The Wine Savant: A Guide to the New Wine Culture Read Online Free

“good” cholesterol that purges arteries of fatty deposits. In addition, scientists have determined that the flavonoids in red wine have an anticoagulant effect that can help prevent blood clots leading to heart attacks.
    Resveratrol, a polyphenol found in grapes, has become a source of particular fascination. It, too, is said to have a role in preventing clots and is believed to inhibit the production of LDL cholesterol, the “bad” kind. Judging by the headlines, resveratrol seems to be the omnipotent ingredient in red wine—a “vascular pipe-cleaner,” as one physician put it. Research suggests that resveratrol can delay the aging process and forestall many gerontological diseases, notably Alzheimer’s. It is also claimed that this antioxidant can boost stamina, reduce lung inflammation stemming from chronic pulmonary disease, and help stave off cancer and radiation poisoning. Then there is this joyous news, possibly upending age-old assumptions about alcohol and sexual performance: resveratrol apparently works to enhance blood flow, which in turn may improve erectile function.
    Personally, I’m thrilled to learn that red wine could help me avoid cancer, outlast opponents on the tennis court, survive a nuclear attack, and lead a long, lucid, and Viagra-free life. However, a little caution is in order. Most of the testing with resveratrol has been done on mice, and they have been given ungodly amounts of the stuff. As the New York Times pointed out in a 2006 article, the mice in one experiment were injected with 24 milligrams of resveratrol per kilogram of body weight; red wine contains around 1.5 to 3 milligrams of resveratrol per liter, so to get the equivalent dose, a 150-pound person would need to drink 750 to 1,500 bottles of wine a day. That would be an ambitious undertaking.
    Red wine may contain resveratrol, but it contains substantially more alcohol, and regardless of how beneficial wine ultimately proves to be for the heart, lungs, groin, and other body parts, we already know it has a powerful and mostly salutary psychological influence. Wine—or, to be more precise, the alcohol in wine—leaves us happy; it is a relaxant, a stimulant, a balm. It can make a bad day good and a good one better. All this, coupled with the gustatory pleasure that wine confers, ought to be reason enough to uncork a bottle. It is great that science is uncovering so many possible ancillary benefits to red wine, and I hope that resveratrol is indeed the cure-all that mankind has been waiting for. But I think we should just lighten up and enjoy wine for the immediate gratification. Wine is a habit that requires no rationale other than the pursuit of enjoyment.

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    Becoming a Wine Maven
    T HREE S IMPLE R ULES FOR B ECOMING A W INE G EEK
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    1. Drink often.
    2. Drink a wide range of wines.
    3. Drink as well as your budget permits.
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    The last point is particularly important, though I need to tread cautiously here. Nothing brings out the inner Calvinist in some people quite like the prospect of spending more than a few dollars on a bottle of wine. Put a hefty price tag on that Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon and it suddenly seems . . . decadent. The economic travails of recent years have reinforced that parsimony, and even people who had no problem dropping $50 on a bottle of Pinot prior to the Great Recession have scaled back their wine purchases or sharply lowered the price they are willing to pay for a bottle. Everyone is looking for value these days (which is why a later chapter in this book is devoted to value wines), so what I am about to say is a little out of step with the times: generally speaking, the more you are willing to pay, the better you are going to drink, and the better you drink, the more discerning you’ll become. To hone an appreciation of wine, you need to taste top-drawer stuff—not every day, not necessarily once a week or even once a month, but often