Wine and Health

1991 was a banner year in the wine industry. Certainly not because of the vintage in Bordeaux, which was plagued by record Spring frosts and the never ending rain. Burgundy fared better, at least those vineyards spared by the devastating hail. No, it was not a the vintage in France that had wine merchants dancing in the streets, it was the health of the French people themselves. 1991 was the year that 60 Minutes ran the segment that would make "French Paradox" a household phrase.

The French are famous for the food they eat, and the wine they drink, and yet they have less than half the deaths from heart disease that we do in the US. The French diet is rich, full of fat, and completely contrary to what nutritionists are always trying to get us to eat (fad diets notwithstanding). It was the wine that had researchers scrambling. What was the magic ingredient in wine, especially red wine, that counteracted the French national diet? Words like Resveratrol and Quecetin were given credit for their antioxidant properties, but as the years passed and more researchers found that red wine is not the only alcoholic beverage that may have health benefits, it was recognized that Ethenol alcohol itself was the major medically active component of wine. Red wine may still have benefits over other forms of alcohol, but moderate drinking turns out not to be the evil some would have us believe.

I am about to cite statistics, and results of studies. Most of of this comes from "In Vino Sanitas?" by Harvey E. Finkel, M.D. a guide published by the Society of Wine Educators. Dr. Finkel has done an excellent job of listing his references.

• Those who drink wine moderately live longer than those who do not drink at all, and much longer than those that drink heavily.



• Moderate is defined as one or two glasses of wine per day (women are more susceptible to liver damage and so should drink less than men).



• Red wine in particular can reduce cardiac risk.



• Alcohol, in moderation seems to increase the liver's production of HDLs (good cholesterol) and red wine might work better than other alcoholic beverages.



• Antioxidants is the current buzz word used when talking about protecting the heart. Red wine, and to a lesser extend alcohol in general, seem to act as beneficial antioxidants.



• Wine may help to reduce blood clots, one of the components of a heart attack.



• Relaxed blood vessels is another benefit attributed to red wine and alcohol.



• The stress relieving aspects of wine should not be overlooked.

Notice that much of my wording is tentative. Such is the process of science, that one must remain skeptical until there can be no doubt. There is a great body of evidence that maintains that moderate drinking, especially of red wine, can be beneficial to your health. Most new research continues to reinforce this view, but the occasional study leans the other way. There is also the undeniable fact that excessive drinking is awful for your health.

Above all, the trick is moderate drinking. If you don't drink at all, you probably don't want to start, just to enjoy the health benefits, but that is between you and your physician. Which brings me to the disclaimer that I am not a physician, and I am not giving anything resembling medical advice.

The next big wine movie: Mondovino

OK, I am not the first to talk about this film, but I am getting my 2 cents in before the buzz starts. Mondovino is the new documentary film from the award winning director Jonathan Nossiter, who also brought us the acclaimed films Sunday and Resident Alien. It seems that Mr. Nossiter is not only a film maker, but an accomplished sommelier and wine writer.

In Mondovino we are offered a glimpse of the International Wine Community through the eyes of such notables as Michel Rolland of France, the Antinori family of Italy and the Mondavi family of California. The film centers around the changing face of winemaking around the world. The traditionalists vs. the new generation of technically savvy winemakers. Mondovino takes a balanced approach to portraying the various sides of what is quickly becoming a war of ideology that may change the way we look at wine forever.

Modern winemaking has only been around slightly more than 100 years. I am using the discovery of the mechanism of fermentation by Pasteur as the pivotal date. Since then, a great deal of technology has gone into making wine a more consistent process, and one where bacterial spoilage and other faults have become rare. In the last decade or so technology has narrowed the quality gap for wines, and we have seen the spread of technology to wine regions around the world. Technology has the potential of eradicating the variations caused by vintages and even climatic variables. Technology can bring a consistency to wine that was only dreamt of a generation ago.

But is this a desired outcome? Do we want wines from all over the world to taste more or less the same? Do we want to see the end of vintage variation, at the cost of possible mediocre uniformity?

It is these questions that Mondovino helps us to explore, by exposing us to the passionate opinions of those who have the most at stake, the winemakers themselves.

Modovino is ramping up for release, and should be coming to a theatre near you soon. For a schedule and more information about the movie, visit their web site at mondovinofilm.com.

So... What is wrong with Merlot anyway?

Merlot has been one of the most popular choices for the wine consumer for decades. It is generally well priced, easy to enjoy, and it is on every wine list. It isn't so tannic that it needs years to age, and it often has a pleasant buttery flavor (diacetyl from the malo-lactic fermentation). All told, Merlot has always been safe.

Ask any thrill seeker, safe is boring. Business likes safe bets, so wineries have been pumping out Merlot as fast as they can, and since there is little expectation other than that safe quality, much of the Merlot that is released is indeed boring.

The movie Sideways is changing all that. Eschewing Merlot for the more untamed, but potentially more rewarding Pinot Noir, the wine loving main character has already made an impact on US wine sales. I have already written of the rewards and pitfalls of Pinot Noir in my last posting, so let me just summarize by saying that saying it can be a worthwhile challenge.

Merlot is more often than not blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, even if the bottle says Merlot (and vice versa). In the US a wine only has to contain 75% of the grape named on the label, so this allows the wine makers the latitude to make these blends. When crafted with care, Merlot can be a wonderfully complex wine that rewards moderate aging. It can also be one of the most expensive wines in the world, as is the case with Chateau Petrus and other Pomerols from the Bordeaux region of France.

So Merlot is not always boring. Although, that does allow that Merlot can be boring. If you are looking for a nice safe red wine, Merlot remains a good choice. If you are looking for adventure and new flavors, skip the Merlot and try a Pinot, or a Zinfandel, or a Syrah, or a Petite Sirah or a ...

The fun of wine is in its infinite variety.