Day two: Welcome to the world of Wine-o's

Alcohol is funny because of the taboos that go with it.

And like I imagined, this is harder than I first thought.  I saw on someone's update today "it's not my fault I get off work at 2pm...therefore, no, it is not "too early" for a beer."  It Made me chuckle because I can't even REMEMBER how many times I have resisted this thought.  And I was doing great NOT drinking today until I saw my mom (around 8) and she offered me a glass of wine.  Since it was chardonnay, it was easy to turn down, but only after she offered red and I almost yelled "NO!" at her. No, meaning "No, how dare you open a fresh bottle and drink it yourself knowing I won't have any!"

What is it about Red wine? The drink I know to be native to my people (both figuratively and literally), the purply-red syrup has been around since day one.  My papa Q. drinks red wine every night with dinner, and my father kept a boxed wine (don't knock it, boxed wine is the BEST way to store wine, you snobs...) for as long as I can remember, following in this tradition.  But Why? why??? Well, I can give you a million reasons, but like anything, it is to be drank in moderation (the benefits of red wine come from 2 to 3, 6-8 ounces, and 8 is a generous serving....)

For starters, scholarly journals (including but not limited to the university of Florida) show that, unlike most alcoholic beverages, red wine actually builds up the immune system instead of weakening it the way most do.

Nextly, the antioxidants in red wine have shown (by scholarly and drinking enthusiasts alike) to reduce Coronary heart disease, stress, blood clots, hypertension, kidney stones, and Alzheimer's disease.

Red wine has a HUGE extensive history of preparations and customs that go with it (that I can Divulge later).  My personal favorite is a good bottle of Cabernet, but I just recently found a 2003 PEtite Syrah that has proven to be the most complex red wine I have ever drank (after first opening, it tasted of oak and chocolate... five minutes later, is that cherries??? 20 minutes of sitting, licorice? This is blowing my mind).  There are books written as to how to pin point a "good" wine, but any Italian will tell you "its good if you like the taste".  My sister the personal trainer went through a phase where all she wanted at the end of a long day was a bowl of popcorn and a glass of red wine (though I prefer chocolates or cheeses with mine... hence the pudge)..

Side note on pudge: part of the problem with alcohol is it makes you eat... water doesn't require cheese or chocolate.  Beer and pretzels though? Wine and cheese? Martini and olives? all unnecessary!

Never drink your wine out of a metal glass, as the metal messes with the chemistry, turning your treat sour!

And I will say, after no drink for a good 48 hours, I was definitely sweating more in my hot yoga class than ever before (alcohols in general dehydrate you).
Salute!