A Body To Match Your Palate’s Desires
I remember, and it wasn’t that long ago, when I could stop working for the day and indulge in a wine I’d been looking forward to. I’d uncork something, pour a glass, perhaps cook, and have another glass, eat, have another glass, then finish off the rest of the bottle with a book or a movie.
I’d easily finish the bottle…by myself…over a period of three or four hours. I’d have something of a buzz, but nothing really impairing.
Those days are over, it seems.
I’m a two glass guy now.
My understanding of the science behind my dilemma, and it is a dilemma, is that as we get older we have a lower body-water content. This keeps the alcohol more concentrated and one becomes inebriated quicker and longer.
I’ve had to adjust my lifestyle simply because I don’t particularly like the feeling of being intoxicated, it slows me down, and it slows my mind down. Perhaps the worst consequence of this natural change in body chemistry is the affect is has on one thing I love with a passion: dinner parties. My circle of friends have in common a love of wine and food. I can’t count the number of dinner parties in which at the end of the night there are two bottles of wine on the table for each person at the dinner. Most of the wine is gone by the end of the night, the table is strewn with more glasses then silverware and plates combined. I’ve always loved the appearance of a table after a dinner party, glasses and bottles reflecting off each other, reflecting the splash of color reflected onto a white (stained) tablecloth. It says party.
Today, my wine glass is filled lower at dinner parties; low enough that I can get to each wine without falling over half way through.
I bring this up to suggest to those of you who are still able to indulge: Do so! Indulge. Indulge with care and Indulge without cars. Know the number of a taxi service and, while you can, enjoy your body’s ability to match your palate’s desires.
I got thirsty just reading this one! I will now have to rumage around the ‘fridge to find a cold glass of Riesling for my late lunch.
jens at cincinnati wine garage
You are so right….I hate it when I wake up at 3 a.m. and can’t go back to sleep, because I had a couple of glasses of wine…I always wondered why people had these big cellars and just kept collecting and when they are very old they won’t be able to drink any of it.
Drink Today. Enjoy Today.
Hey Tom, at least your per evening wine costs are going down…What do you use for to keep the wine for Day 2, vac-u-vin or nitrogen?
At 54 years I can safely say I have never been a 2 bottle a night guy. One and a half and I usually feel it, kind of fuzzy in the AM. One bottle is perfect, 4 people, 4 bottles it works just right. I always drink at least a liter of water. Clearly you have deterioratted more rapidly than most. You have my sympathy.
Tyler: I use my wife to assure the wine need not be preserved. She’s not deteriorated as quickly as I have and can usuall find a place to put the rest of the bottle.
I have the same problem. I had no problems drinking 1 bottle of wine by myself before, but I can’t do that anymore!
Gee Tom, If you were drinking French wine at 12.5-13% alcohol, you’d have no problem to doing 3 glasses (or more, maybe). But these 14.5-17.5 Cal wines are hard to drink even two glasses. Perhaps you need to travel abroad.
good ol’ mother nature and her dirty tricks! when i was 40, i had no problem going out to dinner with someone and drinking a bottle of champagne, a bottle of white wine and a bottle of red. now im 60, and two glasses with dinner is about my limit. more than that doesn’t make me drunk; it gives me terrible headaches in the morning. and if im going to have a martini before dinner: Watch Out! and yes, my wife can drink more than i can. fortunately, most of my “drinking” is in the form of tasting, but i keep plenty of water and bread handy for that too. “grow old along with me, the best is yet to be … ” HA!
TW3.10
I will be off for a long-promised, computer-free family vacation on the Four Corners region over the next week.