When drinking wine can actually be good for you
At a recent event, a gentleman humbly recounted a story to me. He had been boasting of his impressive collection of Chateauneuf du Pape to a wine merchant, but upon revealing the vintages, he was dismayed to be told that all these prized bottles would now be past their best and he should have drunk them some time before.
His wife shot him daggers over the waste of wine and money and he determined never to wait to open a “special” bottle again. Now, each weekend, they pull a bottle at random from their cellar and enjoy it together. A lesson learned.
Today is Global Drink Wine Day and this is the message I would like to convey to you: I would rather enjoy a beautiful bottle today than risk its ruination by time, especially as most wine released to market is made to drunk immediately or in the next year or so.
Global Drink Wine Day is a time to celebrate wine’s history, its importance in religions, traditions, culture and relationships and its health benefits. Yes, its health benefits.
Read more: Best wine gifts: From top bottles to wine gadgets
Particularly during this time when there are so many misleading click-bait headlines about alcohol’s negative impacts, it is important to retain a more considered and accurate view. Certainly, alcohol is a form of toxin and in excess can be damaging. People also have different bodies and tolerances, just as with gluten and dairy. You must always bear your own health and wellbeing in mind; that’s why I gave ‘Try January’ a go this year.
However, human beings and primates have evolved over centuries to drink and metabolize alcohol. According to the National Institute of Health, humans began to adapt to dietary ethanol at least 10 million years ago and archaeological evidence shows we have been enjoying boozy concoctions for at least nine million years. Our bodies are literally made for it.
Vintner and medical doctor Dr Laura Catena has spent years researching alcohol’s impact, particularly the cardiovascular benefits that have been proven with moderate drinking of wine.
The definition of “moderate” drinking may vary but if we take a leaf from the Blue Zones, those areas of the world where people live longer, healthier lives, then it would be a small glass of wine once or twice a day.
Some studies found this level of consumption to increase good cholesterol, reduce blood clot formation (therefore reducing risk of heart attack and stroke) and lower the risk of diabetes. Throughout history, wine has also been used to improve mental health, as a social lubricant and a relaxant.
Binge drinking is another matter. A bottle of 13% abv wine is three large glasses, but it is also approximately 10 units. High doses of booze are linked to several types of cancer, dementia and of course, a greater risk of injury through accidents. It is about knowing and understanding the body’s limits and making your own informed choices.
Dr Catena, in her article ‘What the headlines get wrong about alcohol and health’ for SevenFifty.com gives a good example of this.
“For a woman aged 60, whose chances of dying from cardiovascular causes are approximately 10 times those of dying from breast cancer, the balance of health effects leads most doctors not to recommend complete abstention”.
I would urge anyone interested in their health and well-being when it comes to wine to check out Dr Catena’s site, indefenseofwine.com, with her measured responses and proper source citing.
Wine has had a fundamental impact on the human species. It has inspired poetry, love, friendship and has made many a meal a thousand times better.
So tonight, pop into your local wine shop and pick up something new, look up some wine pairing ideas and select something to go with dinner, or give yourself permission to open that bottle that has been gathering dust waiting for the “right” moment.
It is Global Drink Wine Day. That moment is now.
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