Since I’m on the topic of grapes this week, I went out and got a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and Concord grape juice too.
I may not be able to finish the wine since I’m not a big fan of it. Yet I do love vineyards!
So I will probably use the wine to make Sangria and also the rest to make “Wine soap”. I also found two soap companies that inspired me to make wine soap. They are the Napa Soap Company and the Grapeseed Company from Santa Barbara. And both of these places mention there may be some botanical benefits to adding wine to soap.
Pretty bar of soap from Napa Soap. 6 oz for $7.95 each. “Cabernet Soapignon”
Here is a list of their ingredients:
“intoxicating blend of grapeseed, olive, coconut, palm & sweet almond oils, cocoa butter and a healthy dose of Napa Valley red wine. The delightful combination of ingredients and the fruity scent, makes this a Napa Valley favorite!”
This “Wine Bar” looks closer to handcrafted soap. Photo from The Grapeseed Company. Organic soap, retails for $6.95 each. I like the swirls and also nice packaging, but wooden soap dish not included.
“Crisp, fresh citrus notes mingle with refreshing cucumber and honeydew. Organic white tea, milk, wine and plant extracts deliver vitamins and nutrients to your skin with a delicious lingering scent.”
Back to the Concord grape juice, I had stopped drinking fruit juices completely once I learned how much sugar was in it. So to solve that problem I just add 80% cold water and 20% juice. That is still better than the other drinks which is 10% juice and the rest mostly sugar water.
As for the Concord grape juice, it’s very good. Has a nice light taste to it that’s perfect for summer. I like to add a bit of the juice to my tea too.
Some of the benefits of concord grape juice that I’ve gather from the Mayo Clinic include:
* Reducing the risk of blood clots
* Reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol
* Preventing damage to blood vessels in your heart
* Helping maintain a healthy blood pressure
“Both red wine and grape juice also contain antioxidants called flavonoids, which have been shown to increase your high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good”) cholesterol and lower your risk of clogged arteries (atherosclerosis), and may help lower blood pressure.
These findings on grape juice are good news for people who want the cardiovascular benefits of red wine without the alcohol.” - Mayo Clinic.
10:31 pm on August 27th, 2009
The more I read about your soap making, the more it sounds like cooking with different ingredients. The wine has alcohol, I wonder if it’d evaporate after you cook it.
I like to add wine to my cooking, especially if I’m cooking meat, pork or chicken.
11:10 pm on August 28th, 2009
Yes, I think it’s a bit like cooking but with more caution around the raw soap.
I hope the alcohol content doesn’t ruin the batch, so this may be a very small experiment for me.
I need to try wine in my cooking too, that sounds great. My mom is very fond of adding vinegar to marinate her meats. I just like to add lemon juice.
1:09 am on December 5th, 2009
[...] to make another goat milk soap, but this time adding wine. I was inspired by the wine soaps of Napa [...]