Regular alcohol intake, of the moderate sort, improves the quality of life in middle-aged adults declares the research findings investigating the link between alcohol consumption and health.
Canadians aged over-50 were the subjects of this particular wine-is-good-for-you-study with many showing both ‘stable patterns of alcohol consumption’ and high scores on the Health Utilities Index: it seems if you want good memory, dexterity and mobility then drink a couple of glasses of wine every day.
But you’ll be doing that already won’t you? Because you’ll just be following the advice of all those other wine research boffins who found if you want to lower your risk of a heart attack then drink red wine (and the more mouth-dryingly tannic the better were the findings).
And if you want something to eat then make sure it’s dark chocolate – this helps improve memory just like all that red wine, oh and tea too by the way.
The news gets even better if you’re a woman because those glasses of red will keep you slim as you get older (in that particular study 40% of the alcohol abstainers became over-weight or obese).
It seems the women in the study who scoffed wine had little room left for scoffing food, so their overall calorie intake did not go up very much.
Unfortunately the scientists believe the findings may not apply to men. When men drink they tend not to substitute wine for food but consume both.
Top food pairing wines
Calvet Prestige Bordeaux Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
£6.50 Co-op
The sweet- sharp flavours of black cherry and espresso coffee grounds are a great match to pork with black bean sauce and other hearty savoury dishes.
Tesco Finest Valle de Leyda Chardonnay 2019
£8 Tesco
Match the baked pineapple and celery flavours to battered fish and chips or chicken Kiev.
The Wine Society's Exhibition Fleurie 2019
£10.99 The Wine Society
This is top notch Beaujolais with cherry and aniseed flavours. It's light enough not to overpower most foods so enjoy it with whatever you're planning to eat tonight.
Kylie Minogue Cotes de Provence rose 2020
£15 Morrisons
Floral and fruity with a light meringue sweetness all wrapped up in the expected pretty pale pink colouring of a Cotes de Provence. Match to light lunches or summer salads.