Wine?
As a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I frequently get the questions and comments about alcohol… Is wine good for you? Doesn’t it have sulfur? Too many sulfites? Organic tastes horrible…
It’s important to evaluate all sides and ask people in the field to truly understand these questions. Therefore, my nutritional recommendation comes from a Master.
Honestly, it has always been strange that this is such a controversial subject. As with all things, too much of anything is NOT good.
Wine to Gladden the Heart/ and Good for the Stomach!
We each must find what works best with our body and blood type. There are allergies, alcohol addictions, and side effects and these certainly deter the benefits of wine. But today I’m sharing our family approach.
One, many proper instructions for and against wine are noted in the bible.
Nutritionally, sulfur serves a purpose as an essential macro-mineral. Penicillin comes from this element. One reason for sulfur is to kill Lactic acid bacteria.
Although Lactic acid bacteria is a great bacteria for sauerkraut, it is not good for wine. When it overtakes or rather metabolizes in a wine, it becomes very vinegary. Therefore a reduced sulfite is optimal but it becomes undrinkable a couple of days after opening.
Is red or white better?
Well, the short of it is that RED wine is generally better:
- Naturally has less sulfites. The skin is left on for the fermentation process and the “skin holds most of the nutrients”. Sound familiar? It’s what my mom use to say about every fruit and vegetable.
- Has MORE antioxidants which kills Free Radicals. I would rather sip a glass of wine than take a supplement!
- The antioxidants called Resveratrol are high in red.
- The pH of red is around 3 acidity level (stomach acid is 1), which helps those gastric juices mix and digest food in the stomach, therefore,
- Acidity in a red aids digestion, which from my practice seems a real need in most people.
- By default, the white and sweeter wines have LESS antioxidants and therefore require more sulfites added in the production process. Therefore sulfite allergy sufferers may tolerate a red wine better.
Great TIPS from a Master
**In case you are wondering; a Sommelier is certified for hospitality/presentation, where a Master of Wine is certified in the production. Both are certified to taste**1. The more acidity and tannin, the longer the shelf life, thus the more harsh it tastes initially. However, it tastes better after a few days. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Italian wines fit here.
2. In 12-18 hours after opening, Pinot Noir taste like vinegar. Whites and sweets last longer because of a high superficial additive of sulfites!
3. If you LOVE white, white and sweet wines, one trick is to simply get a copper rod, Copper Rod, and cut to 4 inches long. Stir for a few seconds in the glass of wine. It attracts the sulfites and removes much of it. Interestingly, in Sanskrit, sulfur is called shulbari, which literally means “enemy of copper”.
My great Source for more learning is Understanding Wine Technology by David Bird.
Recommendations
- Enjoy a glass of wine with dinner if you like it- especially when eating out as it kills pathogens
- Try to drink 2 glasses of water for every glass of wine to alleviate the diuretic effect of dehydration.
- Don’t worry too much about “organic”, it’s taboo/insulting in the wine industry. Most are organic because if you spray, it means that you have not managed your vineyard well and it will taste shoddy and usually thrown out.
Cheers!
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