Frontline Wine: A glass a day?

Unhappy people abuse anti-depressants prescribed by dismissive doctors at the behest of large pharmaceutical companies and pills are a recommended first choice fix by busy people for every ailment. These days’ people consider themselves lucky if they find a GP who writes prescriptions with the same care free abandon as Michael Jackson’s ‘milk’- administering doctor. Just like cheap (basement price) wine drinkers, a quick fix buzz in exchange for a few dollars is what keeps most people smiling broadly as their fake little worlds collapse around them. Self medication is the way forward these days for many…but there is another more enjoyable way of self medicating your GP won’t tell you about

The mental health benefits of a glass of good wine a day have long been known to all of us (I’m not talking about sugared-up, nine buck shuck crap from Marlborough here by the way…in fact, you’re probably more likely to go out and top yourself after tasting Jim Delegat’s Sauvignon Blanc). You don’t even need to read the many scientific studies that all point to this conclusion. You can feel it yourself. Curled up in an armchair, cheese cracker in hand and the fire blazing; a large glass of fine, sip-savouring, wine-making mastery provides you with a memorable moment of pleasure. Make this is a daily occurrence in your life and you’ll find your anticipation heightened and a growing appreciation of the selfish enjoyment it brings. The experience broadens and the happiness spreads wider across your day from that one stolen moment of peace. It’s sometimes the thought of it that counts.

Yet most people don’t indulge themselves with this most recommended of pastimes. The worry that a glass a day will soon turn you into an alcoholic hangs like the sword of Damocles over every guilty sip you take.

You shouldn’t worry (unless you are drinking for the wrong reasons and then you’re going to be drinking it for the wrong reasons anyway). It is the taking of enjoyment from the experience. The sensuousness, the flavours, the clarity from the calm of your mind. Then there is the warm glow afterwards, of which alcohol is only a small contributing factor amongst the genuine happiness taken from the experience as a whole. Dealing with the daily problems that pop up is easier knowing that the little island of calm you’ve put away for yourself is on the horizon.

Getting pissed to escape normal life or taking a pill to dull the senses so that the kid’s screams are bearable is missing the point. The old quote “alcohol is a food, a medicine and a poison depending on what quantity you drink it in” has never been more relevant. Get the dosage right and there’s nothing the doctor can give you that’ll cheer you up as much.

Then, there are the physical benefits of wine drunk in moderation. The Madiran region of France has the highest concentration of ‘over ninety year olds’ in the whole of France despite having a diet full of saturated fat from the consumption foie gras and a plethora of cheese. A study and subsequent book called the Red Wine Diet by Professor Roger Corder (William Harvey Research Institute, London) credits the local wine, a robust, inky red made predominantly from the tannat grape, as the reason for the local people’s longevity. The reason is the wines contain the highest levels of procynanidins of all wine. These procyanidins suppress production of a protein endothelin-1 that constricts blood vessels. Studies provide data supporting the French Paradox which hypothesizes that intake of procyanidins and other flavonoids from regular consumption of red wines prevents occurrence of a higher disease rate (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes) in French citizens on high-fat diets.

Not only can wine sort your head out, it can also potentially sort out your heart as well. Wouldn’t it be great if you knew that the glass you’re holding in your hand as you chill out was your own personal little medikit? ‘That fifteen minutes to yourself in front of the fire with that guilt-free bit of cheese was actually benefitting your mental and physical health? Draw your own conclusions, but having talked to many, many people who enjoy wine in this way, they all say the same thing. There is no better therapy than the regular consumption of a good glass of wine.

Try:

Berthoumieu Le Cadet Madiran 2007

A training wheels Madiran for everyday drinking and still a huge, powerful, rustic French red with incredible depth. Unbelievably…this wine and duck combine like…well, crude oil and…Florida duck. Inseparable….

$28.00

Berthoumieu Haute Tradition Madiran 2007

With the fine, flavoursome tannins of great Burgundy, the classic elegance of Bordeaux and the large steely gonads of a young Cahors...the Haute Trad. combines many French regional qualities to create a whopping great must-try wine

$38.00

Laffont LabrancheVieilles Vignes 2007

One of the heaviest red wines you're likely to try...and still, you can enjoy it young. It has the viscosity of chewing tobacco, the power of a roundhouse kick in the face and it'll leave you with a blackened smile like you've just been dug out of an Irish bog. An incredible drinking experience.

$60

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