Wine and Women

Good news for women in this research reported in this morning's SMH...

It seems a glass a day can help keep the undertaker away - especially if you are a woman over 70.

An Australian study, published in the Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society, has found that drinking two glasses of alcohol every afternoon can help elderly women live longer and more happily.

The study, by researchers from the University of Newcastle, followed more than 12,400 women over six years and found that those who had a tipple a day reported better physical and mental health and lived longer than those who abstained.

The study's author, Julie Byles, said yesterday that antioxidants in wine could be responsible for helping women live longer, but for most people a few drinks helped them feel less stressed, improved their mood and gave them a social outlet.

"The health benefits that moderate alcohol consumption can provide are likely to be multiple," she said. "The social and pleasurable benefits of drinking, as well as the improved appetite and nutrition that may accompany modest alcohol intake, could also play a role."

The National Health and Medical Research Council recommends no more than two standard drinks a day, but Professor Byles said there had been suggestions that limit should be lower for older people because they had different biological reactions to alcohol. "We found there was no harm in sticking to those guidelines, and in fact, women reported that they felt better."

But she added: "Quite a few older people don't drink for medical reasons, so we don't want them suddenly taking it up against medical advice."

St Clair marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, 2007

St Clair Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

The bottle shops are awash with Marlborough sauvignon blanc and about half of all the wine made in New Zealand is "savvy" It accounts for 72 per cent of NZ wine exports. St Clair is a very consistent producer. This vintage has fresh, clean aromas typical of the breed, with suggestions of nettles, kiwifruit and herbs and a hint of sweatiness - quite acceptable in small doses. It has excellent intensity of fruit, heightened by a smidgen of well-judged sweetness. It is a very attractive wine all round.

For a big brand, this has real integrity, good fruit concentration and balance. A chilled bottle will be a real crowd-please this summer. Drink it now ... don't put it in the wine cellar.

Food suggestions: Any pan-fried or steamed white-fleshed fish with a sauce made from red capsicum. A range of salads and cold seafood; also goat's cheese in witlof.

Huon Hooke, SMH 11 December 2007

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