Wine.Woot : One Week, One Wine (SM)

tmacfarlan wrote:During the World War 1 draft, the military noticed a trend of mid-westerners with a Goiter problem. Goiter being a symptom of a larger thyroid problem, a US pediatrician named David Murray Cowie followed the Swiss practice of adding iodine to salt. Why salt, you ask?

Because it's consumed by entire populations in predictable amounts. With all of the wonderful cooking uses of salt and its effectiveness as a flavor enhancer after cooking, everybody uses it. Production costs for adding iodine to salt is estimated at about $0.05 per person.

Mountainous regions and those far from the sea - such as the US mid-west - have iodine-poor soil. This means that the vegetation from those regions is not sufficient for iodine intake and the people suffer from an iodine deficiency. The choices for getting iodine are having fresh seafoods shipped in at a high cost to the consumers, take a dietary supplement to increase levels of iodine in the body, or add it to something they will eat anyway so the consumer doesn't have to think about it.

While I'd like to imagine a world where people are health-conscious and go out of their way to maintain correct levels of trace nutrients like iodine, it's silly to think every person is going to be a health expert and take care of themselves like one.

Unlike water flouridation, this is one service which has a clear benefit to the general public.

EDIT: Just to be clear, I have 6 kinds of salt at home presently and only two are iodized; plus I'm in for one on this woot. I'm not anti-sea salt or anti-natural salt, I just like to know the science behind my foods. Like Alton Brown's understudy. But not at all.

For vegetarians or other who don't eat seafood: seaweed is also an excellent source of iodine and many other nutrients.

I don't consume iodized salt because I don't like 'supplemented' food; I prefer to get my nutrients from whole foods if possible. I do however take mineral and fish oil supplements because of my high activity level and non-consumption of sea animals.

egzgg wrote:Not a good thing to love salt AND put it on EVERYTHING. Salt clogs up your arteries, no matter how much excersise you do or how fat/skinny you are. Be careful with the excess salt, it becomes a habit that is very difficult to control. Before you know it food begins to be completely dull without lots of salt and thats when problems begin.

Salt doesn't clog up arteries.

And the whole salt/heart disease link isn't even very good. Excess salt is fine provided you drink adequate fluids.

As far as iodinization goes, I think that is mainly a solution for a problem from an earlier time. If you eat food in the United States, you will probably get enough iodine to stay healthy. I'm not an expert, but I don't think sprinkling artisan salt on some of your fancy dishes is going to give you goiter, as long as you continue to eat some normal non-gourmet food with some normal inexpensive salt every once in a while. It's not like salt is inherently dangerous without iodine; people used salt for thousands of years without it.

fairnymph wrote:Salt doesn't clog up arteries.

And the whole salt/heart disease link isn't even very good. Excess salt is fine provided you drink adequate fluids.

I can't say anything on the topic of salt clogging up arteries. However, I am familiar with the subject of drinking excess water-
If you do overexert yourself with salt and water (or just water in general) you flush out a significant portion of nutrients from your system (and, in fact, that is why you have vitamin/energy waters to help supplement the losses).

Since we're being strict on health matters, I would assume you'd want to stay away from that- however, to have any significant harm from doing so would require drinking exaggerated amounts of fluids, or having other health problems that would be affected by it.

In any case, it likely would take some hardcore salt consumption to really harm you- if you're not eating enough to be harming yourself with the nutrient loss from excess water, and you're not dying of dehydration, you probably'll be alright.

Zaleus wrote:What if you're drunk on delivery?

LOL, look at it now.

egzgg wrote:I think woot should make another website called edible.woot! and sell coffee/peanuts/salt/ and anything else random they wanna sell! sell wine on wine woot!

May I suggest you quickly find and attend the nearest meeting of Wine.Wootaholics Anonymous?... sounds like you're building a resentment...

Zaleus wrote:I can't say anything on the topic of salt clogging up arteries. However, I am familiar with the subject of drinking excess water-
If you do overexert yourself with salt and water (or just water in general) you flush out a significant portion of nutrients from your system (and, in fact, that is why you have vitamin/energy waters to help supplement the losses).

Since we're being strict on health matters, I would assume you'd want to stay away from that- however, to have any significant harm from doing so would require drinking exaggerated amounts of fluids, or having other health problems that would be affected by it.

In any case, it likely would take some hardcore salt consumption to really harm you- if you're not eating enough to be harming yourself with the nutrient loss from excess water, and you're not dying of dehydration, you probably'll be alright.

Of course. :D

I say this only because I consume A LOT of salt (and crave it often); but I also take electrolyte supplements and I drink 5+ liters of water a day.

