No-Headache Reds

ML01 yeast

Some scientists speculate that the amines in red wine (a by-product of malolactic fermentation) are the cause of many red-wine drinkers’ headaches. Now, a University of British Columbia scientist has bioengineered a modified-DNA yeast that forestalls amine production when it’s used to make red wine. The only hitch is worldwide wariness regarding the potential risks of GM (genetically modified) foods.

Lower Alcohol on Demand

Memstar AA

Given that some California wines now register a brain-thumping 16.8 percent alcohol, maybe wine lovers ought to be thankful for Memstar AA. Developed by Australian scientists, this advance on existing technology extracts alcohol from wine into filtered water, which allows the entire process to occur at a winery. How does it work? Well, let’s just say it involves a food-grade porous hydrophobic polypropylene plastic perstraction membrane, and leave it at that.