Do you drink wine every day??? I was once asked.
No I ‘taste’ wine every day!! My obvious answer!!


It was written in big black bold letters in my contract with FineWinesnMore that one of my many roles was to “taste” each of the 150 fabulous wines from the 30 odd world producers we represent, all under the auspices of.... “Product knowledge” It got me thinking though. Do I ‘taste’ too much, and if I do, (heaven forbid) is it good for me?

The question; Can this, this most pure and natural of things from the creators bag of wonderment and sunshine, be anything else but good for you?

So when I decided to scribble down some serious, ratified by my doctor friend sort of information, supporting my claims “of course it is”, I knew that I had to dive in head first and crush the grape skin of uncertainty to come up with some serious form of tangible proof that my habitual 2 tasting glasses a night, was good for me.

Now, it does not take the intellect of an Indian politician to deduce that all things in life that are good for you also have a dark side. I think this is the creators’ warped sense of ensuring we don’t loose the plot and get carried away with a lot in life.

A lot has been said, and a lot will continue to be said about the effects of wine on one’s health. Whilst there is a vast treasure trove of information, disinformation and make belief out there that makes the task of correlating any layman information daunting, there is also an entertaining side. I once read that individuals, who drink wine, happen to be better adjusted, less neurotic and less depressed, and have a higher I.Q....see!, there is a slim hope we can save the planet.! So in the name of justifying my existence, allow me


So in the name of justifying my existence, allow me to first list the positive health attributes of wine, before I burst the balloon with the detrimental aspects...

I stress from this point, that anything henceforth is governed by the amount and the frequency of what you drink.. There is such a thing as way too much!

Thanks to its alcohol content and non-alcoholic phytochemicals (natural plant compounds), wine has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers and slow the progression of degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. This is as serious as I am going to get!

It has been well documented that moderate, yes oh moustached one, moderate amounts of alcohol can raise your good cholesterol and thin your blood. Your heart loves this sort of stuff!

Non-alcoholic phytochemicals in wine, such as flavanoids and resveratrol, act as antioxidants that retard molecules known as “free radicals” from causing cellular damage in the body. I think you really need to be a rocket scientist to work this stuff out....sheeesh!!

Although you need much greater doses of this stuff than you will find in an average vegemite jar full of wine, resveratrol has been shown to prevent blood clotting and plaque formation in arteries; An arterial enema anyone?

With 3 blind mice as the unfortunate experimentees/ters/tors, resveratrol reduced tumour incidence by affecting one or more stages of cancer development. Other studies have deduced that resveratrol can produce potent anti-thrombotic agents that potentially improve cardiovascular health and lower the risk for coronary heart disease. Note to self; Self, don’t be re-incarnated as a mouse!

Now for you that don’t know, wine is not some new invention. It has for all accounts been part of civilisation since the first visitation of our alien ancestors some 6 millennia ago. For its medicinal properties and spiritual attributes, as an antiseptic, as part of religious ceremonies and traditions, for its sedative power and sometimes as a best friend, wine has a variety of well chronicled uses. But before you entertain the thought that wine is your once-a-day miracle pill, is the long lost cure for cancer, is something that will help you decimate opponents on the cricket pitch, and assist you in leading a long, lucid, Viagra-free life, a little caution is warranted.

Beware the dark side Luke!!!
As previously stated, it is not all smelling of roses. There is an ‘ugly Betty’ to all of this.

This is the part of the equation that as a righteous ambassador of all things vinous, I remind you that wine, and alcohol per say, can worsen certain medical ailments and conditions. So if you think that you may be in the mood for big night out and in the mood for guzzling jugs of vino thinking it some magic door to the stair way to heaven and you have previously had a pain in your heart, consult your doctor; Wow, that was a glass full!

Of course there was going to be a long list of bad things going on in wine. My first thought was that it was a responsibility of mine to showcase the detrimental aspects to balance the equation. But upon a second thought, I knew that I personally, lived in a world of lollipops and candy canes of Pixie dust and the Tooth Fairy, and that as a responsible lateral thinking planet, everybody knew what was going on and didn’t need the advises of a transient Aussie!

And then whilst having my third thought for the day, I came to the conclusion that I didn’t really care about the bad things in, about and around wine. And nor should for that matter, any other self respecting body. From that moment forward as far as I was concerned, there were none. My self-tutorials and “product knowledge” could continue unabated and uninfluenced by portions of the righteous fraternity, and the little moustached-one could continue drinking his vintage Indian plonk none the wiser.

After all, and now accepting the fact I live in a crazy mixed up boiling pot of religious craziness, political ineptness, environmental vandalism, overcrowded buses, greed, sloth and sin, the best and healthiest aspect of wine for me is the peace and solitude I find in a good glass of fine imported wine when I close my front door of a night... Nirvana is as close as a glass away!


Craig W. Wedge