It's all about balance. My point is that high sodium intake in the right context is fine; it's not inherently bad, contrary to popular belief.

rpm wrote:Sigh.... on so may levels. And why is this sea salt any better than that evaporated in San Francisco bay?

The various salts do have different tastes. Better is a judgment. The cost is very similar to Bacon salt, so the price their flavored salt does not seem ridiculous.

Salt still on Saturday? Watching the furious?

After looking at the wiki picture on sea salt I started wondering: how much POLLUTION is condensed out of the sea water and right into these fancy jars? I've read about entire areas (hundreds and thousands of square miles) of dead ocean where no life exists. (to be fair, that is primarily due to low oxygen and high CO2 - but there are still pollution problems) Surely toxins in our oceans don't remain localized, so ALL ocean water eventually becomes polluted to some degree. How bad is it? Interestingly, I couldn't find much info online about this, but here's one:

http://www.heavymetalstest.com/seasalt.php

I was always afraid to fall into the SF Bay, It didn't seem clean enough to swim in, so I'd definitely not want to eat condensed SF Bay salt! (Those evaporation ponds look really cool from the air) And I know for a fact that the ocean water around Santa Cruz is dirty, and on occasion deadly (just this year there were "toxic water, do not get it on you warning signs along the main beach). I wonder if the salt mined from ancient evaporated oceans is cleaner than modern salt.

This is giving me a headache. I need some wine! ;-)
This sea salt thing is just a ploy to force us back to Monday's wine, isn't it woot? :-P

Fine!
http://wine.woot.com/Monday

Young salt crystals are skimmed from the surface of salt ponds in France.

I thought this was a joke at first. Little did I know about Fleur de Sel.

Someone said there was no concern about animals pooping in the evaporation pods, but it looks to me like there are a lot of sea birds there, and I know what sea birds do...

ckeilah wrote:Someone said there was no concern about animals pooping in the evaporation pods, but it looks to me like there are a lot of sea birds there, and I know what sea birds do...

There's never anything to worry about, everything is always under control. You can't trust your instincts, but you can trust the authorities, trust me!

Cesare wrote:And before this gets asked,
Yes this ships to all states
No you do not have to be 21 to order

If I have a salty attitude, will this still be delivered?

I've tried 4 times to purchase this and each time my order is denied for the billing address EVEN THOUGH it's EXACTLY the same as when I order from shirt.woot and I have never had a problem there. So I tried Paypal and THAT was denied also for no apparent reason. I guess I WON'T be buying this today *sigh*

Thanks for the link to Old Thompson. The Bavaria Salt Grinder is perfect for me - sleek and beautiful, letting the particular salt shine through.

evanssm1 wrote:We have and use many of this companies salts. We love each one for its own uniqueness and amazing flavor it adds to each dish. We purchased all of ours from Avanti Savoia. Actually I should have told you all about this site a long time ago since we are all foodies and winos. Anyway these salts are amazing. We always get the course salts and use them in this salt grinder, Old Thompson, Bavaria Salt Grinder. Very durable glass grinder plus the salt really is eye catching in them. We have people ask about them all the time, great conversation starters. Currently we have six lined up and I would highly recommend these and their other salts if you get the chance. Enjoy!


PS: I love that woot is doing a food related item on Fridays. Since we all love our food just as much as our wine. Cheers Woot!

My boyfriend ordered this, I'm pretty excited. We saw one of these salts on sale for $19.99 in a store yesterday. I love salt! And I'm excited about the cute containers they come in too!

Can you still use this to ward off angry spirits? Maybe it works better on french spirits?

egzgg wrote:Not a good thing to love salt AND put it on EVERYTHING. Salt clogs up your arteries, no matter how much excersise you do or how fat/skinny you are. Be careful with the excess salt, it becomes a habit that is very difficult to control. Before you know it food begins to be completely dull without lots of salt and thats when problems begin.

Um... no it doesn't. (Bad) cholesterol is what you're thinking of, and even that is just a component in a plaque that forms.

You're thinking of "salt causes high blood pressure". It was a mantra of the 70s/80s, but studies in this decade imply that it's only a problem for people who already have high blood pressure. For people who don't, excess salt doesn't seem to pose a problem.

I'm not condoning tons and tons of the stuff - what you say about it being somewhat 'addictive' to the taste buds is true. I'm just saying it doesn't clog arteries, you've confused your health facts/myths.

There is a lot of contreversy regarding salt and health. The fact is, that sea salt tastes better than refined salt. It has more flavor and is available in many textures and grain sizes. The great thing about gourmet sea salts is that you can use less. They also contain trace minerals that can help your body to process the sodium better. The softer crystals dissolve quickly so you get the flavor upfront. All things in moderation, right? When you do use salt, use GOOD salt and ENJOY!

How does this compare to the WootOff Bacon Salt?

