VIP Wine Club

Check out some of the most recent studies that boast the health benefits of wine:

Overall Health Benefits:

• Anti-aging effects in red grape skins (Harvard Medical School in Boston, 2004)

Lung Health Benefits:

• Improved lung function from antioxidants in white wine (American Thoracic Society, 2002)

Heart Health Benefits:

• Coronary heart disease reduced (University of California, Davis, 1995)• Healthier blood vessels in elderly (University of Ferrara in Italy, 2004)

Ulcer Prevention:

• Ulcer-causing bacteria reduced (American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2003)

Cancer Prevention:

• Cancer cells killed by protein in red grape skins (University of Virginia Health System, 2004)

Stroke Prevention:

• Arteries kept clean by polyphenols in red grape skins (William Harvey Research Institute, 2002)

Women’s Health Benefits:

• Decreased ovarian cancer risk (The Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Australia, 2004)• Stronger bones (Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, 2004)

• Lower risk of stroke (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2001)  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Men’s Health Benefits:

• Lower risk of heart attack for men with high blood pressure (Worcester Medical Center in Massachusetts, 2004)

So “What’s the catch?” you ask. Well, the catch is simple moderation. Most of these studies promote drinking in moderation in order to achieve the blissful health benefits of wine drinking.

And what’s moderation? Well, moderation is defined as a glass or two each day, and no, you can’t save them up all week and drink all of them on the weekend.

In fact, too much wine per day or per week can lead to negative health effects in many cases and rather than prevent disease, you’ll actually up your odds of acquiring such diseases.

Isn’t it great when you discover that something you enjoy could actually lead to better health? I guess this must be how vegetable lovers feel about eating.

In any case, now you can sip your favorite glass of wine with ease and even fervor tonight. After all, the health benefits of wine speak for themselves.

Vanessa Dougnac
September 3, 2008
I come from a family in France, known for growing grapes and making wine for many generations, in the heart of Bordeaux. For the last 10 years, I have lived in Delhi, married to an Indian. But my love for wine has stayed with me.I remember when I was a child, my grandmother would insist on getting me to sip a bit of wine to develop my palate. At home we would eat mostly muted cheese—although France has such a rich variety— so as not to kill the taste of the wine.Or the insistence on so many little things that go with wine: white tablecloths, drinking it out of crystal carafés rather than the bottles and the importance of the right decanter.When I first arrived in Delhi, it was impossible to get wine. The city’s wine lovers would constantly ask each other, “Where do you get your wine from?”. Those heading overseas would invariably be piled with requests to bring a few bottles back.That was then. Now, you get wines from all over the world in Delhi—France, Spain, Australia, New Zeland or Chile. In fact, I drink a lot more international wine in India than in France. Wine has become quite the ‘in-thing’ in Delhi.People drink wine, talk wine and even carry wine to parties even if they don’t really know enough about it, offering the safe comment, “very nice, isn’t it?” after a few sips. I find women more sensitive to the beauty of wine here. I prefer to drink wine as an aperitif in India. It doesn’t go well with Indian food, I feel. I wouldn’t call Grover red wine ‘great’, but I do drink it with pleasure. White wine is not really up to par. But wine generally is way too expensive in India, for its quality. There are also other issues with wine in India: glasses are way too large and instead of cork we use a lot of plastic or metal caps. That compromises on the quality. Also, the wine sold as foreign wine is usually of very young vintage. Wine is sold in India according to one grape variety (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, etc). But that’s not the way the French define wine. Grape is just one of the parameters. They sell wine by the château and by millésime— the year of manufacture. Château, because even grapes from one region can vary. And millésime, because a good or bad agricultural year determines the wine quality. Also, the ‘vin de table’ sold sometimes in upscale restaurants as ‘luxury wine’ from France is often the low quality, mixed wine from ‘cooperatives’. Please beware the next time you are served one! Good wine, I feel, needs to be savoured slowly and appreciated, not guzzled down like fizzy pop. I prefer to know what I’m drinking and where it’s from. A fine vintage is always worth paying for. For me, enjoying wine is a way of life. Vanessa Dougnac, Correspondent with Le Point, La Croix, Le Soir and Le Temps

Some Wine History

MIDDLE EASTERN ORIGINS
An ancient Persian fable credits a lady of the court with the discovery of wine. This Princess, having lost favor with the King, attempted to poison herself by eating some table grapes that had “spoiled” in a jar. She became intoxicated and giddy and fell asleep. When she awoke, she found the stresses that had made her life intolerable had dispersed. Returning to the source of her relief, her subsequent conduct changed so remarkably that she regained the King’s favor. He shared his daughter’s discovery with his court and decreed an increase in the production of “spoiled” grapes…

Hmmmmm, so does this mean that a woman discovered WINE?????????????