Winer’s Digest

By The weekly winer 13 October 2007 02:37:00

Hello friends, please allow me to introduce myself! Anantara Resorts invited me to join this blog and I am very excited about this as I get to write and share my thoughts, and what better subject to talk about than wine, right?

Just a little background on myself - my previous occupation was as a representative for a major wine distributing company in the USA. I represented a handful restaurants and basically took care of all their needs in terms of wine and other beverages. Whether it was handling wine lists, wine orders, educating wait staff, or advising restaurant owners on new wine suggestions - it was my work and my passion! Though I may possess quite a bit of knowledge on the subject, let me just say, I'm no expert! I am here however, to share and express my thoughts and experiences with you, and also listen to all your thoughts and experiences as well. Think of this blog as a "Wine Support Group" if you will, and in the process we could all learn from each other. On the subject of wine, knowing every little thing is virtually impossible. We can only attempt to scratch the surface of it. In other words, we don't have to be experts on wine to enjoy it. We can however, focus more towards appreciating what we have to drink that brings us happiness.

I was having dinner with a few friends the other night, and as I began pouring glasses all around, one of my friends said "none for me thanks, I'm dieting and therefore giving up alcohol" The sudden urge to argue for the sake of wine lovers everywhere was just to strong and I spoke out in defense of wine and that it has been proven to be good for you in many ways! Of course, she thought I was mad, saying that it couldn't possibly be true and that it was too good to be true. Our two-way conversation began to spread across the table, raising the debate over whether wine does in fact, do us any good besides make us happy?

Our dinner table soon became a division of sides, some agreeing with me, some agreeing with the lady in question, and some who just wanted to eat in peace! As I recall though, the debate that night was never really resolved - ending in a hung jury!

But fear not my friends, for I've done my research and the next time I see my skeptical friends, I will have a whole new arsenal of evidence to win the jury's decision and wine justice will prevail. I've divided each health fact by the following categories:

Carbs

For all you carb counters, count on this...Government ruling states that in order to be classified as "low-carb", it must be lower than 7 grams in a 5oz serving. Champagnes and dry wines such as Chardonnay, Merlot, Zinfandel, and Sauvignon Blanc easily qualify for this. Believe it or not, but a 5 oz glass of each of these wines has only about 1.5 grams per serving. Other wines that have just a little bit more than 7 grams are government approved to be labeled "reduced carbohydrate" on their bottles.

Cardio

Many doctors recommend patients who have heart problems to drink about one to two glasses of red wine a day, saying that it helps prevent blood clots and heart attacks by about 30 to 50 percent among seniors.

Winer's digest

For those of us whose age is reaching that hill but remain young at heart...let's face it, as we get older our bodies do go through some changes. Digesting foods may become a pain, not to worry, I've got the just the prescription for you. Simply drinking a glass or two of wine with your meals will help to breakdown the foods in your stomach helping you to digest easier.

What was I going to say?

Oh that's right, wine is also known to help lower the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease as well.

So next time you find yourself in a sudden debate of whether or not wine is good for you, just remember these remedies that have been tried and true...and keep in mind that these are only a few examples of how wine is good for you, and there are probably a million more that we may or may not know about or haven't discovered yet. But one thing we wine lovers do know, and no doctor has to tell us, is that enjoying just a glass of wine with friends, a partner, or with a book, brings a certain warmth and happiness to our otherwise stressful and hectic work day...therefore making wine good for the soul...

Your friend, "the weekly winer"

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