Can women be wine-drinkers?

[Cris_Whetstone]

@KatrinaBI

@Cris Whetstone

@Tom G l a s g o w

Champagne won’t go flat with the right type of stopper and sometimes it’s better on subsequent days.

This. If it’s real Champagne going flat is not much of an issue. If the best part of your sparkling wine is the bubbles then you are already behind. Good, real Champagne like any other wine can get better with air. Don’t sweat the bubbles so much and you will often be surprised.

Ok this is why I love this forum. I learn a bunch of new stuff all the time. What would be the best type of stopper to recork champagne? Currently for regular wines I recork using one of those “vino seal” glass/plastic closures that I got from a reisling bottle. Would this work?
Katrina

These are probably common enough though there are other kinds. I should note that I’m not convinced you can ‘save’ the bubbles this way. I’m not sure the physics works out but topping it with anything that won’t explode out is probably best. The key is to forget that the bubbles are important. So if the next day the bubbles are not as strong as you are used to just go with it and pay attention to the wine. If it’s real Champagne you will often be pleased.

[Randy_Bowman]

The one trick my wife, (WWOTW), taught me is wine goes better, farther and far less inhibiting if accompanied by copious amounts of water. Granted you have a few more pit stops, but staying hydrated is important. The water will also help cleanse the palate somewhat so you can continue to catch nuances and changes in the wine.

As far as women’s sensory perception, I think they are far superior to men. Carrie’s sense of taste and smell are far better than mine. She can usually identify a lightly corked bottle of wine by smell alone and really corked wine from across the room.

[Danius_Barzdukas]

As long as you go to confession and are absolved of your sins, then you are okay. You get to go to heaven.

[KatrinaBI]

Thanks Cris and Tom. Off to the internet to search one of these out. Who knew this board would be such a group of enablers (enabling me to drink less!! Or, at least, more widely.) The first sparkly for the chopping block after this closure arrives will be a Huet petillant sec. So I’ll be interested to see how it fares over a couple days.

The water trick is a good one. I do use that sometimes. And I also always have a couple cups of tea afterwards – probably myth but I’ve read that the antioxidants in coffee/tea mitigate the alcohol’s toxicity.
Katrina

[Alan_C_h_a_n]

Also consider 375s, argon gas, etc. as ways to avoid having to pour out wine.

[GregT]

Chris and Tom, good to know, since I had essentially stayed away for fear it was akin to throwing money away.

Rachel - in large part it is, with or without the bubbles. Why go there? Stick with good wine.

As far as the health issues for women vs men - it’s a whole different set of concerns. From what I’ve read, the link between alcohol and breast cancer is significant enough that were I a woman, I’d be seriously concerned. OTOH, there’s positive info regarding heart, etc., and I’d be completely confused.

Furthermore, although it seems weird, men can get breast cancer too. But the presence of a risk factor does not guarantee the occurrence of a disease.

So according to the American Cancer Society, having 2 to 5 drinks daily produces about 1½ times the risk of women who drink no alcohol. But 2.5 hours a week of exercise decreases a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 18%. And heredity and race have even more to do with risk.

Not being the one to make the decision, I’d think that a woman can certainly be a wine drinker in that she can enjoy a few glasses of wine fairly often. But getting trashed every night probably wouldn’t be any better for her than for a guy.

Is there a higher incidence of breast cancer in women in the wine industry than in those not in the industry? I haven’t seen any studies that indicate as much, FWIW.

[Tran_Bronstein]

Absolutely women can. I have been taught equally well both in my palate and the wine business in general by women as much as by men.

In regards to the health concerns, I am no doctor or scientist either but do have personal experience I can talk about as well as having enough friends in science to know how studies are actually done.

I think the studies that show that women increase their risk of breast cancer by drinking are a bit misleading because they don’t include the other factors that lead up to it. The person I know who did die and was an alcohol abuser didn’t die from the alcohol abuse – they died from the terrible lifestyle they lived which included alcohol abuse, prescription drug abuse, poor diet and nutrtition, zero exercise and little sleep.

Well if I were to isolate those other factors out and just measure the drinking, then yeah, both men and women would drop dead from the level of alcohol being drunk.

So you’re a petite woman and you drink a fair amount. Do you get enough sleep and proper nutrition? Do you take in lots of water in general? Do you get exercise at least 3 times a week? What’s your overall lifestyle here?

