It's National Wine Day!

Oh happy day! National Wine Day, that is.

If you are not under any drinking restrictions, let's take a moment to celebrate all the good things about wine and maybe have a glass in honor of National Wine Day!

Did you know that the origins of wine date as far back as the book of Genesis in the Bible! There are mentions of Noah drinking "too much wine". Although wine has come a long way since those days, the idea of fermenting grapes to produce a drink to relax your nerves has been around for a long time!

Wine may have always been "a religious experience" - monks in the Middle Ages are to thank for developing many of the wine making techniques that give us such variety in flavor today. The famous Dom Perignon champagne was named after Monk Dom Pierre Perignon who was known to experiment with new wine making methods.

Wine making is truly an art form and as such there are as many varieties and flavors as there are wine makers! I'm often overwhelmed by the many choices available when buying wine and admittedly often shop by price rather than informed decision making. In the broadest terms, most are familiar with "red" and "white" options or perhaps even a "blush" or "rosè" and of course the famous "bubbly" champagne (for celebrating, of course).

Now, let's take a minute to talk about my personal fave - red wine. Did you know that many varieties of red wine are actually known to benefit your health? Yep, it's true- and on a personal note, the best looking 85 year old woman I know says that her secret to living so long and feeling so good is drinking a glass of red wine every day. So, there's my personal evidence. Scientifically speaking, there is an antioxidant in grape skins called resveratrol. Resveratrol is a polyphenol antioxidant - polyphenols improve the function of blood vessels in the body. Essentially, antioxidants are known to protect cells from intruders that try to harm the body. They wrap around the cells like a protective layer so it makes damage of cells less likely. I'm all for that!