The Hindu Business Line : Wine and health

Young Indian professionals working in metros or abroad are often a little unsure about wining. Very often, they are told that drinking wine is good for health, particularly for the heart. As a result, wine consumption in the country is also maintaining an impressively high annual growth of 40 per cent in recent years.

Complex ‘pairing’

It has become a must for an Indian professionals travelling to continental Europe to know all the wine etiquettes and the complex ‘pairing’ of wine and food.

For those Indian professionals who do not have much time to study the western wine rituals, it would be worthwhile at least to follow the dictum of “red with red”, and “white with white”. That is to say, pair the red wine with red meat dishes, and white wine with poultry and fish dishes.

The vegetarians could have some white wine and then opt for a light red or rose wine. While taking very spicy and greasy dishes, make it a point to wash down the spiciness/greasiness already in the mouth with a small sip of water. And then sip the served wine. It would be more prudent to follow the host in wine intake or seek his counsel. But take care not to gulp the served wine and stick to lesser quantity than the host.

For Europeans, sipping matching wines along with the food is invariably a social and business etiquette. They consume wine that way, to enhance the enjoyment of food and striking a personal bond with the dining guest or business associate. But the cholesterol fighting and heart friendly health aspects of wine are relatively new even in the West.

Health benefits

It is true that all the grape items (fresh grape, raisins, grape juice and wine) are good for health. Indians knew it even during the Vedic period. In Ayurveda, grape (draksha) and fermented grape juice (drakashasav) were recommended for fighting anaemia and as a tonic for lactating mothers.

For the Europeans who used to get sparse supply of iron-rich green vegetables in the cold winter months, intake of wines along with the daily meals was a major source of iron.

With modern scientific research, it is known that grape is a “wonderful fruit with hundred of different chemical compounds that are beneficial to health”. The researches done in the US and European medical universities have established that wine drinking promotes better health and longevity.

Sage advice

Now the wine companies are trying to oversell the health aspect and push wine drinking. But we need to take a middle path as suggested by late Dr Harbans Wasir, Chief Cardiologist of Delhi’s Batra Hospital.

Dr Wasir was invited by the Delhi Wine Club to lecture on the new health benefits of wine drinking. He concluded his lecture thus: “New research has demonstrated that moderate wine drinking is good for the heart and good health. But I would never advise a ‘non-drinker’ to start drinking to get good health. Because, one out of every ten drinking persons tends to get addicted and become alcoholic. Then I will have to treat him for both liver problems and heart ailments.”

(The author worked as Senior Consultant (Food Safety) at the Indira Gandhi National Open University, Delhi. Responses to blfeedback@thehindu.co.in).)

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