There’s a new theory being proffered, based on a long-running study of older Americans, that one of the main health benefits of wine involves drinking it with friends. You can read about that here.
The basic theory is that the social aspect of wine drinking helps fight depression, something that some seniors face as they lose brothers, sisters, spouses and other family members — the things we all face as the years go by.
I’m no scientist and I’m certainly no doctor, but the theory makes perfect sense to me because wine absolutely is a social beverage. We don’t “shoot” wine as we might certain distilled spirits, and we don’t “gulp” wine as we might beer.
Wine is a beverage that we sip between stories or bites of food. And unlike many other adult beverages, it’s something we may even talk about: its color, or its body, or its flavors, or its finish — or all of the above.
If there’s a senior in your life who may feel isolated, one of the main causes of depression, there is no better time to reach out and spend some time with them… with a good bottle of wine.
You may even consider establishing a regular meet-up day and time so you can do a better job of keeping in touch, at the same time giving them something to look forward to each week or each month.
Have some fun with it. Bring a different type of wine to each “meet-up.” Perhaps experiment with some food-and-wine pairings.
But, mainly, use the wine as an “excuse” for getting together on a regular basis with someone who could use the company.
It will make them feel good… it will make you feel good… and you’ll be enjoying some good wine.
Sounds like a win-win-win.
