I confess to having a weakness for red wine. At UK prices the temptation was never quite as strong, but for me this has been one of the real benefits of moving to Spain in general and Gran Canaria in particular. A plentiful supply of good wine - almost on tap - most of which are remarkably drinkable and exceptionally good value just warms the cockles of my heart!

I well recall two pieces of very useful advice that one of our neighbours gave us upon our arrival in the Costa Blanca. The first was, “Never to believe what anyone tells you – find out for yourself.” That was a good piece of advice, as how often have you been given conflicting advice about what to do in your new country? Listen to advice, ask lots of questions and find out more for yourself.

The second piece of advice was the most useful, “Never pay more than one euro for a bottle of wine!” I didn’t believe it, but yes, it is quite possible to buy a perfectly drinkable bottle of plonk for around that figure, and quite a decent bottle for under three euros. It was only after spotting three bottles of wine in our bin after only one day in our new home in The Costa Blanca that I realised that a brake would have to be put on our alcohol consumption! “All things in moderation,” I hear my mother’s reprimanding voice! Well, we all tend to over indulge from time to time, don’t we?

Most people appreciate wine for its delicious and complex taste. There are countless different types of wine, each pairing mouth wateringly well with certain combinations of food. Personally, I like most of the Spanish Riojas, but tend to prefer Navarra and La Mancha wines that are less popular and cheaper. This immense variety means, if you had enough money, you could live a lifetime without drinking the same wine twice. All very well, but how does this affect your health?

Wine, like any other item of food and drink, should be taken in moderation. Just like eating 8 pounds of chocolate a day is unhealthy, and 15 bags of crisps a day is not a good idea, so would drinking 8 bottles of wine a day. Wine, like anything else overdone, can harm your body in large quantities. The key is moderation.

Assuming a glass of wine is drunk with dinner every day, what benefits will this wine bring to your body? I recall reading heart-warming research showing that wine helps to reduce coronary heart disease. This is known as “The French Paradox” because doctors couldn’t work out why the fat-loving and heavy cigarette-smoking French weren’t dying from heart attacks. Wine, it turns out, is the answer.

What is wine doing? The wine is altering the blood lipid levels. It lowers the total cholesterol count, and raises the high density lipoprotein levels – it keeps the blood vessels clean. Research as far back as 2001 showed how polyphenols in red wine keeps the arteries clear. More recent studies show that wine helps to fight cancer. Wine contains a chemical called resveratrol that helps to suppress cancer. The red grapes that go into red wine also have bioflavonoids, which are antioxidants and help prevent cancer to begin with. As a stress fighter, wine is also shown to help cancer patients by relaxing them and helping them to fight their disease. Let’s see about that one... 

Studies also show that wine helps to prevent strokes. Scientists conclude that the alcohol breaks up blood clots and increases “good” cholesterol in the bloodstream. This keeps the arteries clean. This helps with the common stroke, but not the rarer stroke, which is sudden bleeding in the brain.

Wine is a calming influence, something which may seem incidental but should not be forgotten. The fact that dinner on the terrace in the evening is accompanied by a drink that helps the body relax and unwind can help the mental transition between work and play. Also, people fighting other illnesses can combat them better when calm and focussed. Alcohol, like any other food item, can be used properly, or can be used to excess. Indeed, I have recently seen research in that most hateful of daily UK tabloids that seems to contradict the benefits of such a perfect beverage, but as we all have a choice in life, I choose to completely ignore that one!

Finally, I should add that at all costs do avoid those ghastly cartons of wine – retailing in local supermarkets for around 60 cents. They may look like a bargain, but really most are fit for use only as a substitute for lavatory cleanser and certainly not intended for your stomach! Cheers!

© Barrie Mahoney 2023

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