On a side note, I like seeing that the makers are able to answer questions/comments in the comment section. Nice work guys!

Aesthir wrote:LOL, look at it now.

I'm uncertain as to what I'm supposed to look at- I didn't notice any changes anywhere.

fairnymph wrote:Of course. :D

I say this only because I consume A LOT of salt (and crave it often); but I also take electrolyte supplements and I drink 5+ liters of water a day.

It's all about balance. My point is that high sodium intake in the right context is fine; it's not inherently bad, contrary to popular belief.

Mademoiselle, you speak to the choir. I delight in spices to a truly inexcusable degree- rather than take a fine steak plain, or a base broth or soup, or any such dish, I will throw on salt, layer in pepper, or even use the dish to flavor the hefty amounts of seasonings I mix in.

Now, that isn't to say I can't appreciate a plain or subtle dish- merely that I typically prefer an intense one. Then again, that applies well to the basics of cheese, wine, and spirit appreciation- all of which generally involve intense flavors and extensive spicing.

Of course, by intense I mean that it has many different demanding flavors, delighting multiple facets of your palate.

I'm looking quite forward to being able to apply these salts to my meals.

One concern, however- what is this 'balance' you speak of? Do you refer, perhaps, to drinking even more wine?

;P

flower753 wrote:I've tried 4 times to purchase this and each time my order is denied for the billing address EVEN THOUGH it's EXACTLY the same as when I order from shirt.woot and I have never had a problem there. So I tried Paypal and THAT was denied also for no apparent reason. I guess I WON'T be buying this today *sigh*

I had similar problems for most of the first day of this woot, but I got it to work.. well, much later in the day.
I didn't do anything I hadn't been, so perhaps their system is screwing up- the main problem for me was it hadn't been updating my account correctly, despite declaring it was.

eyric101 wrote:Can you still use this to ward off angry spirits? Maybe it works better on french spirits?

I don't know, does wine.woot offer spirits in addition to wines?

winphreak wrote:On a side note, I like seeing that the makers are able to answer questions/comments in the comment section. Nice work guys!

Agreed. :thumbsup:

$30 for 16oz of salt? X

In for one...

ckeilah wrote:After looking at the wiki picture on sea salt I started wondering: how much POLLUTION is condensed out of the sea water and right into these fancy jars? I've read about entire areas (hundreds and thousands of square miles) of dead ocean where no life exists. (to be fair, that is primarily due to low oxygen and high CO2 - but there are still pollution problems) Surely toxins in our oceans don't remain localized, so ALL ocean water eventually becomes polluted to some degree. How bad is it? Interestingly, I couldn't find much info online about this, but here's one:

http://www.heavymetalstest.com/seasalt.php

I was always afraid to fall into the SF Bay, It didn't seem clean enough to swim in, so I'd definitely not want to eat condensed SF Bay salt! (Those evaporation ponds look really cool from the air) And I know for a fact that the ocean water around Santa Cruz is dirty, and on occasion deadly (just this year there were "toxic water, do not get it on you warning signs along the main beach). I wonder if the salt mined from ancient evaporated oceans is cleaner than modern salt.

This is giving me a headache. I need some wine! ;-)
This sea salt thing is just a ploy to force us back to Monday's wine, isn't it woot? :-P

Fine!
http://wine.woot.com/Monday

Hi- this is Saxon from SaltWorks. You are right to question where your sea salt comes from, as not all water has the same amount of purity & cleanliness! For the French Trio, all of the salt is Organic Certified in France (by Nature et Progres), which in part means that it is kept away from roads, construction, and machinery so as not to be affected by potential pollutants. The French standards for organic are very high, and all three of these salts have met those requirements. If you are interested in learning about other sea salts and the cleanliness of the source they come from- please feel free to call us at 1.800.353.7258. We are available M-F 7:30-4:30 PST to answer any of your questions!

SaltWorks wrote:Hi- this is Saxon from SaltWorks. The Sel Gris and the Fleur de Sel are certified Kosher. The Fumee de Sel is not kosher at this time.

Who gives the Kosher symbol? If it is Square-K, you are getting ripped off as it not a good symbol.

Edit: Found out on kosher.com, that The Fluer De Sel and the Sel Gris are both OU Kosher.

On the topic of salt and health, Nina Planck in "Real Food: What to Eat and Why" argues against the notion of salt leading to increased blood pressure, and gives excellent evidence. She recommends Celtic sea salt, which contains trace minerals that are very important for proper body functioning. This is different than the table salt that America is used to, which contains nothing but sodium chloride. She also provides some excellent evidence that, like salt, butter was only labeled as "bad" due to flawed studies that erroneously placed the blame on saturated fat. Contrary to popular belief (labeling butter as evil), butter (especially raw or organic) contains an amazing amount of nutrients. The replacement for butter, margarine, is now said to be one of the worst things to eat. It just makes sense to stick with natural food sources and avoid man-made scaffolding that has never been tested and has only come into the mainstream market due to the useless FDA receiving massive amounts of cash.

