Wine & Jaffa Cakes

I've just learned, thanks to the erstwhile blogging efforts of my friend Dr. Vino, that a large glass of wine is the caloric equivalent of two jaffa cakes and an onion bhaji. I think I'd be more alarmed by this if I'd ever actually eaten a jaffa cake (Dr. V. is in the same boat), but mostly I'm amused. You, too, can be amused by similar equations—four large glasses = hamburger + jaffa cake + onion bhaji + doughnut + slice of pizza—by checking out this nifty caloric translator on the BBC Radio 1 site. It's very entertaining, especially if you're suffering from brain-deadening jetlag, as I am, having returned late last night from several days of zooming around vineyards in New Zealand.

I'll mention while I'm at it that Dr. V., alias Tyler Colman, has just published a very engaging book about wine (appropriately enough—lucky for all of us he didn't decide to become Dr. Kelp Juice) entitled A Year of Wine: Perfect Pairings, Great Buys, and What to Sip for Each Season. You could run right out and buy it, or you could wait until I post—in theory later this week—the pithy review I've been planning of several recently released wine books. Ideal for last-minute holiday shopping...