if you like wine..

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Methanol causes ocular problems?

Oh yes, this is well-established. From memory, methanol is metabolised by dehydrogenase enzymes in the liver like ethanol. However, unlike ethanol, one of the metabolites of methanol is formic acid which has a particular toxicity in the optic nerve. Permanent blindness occurs if too much methanol is consumed. I don’t know at what dosage level this occurs.

If I remember correctly, methanol was used in certain whiskey drinks back in the day.

I don’t think it was ever added intentionally. As I understand it, methanol contamination has always been a problem in backyard distillation setups. You need decent equipment and appropriate know-how in order for your fermentation and distillation process to produce spirits (be it whiskey or whatever) that have only ethanol and not a mixture of ethanol and methanol. Many a hillbilly has gone blind by drinking the product of their illegal ‘still.

Then again, any type of alcohol (including the beloved ethanol) is toxic in excess.

Indeed.

Beer has folate and may reduce cardiovascular diseases! A recent study also shows that ONE beer a day may promote mental health, particularly in women.

Now that’s the sort of news I like to hear!

 

[LadyMidnight]

Oh yes, this is well-established. From memory, methanol is metabolised by dehydrogenase enzymes in the liver like ethanol. However, unlike ethanol, one of the metabolites of methanol is formic acid which has a particular toxicity in the optic nerve. Permanent blindness occurs if too much methanol is consumed. I don’t know at what dosage level this occurs.

Yup, you were right. I did some research on both oxidation products - formaldehyde and formic acid - and both are dangerous to the optic nerve, as well as the respiratory tract. And it could cause cancer.

Drink only mild dosages of ETHANOL, people. A beer a day keeps the shrink away! :cheers:

 

[TimeTraveler]

My wine of choice is Merlot. The Chilean ones are usually dependable if a bit dead, but I've had some great Australian and Californian Merlot as well. Some of the most exciting wines I've tried recently are from Croatia and Monte Negro--full of life and seriously complex flavours.

I agree 2005 australian merlot or shiraz.

 

[John99]

The original monkey wine - Affentaler

 

[Asguard]

good choices, makes me want a glass right now. Australian vineyards usually have the best tastes, in my opinion.

I like Victorian wines, especially from the Yarra Valley. Nice shiraz though alot of people prefer the SA shiraz because they are are fruity. YV sharaz are VERY peppery The Yarra Burn shiraz Viognier is my favoriate

For whites again i like cold climate (mostly Yarra Valley) wines because they tend to be very dry. Semillon Chardonnay for preference

That being said i do drink anything, for instance i bought a straight Viognier the other day Generally i drink reds though

 

[Orleander]

I like Victorian wines, especially from the Yarra Valley. Nice shiraz though alot of people prefer the SA shiraz because they are are fruity. YV sharaz are VERY peppery The Yarra Burn shiraz Viognier is my favoriate

For whites again i like cold climate (mostly Yarra Valley) wines because they tend to be very dry. Semillon Chardonnay for preference

That being said i do drink anything, for instance i bought a straight Viognier the other day Generally i drink reds though

How much do these wines cost in Australia?

 

[Asguard]

the yarra burn cost me AU$18 from memory
the straight Viognier cost me $10 (cant rember the brand)

i normally pay between $10-20 unless its a paticular wine that i KNOW i like from cellar door tastings

There is a company called "Dan murphy's" which is like a supermarket for achole and is owned by woolworths (the Australian one, not the british company) and because its a national company the wines only cost me around the same as they cost in victoria which is quite nice

 

[Roman]

If you're consuming methanol, make sure you consume a greater molar amount of ethanol! Methanol's main toxicity is due to it being metabolized into formeldahyde and then formic acid, besides being a depressant on the CNS like ethanol is.

Anyway, the reason you want to consume ethanol with it is because they both are metabolized by alcohol dehydrogenase, which can either metabolize ethanol or methanol, but not both at the same time. The more ethanol you have in your system, the less likely methanol will be converted into dangerous metabolites.

Lots of ethanol if you are getting poisoned by methanol.

 

[Orleander]

In my childhood there were a lot of blind Indians going to the hospital. Drinking Aqua-Velva, hair spray, rubbing alcohol.