Breaking News: Latest Medical Word On Wine

ALCOHOL USE DISORDER (AUD), which essentially means drinking too much, may be significantly reduced when wine is more than 35% of total alcohol consumption, according to a recent Danish study. The research found that wine consumers were less likely to develop AUD than consumers of beer or spirits, which could be related to lifestyle differences or non-alcoholic substances in wine like polyphenols that may have some effect. Reacting to the study’s results, one prominent scientist suggested that the acids in wine, and especially tannins in red wine, make it difficult to consume a lot of wine by itself; and also make it more pleasant to have wine with food. When any alcoholic beverage is consumed with food, the blood alcohol leve l is much lower than without food, often by half. In other words, the inherent nature of wine does not lend itself to abuse. (Stolen unabashedly from the newsletter of the New York State Wine and Grape Foundation -- thanks, Jim.)