By allusion. I will have to write an article to answer yours, but for now, a few things:
I have been writing about food and gastronomy for too long not to know that alcohol is addictive, toxic and carcinogenic and that there is no safe dose.
And despite that, I drink alcohol. I only drink, coffee on the side (always sugar-free), water, wine and beer. I reserve alcohol for the weekends and rarely exceed a little less than half a bottle of wine shared with my eighty-year-old father. And there are many weekends when I don't even have that, but there are others when I have much more than that, and in general, I like tasting much more than drinking.
I prefer wines with little alcohol.
I agree with Nero that non-alcoholic wines have nothing to do with wine culture. They are sugary bombs, the latest nonsense from the food industry. You don't want to drink wine because it has alcohol? Perfect. Drink something else.
And finally, living is dangerous and goes against health because it is something that leads irremediably to death. Overall, it's about being reasonably happy before that happens, whether it's with a glass of that Burgundy that drives you crazy or with that kombucha prepared by a ragged hippie. It doesn't matter to me. By the way, you and your intestines will die anyway (just joking, Sara. I don't want you to die, as you can imagine)
I hope these lines find you - and your intestines -really well :-)
Come for the gastronomic debate, stay for the black humor 🤭 it’s absolutely always interesting to talk about wine or not wine with you, and not only because you’re able to articulate vehemently from “the other side” but also because you know how to do so with class and knowledge.
I love that you recognize the damage and like to drink anyways - a dramatically different stance from many new “bro” style sommeliers that are so much in denial and that are so deprived of basic culture that, instead of banterin and argumenting as we do, start threatening any one with a different mindset.
So kudos to you, as always - and I am waiting for the reply letter 🤩 as you know!
Interesting read, thank you. I’ve been sober for over 16 years. My father is an alcoholic wine “connoisseur” who places alcohol above family, health and friends. Alcohol is poison, there are many facts about this. And yet I honestly don’t see the majority of the world ever giving it up. I am surprised to hear that the wine industry is worried or even trying to make non-alcoholic wines. We already have fruit juice mixed with sparkling water. And non drinkers are such a small percentage!
Thank you for the thoughtful comment! I know a lot of men like your father, what I call “old guy wine” even when they aren’t that old. Normally they have normalized wine consumption so much that it’s their only reason for happiness and as you say, even above family - sadly.
I have high hopes that there’s a societal shift, perhaps helped by the fact that the Lancet study conclusions are under everyone’s eyes. An alcohol free life is as interesting as ever in this time of alternatives.
By allusion. I will have to write an article to answer yours, but for now, a few things:
I have been writing about food and gastronomy for too long not to know that alcohol is addictive, toxic and carcinogenic and that there is no safe dose.
And despite that, I drink alcohol. I only drink, coffee on the side (always sugar-free), water, wine and beer. I reserve alcohol for the weekends and rarely exceed a little less than half a bottle of wine shared with my eighty-year-old father. And there are many weekends when I don't even have that, but there are others when I have much more than that, and in general, I like tasting much more than drinking.
I prefer wines with little alcohol.
I agree with Nero that non-alcoholic wines have nothing to do with wine culture. They are sugary bombs, the latest nonsense from the food industry. You don't want to drink wine because it has alcohol? Perfect. Drink something else.
And finally, living is dangerous and goes against health because it is something that leads irremediably to death. Overall, it's about being reasonably happy before that happens, whether it's with a glass of that Burgundy that drives you crazy or with that kombucha prepared by a ragged hippie. It doesn't matter to me. By the way, you and your intestines will die anyway (just joking, Sara. I don't want you to die, as you can imagine)
I hope these lines find you - and your intestines -really well :-)
Come for the gastronomic debate, stay for the black humor 🤭 it’s absolutely always interesting to talk about wine or not wine with you, and not only because you’re able to articulate vehemently from “the other side” but also because you know how to do so with class and knowledge.
I love that you recognize the damage and like to drink anyways - a dramatically different stance from many new “bro” style sommeliers that are so much in denial and that are so deprived of basic culture that, instead of banterin and argumenting as we do, start threatening any one with a different mindset.
So kudos to you, as always - and I am waiting for the reply letter 🤩 as you know!
Interesting read, thank you. I’ve been sober for over 16 years. My father is an alcoholic wine “connoisseur” who places alcohol above family, health and friends. Alcohol is poison, there are many facts about this. And yet I honestly don’t see the majority of the world ever giving it up. I am surprised to hear that the wine industry is worried or even trying to make non-alcoholic wines. We already have fruit juice mixed with sparkling water. And non drinkers are such a small percentage!
Thank you for the thoughtful comment! I know a lot of men like your father, what I call “old guy wine” even when they aren’t that old. Normally they have normalized wine consumption so much that it’s their only reason for happiness and as you say, even above family - sadly.
I have high hopes that there’s a societal shift, perhaps helped by the fact that the Lancet study conclusions are under everyone’s eyes. An alcohol free life is as interesting as ever in this time of alternatives.