Let's drink to that!

A study published in 2003 in Annals of Oncology that states that “a single glass of wine every day for a year could trigger breast cancer and other tumours” has hit the headlines recently.

What bunkum. On reviewing the study, I found that what the article actually said was, “If you drink alcohol, moderate your consumption to two units a day if you are a man or one drink per day if a woman.” The 32-page article also points out that smoking and obesity are the primary causes of cancer, and recommends an increased intake of green vegetables.

There are any number of studies that have shown that regular but moderate consumption of wine actually improves one’s health, both physical and mental. One 10-year study by a team of Danish researchers, whose results made headlines in 1991 as ‘The French Paradox’ and was broadcast on the American TV show 60 Minutes, seemed to indicate that “French people suffer a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite having a diet relatively rich in saturated fats”. This was said to be principally owing to red wine, which has a higher quantum of anti-oxidants in the form of Resveratrol (which comes from the skin of wine grapes). Of course, the story was picked up and written about widely — and such is the power of the media that the next year the consumption of red wine in the US jumped 44 per cent!

 

Googling “wine and health” one learns that wine has been in use as a form of medication at least since ancient Egypt (2000 BC), as an antiseptic, to treat diarrhoea, “lethargy” (low blood pressure?) and even in childbirth. In India, Ayurvedic texts expound the beneficial properties of raisins from red grapes (“munacca”) — the result of centuries of empirical observation and trial.

And, of course, imbibing wine is not only beneficial to one’s health, it is also hugely enjoyable because of the mellowing effects of alcohol as also the immense range of aromas and tastes found in good wines. Wine is also great for social occasions of all kinds, and is terrific for an intimate dinner for two. When the 1960s poet Ogden Nash said, “Candy’s dandy, liquor’s quicker, pot is not”, he must have been talking about wine, because nothing promotes a romance faster than a bottle of good wine or Champagne. So let’s all continue to drink good wines in moderation, every day if possible, and keep the doctor away!

Wines I’ve been drinking:
Reveilo from Vintage Wines Nashik. This small, family-owned company started production in 2005 and is the only Indian wine to be on the Starwood “Wines of the World” (WOW) list, which includes such notaries as Villa Maria (New Zealand), Champagne Mumm, Grace Vineyard (China), Penfolds (Australia), Marchesi Frescobaldi (Italy) and Concha Y Toro (Chile), to name just a few.

The Reveilo Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2009 has a marked fruity and woody aroma, and an earthy, full-bodied soft taste that lingers, while the Reveilo Sangiovese 2010 has an aroma of classic black cherries and velvety soft tannins — nice!

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Alok Chandra is a Bangalore-based wine consultant