The fact that you actually measured your wine intake and then dropped it off to a 4 oz intake from 5 oz while following the guidelines suggests a reasonable health-conscious person to me. If you’re getting good sleep, lots of water, good food and exercise, I’d say not to even think twice about it and keep enjoying the wine.

[Roy_Piper]

Funny thing, literally 2 times in 3, when a couple come to a tasting with me, the woman finishes the first glass faster than the man.

[Scott_G_r_u_n_e_r]

First- Welcome to the forum!

Second- I feel your concern is a bit like being too worried about fashion. Wait, I AM supposed to drink X amount per day? Whoa, X is too much I should drink Y? Hey now- I am supposed to never drink now? What about coffee? Isn’t Resveratrol in coffee? Shoot- Skinny Jeans are out now? I should be wearing muled wedges? WTF?

Third- I think we, as a society, have a tendency to overthink pretty much everything. I see many examples of that in this thread, and then also some refreshing less thinking responses.

Good luck!

[rachel_mcdonald]

My limiting my wine drinking to 1-2 glasses, sometimes 3, isn’t generally for health concerns. It’s mostly a matter of physics and not having enough body mass to be able to drink more. I think that’s point a lot of people are missing. You can’t drink a lot when you weigh 105 lbs - regardless of your ethnic background, how much water you drink, your exercise levels, etc. Couple lower body mass with lower amounts of dehydrogenase (an enzyme that breaks alcohol down) and you’ve got some serious limitations.

[Keith_Levenberg]

@rachel mcdonald

My limiting my wine drinking to 1-2 glasses, sometimes 3, isn’t generally for health concerns. It’s mostly a matter of physics and not having enough body mass to be able to drink more. I think that’s point a lot of people are missing. You can’t drink a lot when you weigh 105 lbs - regardless of your ethnic background, how much water you drink, your exercise levels, etc. Couple lower body mass with lower amounts of dehydrogenase (an enzyme that breaks alcohol down) and you’ve got some serious limitations.

This works out OK for both sexes - otherwise a 750ml bottle would never be enough for a dinner for two!

[rachel_mcdonald]

@Keith Levenberg

@rachel mcdonald

My limiting my wine drinking to 1-2 glasses, sometimes 3, isn’t generally for health concerns. It’s mostly a matter of physics and not having enough body mass to be able to drink more. I think that’s point a lot of people are missing. You can’t drink a lot when you weigh 105 lbs - regardless of your ethnic background, how much water you drink, your exercise levels, etc. Couple lower body mass with lower amounts of dehydrogenase (an enzyme that breaks alcohol down) and you’ve got some serious limitations.

This works out OK for both sexes - otherwise a 750ml bottle would never be enough for a dinner for two!

Yeah, unless you’re in a same sex relationship…

[Mark_C]

Wine Gender Bias!

Seriously, though, an example of how cultural norms change and morph at different speeds…

[Henry_Kiichli]

I fully agree that women often have a keener taste/smell perception. I’ve seen it again and again.

OTOH, they seem to be less likely to go off into the minutiae of geekdom…

[Alan_C_h_a_n]

@rachel mcdonald

My limiting my wine drinking to 1-2 glasses, sometimes 3, isn’t generally for health concerns. It’s mostly a matter of physics and not having enough body mass to be able to drink more. I think that’s point a lot of people are missing. You can’t drink a lot when you weigh 105 lbs - regardless of your ethnic background, how much water you drink, your exercise levels, etc. Couple lower body mass with lower amounts of dehydrogenase (an enzyme that breaks alcohol down) and you’ve got some serious limitations.

Understood Rachel - that’s why my comments were mainly focused on leaving your consumption where it is but adding preservation methods or buying 375s so that you’re not dumping out wine unnecessarily or can add back stuff like bubbly to your purchases, etc.

For me, I keep an empty 187 and an empty 375. I open a new wine, fill the two smaller bottles immediately to the top with no air left to prevent oxidation, and pour the rest as my night 1 glass. The wine stays amazingly fresh for the next 3-4 days (even longer most of the time) and it costs nothing.

You can also use this method as a way to open multiple bottles at once and not waste too much wine.

[Ken_V]

@rachel mcdonald

My limiting my wine drinking to 1-2 glasses, sometimes 3, isn’t generally for health concerns. It’s mostly a matter of physics and not having enough body mass to be able to drink more. I think that’s point a lot of people are missing. You can’t drink a lot when you weigh 105 lbs - regardless of your ethnic background, how much water you drink, your exercise levels, etc. Couple lower body mass with lower amounts of dehydrogenase (an enzyme that breaks alcohol down) and you’ve got some serious limitations.