One of the best and most informative books I've read by the way, highly recommended.

SaltWorks wrote:Hi- this is Saxon from SaltWorks. You are right to question where your sea salt comes from, as not all water has the same amount of purity & cleanliness! For the French Trio, all of the salt is Organic Certified in France (by Nature et Progres), which in part means that it is kept away from roads, construction, and machinery so as not to be affected by potential pollutants. The French standards for organic are very high, and all three of these salts have met those requirements. If you are interested in learning about other sea salts and the cleanliness of the source they come from- please feel free to call us at 1.800.353.7258. We are available M-F 7:30-4:30 PST to answer any of your questions!

Very gratifying answer, thank you! It's always a rare treat for companies to respond to their products on here, so it's much appreciated.

I think all countries have higher standards for organic than the U.S. The U.S. is way way behind.

Perhaps a CLUE will ameliorate some of these anti-salt attitudes?

kylemittskus wrote:Perhaps a CLUE will ameliorate some of these anti-salt attitudes?

Ahh, I don't worry about the attitudes. I take it all with a grain of salt (groan).

Bouncy, bouncy...

In for three. The bouncy made me do it.

Plus.. the guy who dissed us for "$30 for 16oz of salt." In yo' face! I got 45 oz [48, see edit] of fine French salt comin' my way for less than $100. What a deal!

I traveled in this region of France 8 years ago when I was in Nantes for work (just a bit South of the salt-harvest regions). I remember seeing the salt fields out in the bays (no, they are not right next to the roads!)

After discovering "good salt," which you use in much smaller quantities, you really don't want processed crappy-salt anymore. (and I'm generally anti-salty-food).

I figured I was going to get 1 set, but then I got one more for my brother-in-law, who likes salt but likes "natural" foods, and 1 more for, um, not sure.

[Edit: I thought it was only 15 oz (3*5), but the description shows one as 6oz, so it really is 16 oz per set of 3 jars; even better!]

Winedavid39 wrote:Howdy all.

clue? A far cry from Glen Ellen.

Glengarry Glen Ross?

Winedavid39 wrote:Howdy all.

clue? A far cry from Glen Ellen.

Wellington, perhaps? Just outside of Glen Ellen, within yelling distance.

Winedavid39 wrote:Howdy all.

clue? A far cry from Glen Ellen.

Sake?

*I'll take Wishful Thinking for $1200 Alex.*

What did I just do? Did I really spend $35 for a pound of salt?

Yeah, I guess I did. I've heard people rave about finishing salts and figured I'd have to try some. I don't use much salt, so this might last me for a long time. Unless it's as good as some claim, in which case I might go looking for uses for this stuff and run out quickly. And the glass serving tray and bowls will find many uses. And now I'm only one away from the magical 50 woots.

gcdyersb wrote:Wellington, perhaps? Just outside of Glen Ellen, within yelling distance.

Possibly, since the Wellington Website says "Welcome to Wellington Vineyards and winery on Dunbar Road nestled between the lovely towns of Glen Ellen and Kenwood ... " ... however under directions, it does list Glen Ellen for the city.


Maybe Ty Caton? Their tasting room is in Kenwood, right next to Glen Ellen. Just a hop, skip, and jump from Wellington.

Little Vineyards is also in Glen Ellen, and are known for musical names for their wines (Center Stage, Band Blend).


Any way you look at it, the old wallet looks to take a hit tonight ....

Well, I'm miffed at myself. Returned to purchase the salt, and it's sold out.

Here is a link to an interesting looking book on salts. I saw it while shopping this week, and will probably purchase from Amazon. (or at least hint around to mr sanity!)

edit: As I'm looking around the web, I've seen 2 other reviews on this salt book. now I'm intrigued. coynedj, maybe this is what you need!

MarkDaSpark wrote:Possibly, since the Wellington Website says "Welcome to Wellington Vineyards and winery on Dunbar Road nestled between the lovely towns of Glen Ellen and Kenwood ... " ... however under directions, it does list Glen Ellen for the city.


Maybe Ty Caton? Their tasting room is in Kenwood, right next to Glen Ellen. Just a hop, skip, and jump from Wellington.

Little Vineyards is also in Glen Ellen, and are known for musical names for their wines (Center Stage, Band Blend).


Any way you look at it, the old wallet looks to take a hit tonight ....

The way I read "a far cry from...." is that it has nothing to do with Glen Ellen. That's why it's a far cry from.... am I mistaken?