Thursday, September 27 2007
I Can Has Wine?
Trust icanhascheezburger.com to up with the perfect picture expressing a love of wine. Couldn't you just scritch his little tummy and give him a glass of Beaujolais?
But there is a difference between a passion for wine and a dependence on it. I got to thinking about this after I read an article by Tom over at Fermentation Blog talking about an acquaintance of his who probably drank too much for his own good.Tom thoughtfully linked enjoying wine to Kierkegaard (the Danish philosopher considered to be the father of existentialism) and his aesthetic theory, where self-aware folks seek out aesthetic pleasure to make life more interesting. Now, I'm descended from Danes (among other things, see below) but I regard existentialist philosophy the same way I do punches in the teeth or income-tax audits. Sure, I know they're out there, but I'd rather they happened to somebody else--I'm not an angsty guy, and I never know when to stop spelling 'Heidegger'.
But how much wine consumption is 'good', and how much more than that is 'bad'?
The answer depends on what direction you ask from. First stop, the science of medicine: according to most researchers, up to three glasses a day, taken with food, as part of a healthy lifestyle seems to be of benefit. According to a 2001 article in Wine Spectator,
Another explanation for the superior protection enjoyed by wine drinkers, according to scientists, is linked to the special properties of red wine. Red wine contains antioxidant components known as polyphenols; they include flavonoids, anthocyanins and certain tannins. Research suggests that antioxidants may have anticarcinogenic properties, and may help prevent a number of diseases.
. . . in one study, men who drank wine three to four days a week were 30 percent less likely to get heart disease than were those men who drank wine one day per week or less.
In addition to this antioxidant protection it may well be that resveratrol is the magic bullet against ageing. Found in red wine, the potent anti-oxidant has been shown to extend the lifespan of obese mice by 15%, compared to non-resveratrol dosed mice (it doesn't say whether they drank red wine with meals or not). There's further excitement over saponins, the stuff that makes soap 'soapy'. Apparently the right kind, in the right amount seem to lower cholesterol, prevent cancer and stimulate the immune system, and they're found in both red and white wine. Of course, saponins are poisonous (they're used as emetics, no less) in the wrong amounts, so don't be reaching for that bar of soap as a health measure.
Next stop, folks who think any alcohol is bad. There's a strong movement in North America that considers any amount of alcohol consumption to be negative, and looks for legal and social remedies against the use of alcohol in society. Some of the groups have the best of intentions, but others seem to seek to change human nature to conform to their own beliefs. While I'm all for keeping impaired people from endangering others, I'm pretty confident I don't have the right to dictate other peoples private lives. And yet, there's a lot of money and organisation behind these folks. Prohibition has been tried, and it didn't work--at least not for society as a whole, although it did create a lot of very energetic conflict and profit for a subclass of criminal entrepreneurs. Still, some folk think it's worth trying again.
Somewhere in between rah-rah and boo-hiss there's got to be a happy medium that invokes facts and good science. Winepros has a great article on Wine and Health, and there is some balanced educational material out there. Professor David J Hanson of SUNY Potsdam has an excellent site on alcohol education. I think it's best to look for hard data, rather than opinions about something this important.
Last stop, how about the family? Whether you come from the Cleavers or the Bundys, we're all raised with certain ideas about alcohol consumption, whether it's teetotalism or celebration. My own background is pretty funny for a guy who helps educate and promote consumer winemaking. My maternal ancestors were Russian Mennonites. If you're not familiar with that group, think 'Amish', but not so warm and open to new ideas (I'm kidding mom!) They pretty much feel that drinking is sinful, and only done by bad men in the pool hall, where they lose the grocery money consorting with ruffians--I admit I'm a little fuzzy on the finer points of the moral code of my antecedents. To grow up in that milieu, while simultaneously seeing people using alcohol left me confused. I only really came to incorporate alcohol into my life when I met my wife, who had grown up with wine at meals, and was kind enough to patiently educate me on the aesthetic pleasure of food and wine (Kierkegaard again, how about that).
I'm not sure my background give me the moral authority to preach any absolute answers for what's an appropriate level of wine consumption. I do think that moderate and regular consumption of wine, combined with good diet of fresh, well-prepared foods, an active lifestyle and a supporting and nurturing family and social life can't hurt/ In fact, it sounds pretty good to me.
But stay away from Danish philosophers. They could drive you to drink.
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