You need to gain weight so that you can drink more!

[KatrinaBI]

@rachel mcdonald

My limiting my wine drinking to 1-2 glasses, sometimes 3, isn’t generally for health concerns. It’s mostly a matter of physics and not having enough body mass to be able to drink more. I think that’s point a lot of people are missing. You can’t drink a lot when you weigh 105 lbs - regardless of your ethnic background, how much water you drink, your exercise levels, etc. Couple lower body mass with lower amounts of dehydrogenase (an enzyme that breaks alcohol down) and you’ve got some serious limitations.

I never thought of it from this angle. I’m 130llbs and 5.7 so a little more leeway I guess. OTOH, my 80 year old mother is a very small woman, and very thin – she’s been putting away a half bottle a night for the last 30 years (never more, never less). Mind you, she gets pretty looped and I make sure not to call her at night.

As for women having a keener taste, I wonder if that’s because most (still) spend more time in the kitchen…cooking most every day with different herbs and spices and all kinds of aromas from chopping and mixing might develop one’s sense of smell and lead to a more discerning palate…Maybe that’s outdated though… I cook every day from scratch but don’t know if others do…

Katrina

[Chris_Seiber]

Put me in the camp of those who think that those blithe, one-size-fits-all statements about “how much is the maximum you can drink” are of little value. I’m sure I don’t drink the optimal amount of water every day, or eat as much bran as the guidelines suggest, or stretch as often as the experts say you’re supposed to either.

I think if you pay attention to your body, your weight, your overall health, and use some common sense, and recognizing that maximizing the length of your life isn’t the one and only objective and priority you need have, you can do just fine. “Just fine” being relative to the priorities you choose to have about your quality of life and health.

Sure, it’s worth looking outside the wine-geek bubble from time to time to check yourself a bit, but I don’t think you need to be ridden with guilt and anxiety, or live a life of self-denial, and particularly not based on these ultra-conservative “health guidelines” that are lobbed out from time to time.

[rachel_mcdonald]

@Alan C h a n

@rachel mcdonald

My limiting my wine drinking to 1-2 glasses, sometimes 3, isn’t generally for health concerns. It’s mostly a matter of physics and not having enough body mass to be able to drink more. I think that’s point a lot of people are missing. You can’t drink a lot when you weigh 105 lbs - regardless of your ethnic background, how much water you drink, your exercise levels, etc. Couple lower body mass with lower amounts of dehydrogenase (an enzyme that breaks alcohol down) and you’ve got some serious limitations.

Understood Rachel - that’s why my comments were mainly focused on leaving your consumption where it is but adding preservation methods or buying 375s so that you’re not dumping out wine unnecessarily or can add back stuff like bubbly to your purchases, etc.

For me, I keep an empty 187 and an empty 375. I open a new wine, fill the two smaller bottles immediately to the top with no air left to prevent oxidation, and pour the rest as my night 1 glass. The wine stays amazingly fresh for the next 3-4 days (even longer most of the time) and it costs nothing.

You can also use this method as a way to open multiple bottles at once and not waste too much wine.

I have some 375’s for that reason, but maybe need to track down some splits. In any event, Katrina’s point is still stands. It’s hard to taste a lot of different things and expand your knowledge when you have physical limitations to how much you can consume. I’ve also heard that women have more sensitive palates, but I also think that a lot of wine knowledge comes from training and experience and that’s harder to gain when you just can’t consume as much as most men. (Not that I haven’t tried on a few occasions).

[Poppy_Davis]

I’m surprised no one has mentioned spitting yet. I bring a coffee tumbler with me to all wine tastings and spit out most of the wines.

I’m very much aware of the health risks associated with drinking wine and my wine consumption has changed drastically over the last few years. I no longer drink during the week and just attend dinners/tastings once or twice a month. My husband and I will share a bottle once every week or two. I no longer have any acid reflux issues. A lot of the changes in my consumption are simply a function of our incredibly busy schedules, but it seems to be a change for the better for me.

I think every person’s risks are quite individual. There is a ton of cancer history in my family, including my mother’s breast cancer a couple years ago. There is zero heart disease on both sides of my family and my blood pressure is very low, so I think the risks by far outweight the heart benefits for me. If there was more heart disease than cancer in my family, then I would be inclined to allow for more wine consumption.