Wine Dimensions January 2006 |
Dear Friends of Monolithos, |
| This month"s topic will elaborate on the impact of wine on our health, based on evidence in support of the benefits of moderate drinking. |
| Throughout the millennia, claims have been made concerning the general health-giving benefits of wine. This is a subject of considerable ongoing debate and study. |
| In this short bulletin, we gather what we deem to be useful information from a number of credible sources. However, it should not be considered as offering medical advice. The information presented is general in nature, and if you suspect you have a health problem, you should consult a qualified medical practitioner. |
| Tracing back the connection between wine and therapeutic health effects goes back 5,000 years or so. Ancient cultures recognised wine"s virtues as a medicine and an antiseptic. A medical prescription based on wine has been found on an Egyptian papyrus. From Homer"s time until recently, wine was used to disinfect wounds. Hippocrates prescribed it as a diuretic and to calm fever. Ancient physicians, such as the Greek "Galen", used wine as one of the main ingredients in "galenicals", one of the earliest families of medicinal preparations composed mainly of plant-based drugs. The Bible often makes reference to the value of wine for health and enjoyment. |
| Plato may have been wiser than he knew when he said, "Nothing more excellent or valuable than wine was ever granted by the Gods to man". Those of us who have come to enjoy the variety and tastes that wine have to offer can now look to red wines for greater health benefits. Research indicates that moderate red wine consumption may help protect against certain cancers and heart disease, and can have a positive effect on cholesterol levels and blood pressure. |
| A French doctor wrote the earliest known printed book about wine around 1410 A.D. During the Middle Ages, wine was served at banquets, mixed with spices and honey to temper its youthful harshness, but also blended with herbs, spices and animal secretions to create medicines. Most of the pathogens that threaten humans are inhibited or killed off by the acids and alcohols in wine. In 1786, the English Dr. Herbeden noted that wine relieved pains of patients suffering from angina pectoris. |
| In 1970, researches were initiated by Dr. Arthur Klatsky, a cardiologist at the Kaiser Permanente hospital centre in Oakland, California. He initiated a study on over 100,000 people. The first results were published in 1974, and indicate the fact that the risk of death from coronary diseases (notably myocardium infarct) is lower for moderate consumers (1 to 3 glasses of wine a day): 6.2 to 1,000 against 8.2 to 1,000 for people who do not drink wine, and 11 to 1,000 for those drinking more than six glasses of wine a day. |
| More recently, wine"s benefits were acknowledged when the American television news magazine "60 Minutes" reported in November 1991 the phenomenon that has come to be known as the French Paradox. More precisely, the report focuses on the fact that in spite of a Southern France diet of rich foods and less exercise, the rate of heart disease for French people is only 40 percent of that of Americans. Also, according to a study by Dr. Saint-Leger, published in the famous English medical publication "The Lancet" in 1979, France and Italy, the largest wine consumers (62 litres of wine a year per inhabitant) registers the number of deaths due to myocardium infarct 2 to 5 times inferior to deaths registered in Scotland, Ireland and the United States. |
| A study published in January 2003 in the American Journal of Gastroenterology showed that moderate, regular drinkers of wine or beer decreases the risk of peptic ulcers and may help to rid the body of the bacteria suspected of causing them. A Harvard study of factors that influence ageing, as reported in the May 8 2003 issue of the journal Nature, has shown that resveratrol (a natural compound found in grapes and especially red wine) may protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease by acting as an antioxidant, antimutagen, and anti-inflammatory and extends the life span of yeast cells by 80%. Another recent study, published in the 2004 year-end edition of the American Journal of Physiology, indicates that resveratrol also inhibits formation of a protein that produces a condition called cardio fibrosis, which reduces the heart"s pumping efficiency when it is needed most, at times of stress. |
| More evidence suggests that wine dilates the small blood vessels and helps to prevent angina and blood clotting. The alcohol in wine additionally helps balance cholesterol towards the good subtype. Wine might even preserve cognitive function in the elderly. Several European studies have shown the prophylactic effects of regular light to moderate alcohol consumption may include the prevention or postponement of Alzheimer"s, Parkinson"s and other forms of dementia. Wine also has a tranquil effect on the body and helps people who have trouble sleeping. |
| On the other hand, wine is not a cure-all and not everyone should drink wine. There are also circumstances when no one should drink any alcohol. When combined with certain prescription drugs, for example, alcohol in any form can produce an adverse reaction. Wine should not be given to people with inflammations of the digestive tract, peptic ulcers, liver disease, pancreatitis, kidney or urinary infections, prostate disorders, epilepsy, or alcoholism. Headaches, affecting some people during or after consuming wine, may result from individual reactions to one or more of wine"s natural compounds. Red wine is suspected by some sufferers to trigger migraine headaches. |
