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The TV show went viral, with newspapers and magazines and talk-shows across the US picking up the findings. Such is the impact of the media there that the following year, the sale of red wine in the US jumped 40 per cent!
There’s no doubt that moderate consumption of wine — particularly red wine — keeps you healthy and happy. Apart from alcohol (11 per cent to 15 per cent) and sugar (dry wines: 4-5 gm/litre), wine contains traces of naturally generated chemicals: resveratrol, catechins and quercetins (phenols and polyphenols), the anti-oxidant and ancillary health benefits of which are fairly well-documented — though not uncontested.
Moderate consumption is considered to be one to two glasses (125 ml per glass) a day — and no, you cannot accumulate that allowance and drink it all on the weekend! Although in India we have a “piye-khaye-khiske (drink-eat-leave)” culture, where most of the drinking is done before the meal, drinking wine with food is both civilised and healthy, although we’re still trying to work out the “right” wine pairings for Indian cuisines — the latter because our Indian palates have a higher tolerance for chillies and spice.
So, moderate and regular consumption of wine is considered good for the heart/cardiovascular system, for diabetes, cataract and even for certain types of cancers. And there’s no denying that wine is “spiritually uplifting” in ways the gurus never figured. On a serious note, many traditional ayurvedic preparations recommend the use of raisins (kishmish and munakka) — there’s even an alcoholic preparation made from raisins and herbs (draksharishtam) that is supposed to cure respiratory problems.
The health benefits of wine is a key reason why so many people in their 50s switch to the drink. Besides, it’s tasty and upmarket. Of course, I’m talking about wine from wine grapes, not the stuff that’s sweet and made from the Bangalore Blue table grape and sells for Rs 100-150 per bottle. The latter is often “ad-mix wine”, with added colour, flavour, sugar and alcohol and would never pass muster internationally.
So, what are you waiting for? If you’re not already a wine drinker, you should definitely start as soon as possible — and, as I say, be happier and healthier.
Wines I’ve been drinking: Wines for regular drinking should not cost more that Rs 400 per bottle — and the Sante Shiraz from Grover fits the bill perfectly. At Rs 440 per bottle and alcohol content of 14 per cent, it does not burn a hole in your pocket, while its fruity and slightly spicy aroma is complemented by firm tannins and a decent finish. The cheeky and cheerful label (designed by Mario Miranda) says it all.
Alok Chandra is a Bengaluru-based wine consultant
