aged.” The American Heart Association recommends you start getting your cholesterol checked at age 20. It’s a good idea to start having a cholesterol test even earlier if your family has a history of heart disease. Children in these families can have high cholesterol levels, putting them at increased risk for developing heart disease as adults. You can help yourself and your family by eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
  7. “Heart failure means the heart stops beating.” The heart suddenly stops beating during cardiac arrest, not heart failure. With heart failure, the heart keeps working, but it doesn’t pump blood as well as it should. It can cause shortness of breath, swelling in the feet and ankles or persistent coughing and wheezing. During cardiac arrest, a person loses consciousness and stops normal breathing.
  8. “This pain in my legs must be a sign of aging. I’m sure it has nothing to do with my heart.” Leg pain felt in the muscles could be a sign of a condition called peripheral artery disease. PAD results from blocked arteries in the legs caused by plaque buildup. The risk for heart attack or stroke increases five-fold for people with PAD.
  9. “My heart is beating really fast. I must be having a heart attack.” Some variation in your heart rate is normal. Your heart rate speeds up during exercise or when you get excited, and slows down when you’re sleeping. Most of the time, a change in your heartbeat is nothing to worry about. But sometimes, it can be a sign of arrhythmia, an abnormal or irregular heartbeat. Most arrhythmias are harmless, but some can last long enough to impact how well the heart works and require treatment.
  10. “I should avoid exercise after having a heart attack.” No! As soon as possible, get moving with a plan approved for you! Research shows that heart attack survivors who are regularly physically active and make other heart-healthy changes live longer than those who don’t. People with chronic conditions typically find that moderate-intensity activity is safe and beneficial. The American Heart Association recommends at least two and a half hours of moderate intensity physical activity each week. Find the help you need by joining a cardiac rehabilitation program, or consult your healthcare provider for advice on developing a physical activity plan tailored to your needs.

As seen at Heart.org