Wine Varietal

Definition: A Wine varietal refers to the type of grape used in the wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc are all examples.

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August 17 2024

How To Prevent Over-Drinking

Wine Health Red Wine, White Wine 0

How Do I Prevent Over-Drinking?

In a recent survey, the greatest barrier to drinking wine was “being afraid that I might drink too much.” This, amongst others, are reasonable concerns that we will explore.

white wine glasses drinking with friends

What Causes Over-Drinking?

Some may well choose to respond to this question with humour: “because we choose to!”. For others, this is a real challenge that they have possibly struggled with for some time.

Of course, it is a choice after all, but we cannot ignore the fact that alcohol contains ethanol which has dependence producing properties. This is the concern for some, that it has potential to go beyond choice, and become a dependence.

Over-drinking or binge drinking, can be associated with a form of self medication – to reduce stress or anxiety, or in some cases try and forget about them all together and seek a numbing effect. For others it may be the release of endorphins and not knowing when to stop.

It is important to note at this point that “over-drinking” is not referring to those who struggle with alcoholism and have developed an addiction or reliance. For this we recommend seeking professional help.

We are providing suggestions that can assist those who want to limit their intake when partaking in Wine consumption at a given time. They enjoy the taste, experience and feeling of drinking Wine, but find themselves drinking beyond what they would deem is a reasonable amount.

Tips To Prevent Over-Drinking

So are there ways to enjoy wine while putting boundaries in place to monitor your intake? We believe so (otherwise we wouldn’t have an online wine store would we?!)

Choose your “Wine buddies” carefully. Our goal is to bring people together over good wine and quality conversation. If you are wanting to reduce your intake, then who you choose as a wine buddy is an important one to consider.
How much is too much? We all have a different opinion of what qualifies as over-drinking. A suggestion would be to identify what you believe your limit is before the first glass is poured. Waking up with a head-ache, feeling de-hydrated or groggy are good signs that your limit may have been reached.
Decide on a budget. By establishing how much you are comfortable on spending in a month, this will also assist in shaping how much you consume.
Shop for Wine online. Apart from saving time sitting in traffic, finding parking and waiting in queues, shopping for wine online allows you to be more selective and filter on specific criteria, rather than be drawn in by an array of options.
Find a Wine Club. There are a few good options out there (including ours!). Using a Wine Club is a great way of trying a variety of Wine, sticking to a budget and receiving a set amount every month.
De-alcoholised Wine. If you love the taste of Wine but do not like effects of alcohol, then non or de-alcoholised wine is a great option.

Conclusion

If you are wanting to monitor your wine intake, we hope that these tips are helpful. If you feel that drinking wine – frequency (how often) and quantity (how much at a given time), has gone beyond a choice and has become a dependency, then we suggest that you seek professional support.

May 21 2024

Are there really health benefits to drinking Red Wine? Some things you may not have considered…

Wine Health Red Wine, Wine benefits 0

Are there really health benefits to drinking Red Wine? Some things you may not have considered…

This has been an ongoing debate. There is mixed research on the topic, some claiming health benefits, others not. Anyone on Discovery Vitality knows that zero alcohol intake scores far better than one a day! Let’s take a look at the key points including an important factor that has been overlooked.

Recap on the benefits and potential downsides of drinking Red Wine

A variety of studies on the health benefits of wine have been carried out over the years with different findings, some noting benefits, and others risks.

The benefits are found with light or moderate consumption. The most notable being the positive effects on antioxidant status, the lipid profile, thrombosis and inflammation markers, and the gut microbiota. (1) (2)

Resveratrol, found in wine, could markedly extend lifespan and protect against a series of age-related diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, sarcopenia, cancers, infertility, and osteoporosis. However, the dose contained in Wine may not be enough to experience the full benefit, and to increase the dosage of wine would do more harm than good. (3) (4)

Moderate Wine consumption has also been associated with a reduced risk in Rheumatoid arthritis. (5)

So why do we score low on Vitality if we consumer wine? Well, the downside, although in some studies it shows that Wine has benefits, others show that alcohol in general, is not. The biggest risk would be that it is carcinogenic, and there isn’t necessarily a recommended “safe” amount of alcohol consumption. (6)

For the above reasons we only encourage drinking in moderation and believe that Wine is to be enjoyed but not abused.

