Verve’s monthly round up of what’s new, interesting, and happening… in a paragraph!
Walking the Plonk
The mysteries of Davy Jones’s locker have been long pondered, but you probably didn’t realise it now also serves as a high-end wine cellar! It all started in 2010 when a group of divers in Finland’s Åland archipelago discovered an 1852 shipwreck that housed 145 bottles of champagne 160ft below the surface. Philippe Jeandet, a professor of food biochemistry at the University of Reims, described the found wine as “incredible” and unlike anything he’d ever tasted. Three years later, a case of Château Gruaud-Larose from the 1872 wreck of the Marie-Thérèse was sold for US$17,600. Such discoveries have led to an innovative new industry known as ‘undersea ageing’ whereby winemakers deliberately submerge bottles in the ocean – and it’s worth around $12 billion per year. Though there’s still little hard science to back up the claims, it’s believed that the increase pressure, constant cool temperature, and lack of light or oxygen, combined with the gentle motion of the water, enhances the ageing process. Lucy Edwards, a champagne expert and founder of industry magazine Champagne Everyday, tells the Guardian that many people consider it a marketing gimmick, but “there is a difference, however slight”.
Having a Ball
A most compelling addition to contemporary architecture, Sphere in Las Vegas sits in the Venetian Resort at the east end of the city’s Strip. Designed by stadium specialist architects Populous, the enormous spherical building rises 157m above the city and surrounding desert, its exterior adorned with 1.2 million LEDs which display high-res animations and images, which have transformed it into the likes of a giant basketball, pumpkin, and eyeball. The largest building of its kind in the world, the interior is just as impressive, up to 20,000 spectators able to marvel at the arching 54,000-sqm LED screen – also the largest in the world – offering the ultimate, immersive cinematic experience (think of a planetarium on some serious steroids). It also serves as a live venue, with acts such as U2 who performed at the building’s unveiling last year, making the most of the venue’s 160,000-speaker surround-sound system. “If you’ve ever been planning a trip to Las Vegas, now is your time,” writes Elmo Keep for Escape. “Sphere is a benchmark in 21st century art and design, and to see live music within it is an experience that is flatout worth it.”
Signs of the Times
The most romantic of acts unfortunately does not have the most romantic of origins. Rings were given in antiquity as a sign of ownership, the Egyptians opting for reed and hemp bands, and the Romans the more durable ivory, flint, or metals such as copper and iron, and later, gold. It wasn’t until 850 CE that the rings were officially recognised as an intent to marry, by Pope Nicholas I, and it would be another 600 years before the first diamond is thought to have appeared on an engagement ring, given by Archduke Maximilian of Austria, to Mary of Burgundy. But, continuing the unromantic theme, the ‘traditional’ diamond ring trend wasn’t cemented until halfway through the 20th century when British mining company De Beers launched an advertising campaign under the cleverly catchy tagline “diamonds are forever”. More recent trends have seen diamonds fall out of favour to be replaced by more ethical – and less expensive – stones. Or, as Belinda Luscombe writes for Time: “I put it down to people coming to their senses. Diamond engagement rings are corny.”
Brain Drain
It was arguably the most famous brain of (at least) the 20th century and even after his death, Albert Einstein’s grey matter continued to awe. Having passed away in 1955, aged 76, of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, the physicist was cremated. His brain, however, was removed to “shed light on one of nature’s greatest mysteries – the secret of genius,” so wrote the New York Times. The brain was controversially taken – some say stolen! – by pathologist Thomas Stoltz Harvey, who then went silent until being tracked down by investigative reporter Steven Levy in 1978. The brain had been cut into 240 pieces and sent to various scientists to study, many of whom reported the brain to be fairly ‘average’ in makeup. More recent sophisticated evaluations have shown Einstein’s brain to be wider in the region responsible for spatial cognition and mathematical thought, and to possess an extra ridge on the mid-frontal lobe, which is responsible for memory and planning. Harvey never got all of Einstein’s brain back, and many pieces remain missing. It wasn’t just (part of) Einstein’s brain that Harvey lost, either – he lost his job, his marriage, and his career.
Byron Bay a Dreamin’
If you’re on the lookout for a last-minute summer-slash-Valentine escape – or planning for a future sunny sojourn – look no further than Byron Bay’s Sun Ranch, whose “unique design that riffs off everything from California in the ‘70s, spaghetti westerns, Spain, Mexico and the Bryon lifestyle”. Set on more than 23 hectares of lush Byron backcountry, the luxurious, nostalgic estate incorporates vibrantly coloured rooms around an azure pool complemented by six off-grid timber barns with views of green rolling hills, and a private suite that “looks like it’s been plucked straight from a stylised country music video”. After a salty margarita or ice-cold beer welcome, up to 32 guests can enjoy the Argentinian barbecue, wood-fired sauna, badminton court, e-bikes, and tailored experiences such as surfing, yoga, horse riding and meals crafted by a former MasterChef contestant, Pip Sumback. Co-founder Julia Ashwood says the aim is to make guests feel brave, inspired, and loved at their “hotel of good times”.
New New Year ‘Diets’
It turns out that sitting down for a good scarefest increases not just our heartrates, but our calorie-burning capabilities too. Research has shown that watching a horror flick can burn nearly 200 calories – the equivalent of a small chocolate bar. Of the films studied, The Shining, The Exorcist, and Jaws came out on top. Other fun and unusual ways to expend some extra kilojoules include the best medicine, laughter, which increases the metabolic rate by up to 20%; taking up the guitar, which burns 140 calories per hour, rising to 200 if you do it while standing up; and donating blood, which also comes with the added benefits of lowering inflammatory markers, increasing antioxidant activity, and reducing your risk of heart disease, while of course helping others. And if you can have sex for an hour, expect to shed 300 calories, each!
