Who better to speak to the health benefits of wine than a wine producer who also works as an emergency room doctor?
Food & Wine magazine’s Ray Isle introduced us to Dr. Laura Catena — who has been called “the face of Argentine wine” — in its September issue, and Isle began his health-related questions directly. “Is wine really good for you?” he asked.
Dr. Catena’s response: “Any kind of alcohol has cardiovascular benefits as long as you drink it in moderation — its reduces your risk of heart attack, stroke, dementia. But that’s in moderation. Drink more, and you lose everything you would have gained.”
Which logically led to a follow-up question, asking for a definition of moderation.
“Different countries have different standards,” Dr. Catena explained. “In the U.S., one drink per day for women, two for men. But in Greece, it’s one-and-a-half for women, three for men. Also, you can’t squeeze all the drinks into one day and say, ‘I had seven drinks on Friday, so that’s one drink per day. Moderation, right?’ Wrong.”
Food & Wine’s website is a great resource for wine-friendly recipes. Check it out here: http://www.foodandwine.com