| Drinking too much ethanol at one time will cause headaches, nausea, and other symptoms for anyone, regardless of individual tolerance to other compounds in wine. The only way to prevent a hangover is to avoid consuming too much alcohol. Drinking too much or too fast leads to loss of control and judgement. A couple of glasses of wine may help relaxation and lower blood pressure, but five or more raises blood pressure to a level of concern. Each individual must look at the benefits versus the risks of drinking. Consider factors like health status, age, sex and weight. And if you"re a woman, be particularly vigilant to not drink while pregnant. Where the health benefits outweigh the risks, moderation is the key. One or two glasses per day for women, and up to four glasses for men may result in a thirty to fifty percent decrease in the risk of a heart attack. An overall assessment of the existing evidence suggests the following: |
| ... Those who drink wine moderately live longer than those who do not drink at all, and much longer than those who drink heavily. |
| ... Moderate is defined as two to four 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 appears to work better than other alcoholic beverages. |
| ... "Antioxidants" is the current buzz word used when talking about protecting the heart. Red wine seems to act as beneficial antioxidant. |
| ... 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. |
| Without doubt, the relationship between the use of wine and human health is complex. Scientific debate continues on what advantage is gained from alcohol itself versus other elements in beverages containing alcohol. When you put everything together, you may decide that a little wine does do you some good. Wine certainly has its place in a healthy lifestyle. |
| Finally, Eis Igian! Cin cin! Salute! Nazdrowie! Skoal! Cheers! Salud! A votre sante! Zum Wohl! To your health! |
Remember don"t drink and drive - that can be the unhealthiest combination of all. |
Wine News and Information |
| The Consumer View 2004-05, a new report from UK-based "Wine Intelligence", finds that UK consumers" views on closures have shifted over the past year. Although cork is still the preferred choice of a very clear majority, screw caps are becoming more accepted. According to the Wine Intelligence report, "UK consumers still prefer natural cork over other stoppers. Synthetics are rated second, and screw caps are third. While opinions of traditional cork remain stable, perceptions of alternative closures - particularly screw caps - have improved dramatically over the past 12 months. Consumers now view screw caps as the best closure for wines that retail under £5. For wines retailing above £5, drinkers are almost equally split between those who prefer traditional cork and those who feel that the closure type does not matter. Men are generally more positive towards natural cork and more negative towards screw caps than are women." |
| Within its broad findings, the report has a number of surprising results. Curiously, consumers over 45 are more receptive to screw caps and "consumers who buy most of their wine through the Internet appear to be the most negative towards screw caps and the most positive about traditional cork." People who drink only red wine have shifted their attitudes towards screw caps from largely negative to neutral over the past year. Simultaneously, those who drink only white wine have shifted their attitudes towards screw caps from largely positive to neutral. |
| All 750ml bottles should be filled with exactly the same amount of wine at 20°C (68°F). That sounds easy enough, but bottle sizes vary, ambient and liquid temperatures are rarely ideal, corks come in different sizes, and pressure can rise in the neck of the bottle. All these variables can potentially cause leakage over time when the chilled wine warms and expands, increasing pressure against the cork. |
| Good bottling requires reconciling a trio of elements: the wine temperature, the correct pressure between the cork and the wine, and the necessary head space. Bottles vary and there are many variations on themes. Bottle fill heights at 68°F can vary as much as seven or eight millimetres among various bottle styles. Bottling below 68°F requires competent control of the other factors to avoid problems later on as the wine warms. For temperature, as a rule of thumb, wine will increase in volume by .166 ml per 1°F increase in temperature in the neck of most 750ml bottles. |
| Pressure is a big issue. The smaller the ullage (the amount that a wine bottle lacks of being full), the greater the potential pressure change will be as wine temperature rises. Cork length is also important. The volume of the ullage is reduced in 49mm corks, which simply provides another factor that must be taken into consideration. Natural corks rarely push under pressure. They leak instead. Synthetic corks under pressure will normally push up instead of leaking. |
| Bottling can be complicated. Wine temperature, bottle size, cork size and pressure calculations must be made on a regular basis while bottling. And a change in closure type changes everything. |
Monolithos Monthly News |
| This is the time of year when all tools, machinery and equipment are checked over and major preventive maintenance and repair work is completed. Inside the cellar there are bottles to be labelled. In addition, the pruning of grapevines begins in earnest in midwinter. It is important to give each vine individual attention to ensure it is pruned to reap the optimum crop level. In the winery, the new wines are tasted to determine their best path to stabilization and bottling in the coming months. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, together with the 2005 Mavro and Xynisteri, are prepared for bottling. Tasting and testing and making final decisions about all of the blending options is an important part of the planning process. |
| We thank you for your continued support and wish you a joyous New Year. Take care, and always remember: |
"A glass of wine each day could be more effective at preventing heart attacks than lowering your cholesterol." |
| Regards from all of us here at Monolithos. |