The Overlooked Benefit

In The Great Big Wine Survey carried out in 2022, participants were asked to choose from an array of answers to complete the following two sentences, and these were the two most chosen answers:

Question 1: “My perception of wine is that”…..
Answer: “It is for relaxing.”

Question 2: “Drinking wine makes me feel”…
Answer: “Relaxed and free of obligations”

What does this mean? Well, high levels of cortisol has been known to include weight gain (especially in the face and abdomen), fatty deposits between the shoulder blades, diabetes, hypertension, hirsutism in women, proximal muscle weakness, and osteoporosis. (7). Cortisol has often been referred to as the stress hormone.

If by consuming moderate portions of wine assists the majority of us in feeling more relaxed and free from obligation, then a reduction in stress can well be an associated benefit. Of course over-consumption can have the opposite affect!

Conclusion

Wine has been associated with both benefits and risk. We encourage you to decide whether the benefits outweigh the risks, and to drink in moderation either way. If you believe it does, then apart from the benefit of reducing stress, why not reduce stress by shopping online. Not having enough understanding of wine was a barrier preventing people from choosing wine, so allow us to assist in any way we can. Browse our Wine Shop online and read through the description of the wine, or contact us at [email protected].

If you are concerned with over-consumption, then possibly consider a monthly delivery of 6 bottles that can last you the month and will only deliver on the first week of each month. We offer 3 different options, read more about our online Wine Club.

May 14 2024

How long can you store wine for?

Wine Age and Storage Ageing potential, Fine Wine, Red Wine 0

How long can you store wine for?

To answer the question of how long wine can be stored, we first have to look at Vintage, and understand what it means. Simply put, vintage refers to the year that the wine was harvested. Is the vintage of the wine important? Well, if it is a higher end wine, the wine can mature beautifully from the date of release. Both in taste and value (hence the phrase “age like fine wine”). More easy drinking or lower end wine will not place importance on vintage, but you will want to drink it within a couple of years from when it was released. Of course, storing it in a cool, dark environments will prolong the storage time (see verdict section at the end of the article). Let’s first use an amusing, true story to elaborate on the topic…

Vintage Matters

Many years ago, a gentleman living in KZN South Africa, noticed a Wine in checkers with a Liverpool label on it. Being a massive Liverpool fan, he decided to buy the Wine but would only open it when either Liverpool won the league, or when his daughter got married. SEVERAL years went by and Liverpool were yet to meet Jurgen Klopp. His daughter on the other hand had met a wonderful man who, in 2016, she married (he also ended up becoming the founder of WineDrop 6 years later!).

The big day arrived, and Keith the Liverpool fan and Father of the bride had done his speech and it was time to open the wine….but it was missing. While concerned and confused as to where his wine could be, he continued to enjoy the special day. Finally, the wine reappeared on the table where he had been sitting….HALF FINISHED! Yes, someone must have accidentally opened it without reading the label. So why is this relevant?

If Keith’s wine was a well stored fine wine, it could easily have kept for 15 years. More than likely, given that this was not a vintage of any value, it may well have tasted like vinegar causing the accidental wine thieves to check the bottle again and realise their mistake!

Verdict

So to answer the question “How long can you store wine for”? While all wine has a vintage, the quality of the wine is influenced by the climate/region, the soil, grapes, wine-maker and wine making techniques (fermentation process etc). The Wine varietal can also determine the aging potential of the wine.

Quality wine can be stored and mature nicely with time. They will need to be stored at an appropriate cool temperature (7-15 degrees), and on their side to keep the cork moist and prevent crumbling upon opening.

In closing, some wine is best drunk immediately, others can be stored for 2-4 years, others 5-8, 8-10 years and some 15 years or more, maturing into exquisite wines.

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If you have any questions or need recommendations on what wine will suit your needs, drop us a mail: [email protected].

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