The power to banish care

The first wines probably tasted horrible, but it was their fun effect that made those early vintners persevere, reckons John Saker.

Awine book I return to again and again is UK writer Hugh Johnson’s glorious work, The Story

of Wine, first published in 1989.

In the first chapter he riffs conjecturally on how the whole thing might have started. Some grapes probably got inadvertently scrambled and squashed in a container, tripping off a wild ferment. A rough liquid resembling wine would have been the result.

The strong, sour drink would have shocked tastebuds initially. But these prehistoric, accidental winemakers obviously returned to it again and again. Why? The title of the chapter supplies Johnson’s answer to that question – The Power to Banish Care.

It was the drug, he surmises, not some other perceived benefit that got them excited about this drink. I’m sure he’s right. To this day, a big reason (often the biggest reason of all) people partake is the effect that the alcohol has on them.

Is that necessarily a bad thing?

Most of us would probably think it is. Intoxicants have a subversive edge; they are a source of many of society’s ills. A sense of guilt lurks behind the fleeting pleasure we get from a drink. That good feeling must come at a cost.

This doesn’t stop us enjoying wine. Especially when we’re told that, in moderation (and I stress that qualification), the drink is good for us.

In the research tug-of-war over the benefits or otherwise of moderate alcohol consumption, the benefits appear to have the upper hand. These studies are invariably physiological in nature – for example, a certain component in the drink promotes a particular physical outcome.

Research carried out by the British Medical Journal last year, for example, told us a glass of wine a day for women, and two daily glasses for men, led to healthier hearts. This is thought to be due to higher HDL (good cholesterol), reduced clotting and less inflammation.

The drug and its mind-altering effects are never part of the conversation. Personally, I can’t wait for researchers to delve into it.

We know that a person’s mental health and physical health are interdependent. Anxiety, we’re often told, can lead to all sorts of physical complications. So does it not make sense that imbibing a couple of glasses of a natural substance that increases sociability and rids you of tension and worry, even for just an hour or two, is going to enhance your overall wellbeing?

The power to banish care has got to be good for you.

TRY THESE Misha’s Vineyard Impromptu Pinot Noir 2015 $30

Winemaker Olly Masters has crafted a pinot that overflows with lovely fruit, evocative of red and dark crushed berries. The fruit stretches out to long finish, carried by well defined tannins and acidity. A pinot with charm, tension and depth.

Decibel Gimblett Gravels Malbec 2016 $28

Boutique Hawke’s Bay label Decibel does excellent work with Malbec. This little number has a soft, ripe, warm embrace, and is packed with spiced dark plum flavours. It’s juicy, drinkable, just plain gorgeous. Go to decibelwinesnz.com.