The one between wine and health is a rather controversial combination and still far from being definitively clarified.
In any case, if in the wine, in addition to arches, tears and aromatic nuances , you want to look for a possible link with the state of health, the thought inevitably goes to the red one.
The association is partly justified by the more varied and full-bodied set of bioactive substances present in the more “muscular” red wines, compared to the more refined whites.
On the other hand, most of the polyphenolic compounds to which the multiple and beneficial properties of the gift of Bacchus are attributed, many of which verified in cellular and animal models, have much higher concentrations in red wines.
In recent years, however, numerous and robust scientific evidences have accumulated that allow white wines and also lively bubbles to take their well-deserved revenge, at least from a potential point of view, even in the health field.
Leaving aside the still ones for the moment, several studies have shown that drinking refermented wines (always in moderation, the premise is a must!) Can be good for the body, mind and a lot of other things.
The list of their benefits is extensive.
I specify that in addition to those supported by the opinion and evidence of scientists, there are some supported exclusively by enthusiasts as they have directly experimented on the field and still others advocated only by the collective imagination but which still can count on a discreet placebo effect, which sometimes does not hurt.
One of the first testimonies of the beneficial properties of bubbles or bubulae as they were then defined is provided by Galen (Pergamum 129 – Rome 201 approximately) the Greek doctor, whose principles and teachings have permeated Western medicine, at least up to the entire Renaissance.
Marco Aurelio’s personal curator, in his De Rimediis dedicates a very long chapter to therapy with wine-based recipes and referring to that spumans or titillans writes:
“… it warms the mouth and tickles the senses, especially those of the head, instills heat in the bowels and makes raw foods digest, it can be used to wash wounds with a soft woolen cloth …”.
In the oenological field, in the vast panorama of refermented wines, the scene almost always steals the champagne, whose notoriety is widespread all over the world and whose use has assumed a powerful symbolic value associated with the idea of celebration, joyfulness and luxury .
Few people know, however, that many preventive and therapeutic properties have been attributed to the sought-after French wine over the centuries, some of which are supported by more than a scientific background.
Already at the end of the 18th century, the French doctor Claude Navier affirmed the effectiveness of champagne for healing purposes, essentially attributing its beneficial effect to carbonic gas.
In 1817 it is thanks to the scientific studies of the German doctor Eduard Loebenstain-Loebel that sparkling wine in general and Champagne in particular, are recognized digestive, toning, anxiolytic properties, and a particular effectiveness in case of kidney stones, gout and difficulty falling asleep. .
With regard to this last indication, it seems that the English poet and politician Lord Byron, drawing actual benefits, drank a flute of Champagne every night before going to sleep (a property now partly confirmed by the presence of higher alcohols, lithium and zinc).
The therapeutic properties became so convincing and so widespread that at the end of the same century sparkling wines began to be produced with the addition of active ingredients such as quinine and pepsin, sold in pharmacies.
The champagne was even attributed antimicrobial properties, due to particular bacteriostatic and / or bactericidal compounds released by the yeasts during the long aging.
At the time, many doctors who still could not rely on effective antibiotics recommended drinking champagne to those suffering from lung diseases, much more likely to mitigate the sadness for the morbid condition than the activity of pathogenic bacteria.
It seems that the same prescription was also made to the great Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, during his stay in Naples.
Behind and around the history of champagne there are many stories and anecdotes that over the years have further increased its charm, popularity and also its use for spicier purposes, away from the table.
According to a widespread legend, it seems that the champagne glass was modeled to accommodate the size and shape of the breasts considered perfect, by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, who went down in history as Madame de Pompadour.
The passion of Louis XV’s favorite lover for champagne is well known and apparently, it also seems that he proudly revealed to the ladies of the court, eager to know the secret of his beauty and his always luminous appearance, which all depended only from wine: “able to make it look its best in the morning even after a wild party”.
Aphrodisiacs , or foods capable of igniting and feeding the flame of passion in the intimacy of the sheets, have been talked about since the dawn of time.
Rest assured, every food that has earned a certain reputation as an enhancer or more simply as a friend of sexuality, if not all, many, some with more, some with less satisfaction, have experienced its vaunted abilities.
Along the list, in addition to champagne and bubbles in general, among those considered most promising it is necessary to remember chilli, strawberries, oysters, asparagus, chocolate, watermelon, celery or spices such as ginger and saffron.
Starting from the sacrosanct assumption that the most powerful and essential sexual organ resides in our brain, I am obliged to make two clarifications, one as a biochemist and the other as a specialist in food science.
The first.
As knowledge relating to the composition of foods increasingly improves, in many of those listed above (and many others too) particular components have been identified capable of exercising, at least from a biochemical point of view, an effective involvement in the complex and only partially explored mechanisms. of sexuality.
The second.
Nothing quaestio compared to foods, in moderation and included in a varied and balanced diet, all bring benefits to health in general.
And staying healthy is always sexy and I add to it … regardless, as the unforgettable Prince of comedy repeated.
Publius Ovid Nasone (43 BC – 18 AD) one of the greatest experts of antiquity on love affairs to the point of elevating them to a real form of art and dedicating a reference text to the subject for Latin lovers of the time, attributed to wine in general a help anything but negligible
… “Wines prepare souls and make them open to ardor .. and Venus in wines becomes fire added to fire” ..
Even in more recent times , wine has been recognized as facilitating the work of Venus and giving that extra touch of romance and sensuality to the evening.
The credit would be due to alcohol which, like other psychotropic substances, that is capable of influencing psychic functions, has dose-dependent effects that largely depend on the quantity that is taken.
A moderate consumption can exercise in both sexes an increase in sexual desire, disinhibition, excitement and even the understanding with the partner, dampening any tensions and amplifying the pleasant sensations during the meeting of the bodies.
On the contrary, excessive consumption can lead to the so-called alcoholic myopia , which in addition to making us find attractive people that we would not even have noticed when sober, exposes us to a greater risk of dangerous and inconvenient behavior. alcohol is a dose-dependent substance,
Since the damage in terms of amorous performances, concerns more boys, I would recommend to female wasteers to approach alcoholic beverages in moderation to avoid that indescribable nights end up being remembered forever but with dishonor.
It is Ovid himself who reminds us:
“So, when the gifts of Bacchus are offered to you and a woman will have part of your own triclinium, pray to the sacred nocturnal divinities to prevent the wine from damaging your head (and the party)”
Recently, even Science has rushed to support the tantalizing properties of fine champagne and more affordable bubbles.
A study conducted by French researchers and published in the US PNAS , the prestigious journal of the American Academy of Sciences, revealed that a possible contribution could derive from two particular aromatic molecules (more precisely terpenes) myrcene and thymol hidden in the so-called perlage.
The myrcene generates pleasant and very intense aromas that are somewhat reminiscent of those of musk and cloves.
The fragrance is characteristic of the flowers of some varieties of hemp and of medicinal and aromatic herbs such as verbena , lemongrass , hops and rosemary.
Although clinical studies in humans are very limited, several tests conducted on animals and cell models suggest that multiple biological effects could be attributed to myrcene and in particular, sedatives, anti-inflammatories, antioxidants and analgesics.
Thymol is a phenol monoterpenic present in abundant quantities in plants of the genus Thymus , from which it takes its name.
Numerous studies have demonstrated its antimicrobial effects, in particular antifungal and antibacterial effects as well as antioxidant, stimulant and antitumor effects .
To justify the aphrodisiac action of the two molecules, a very suggestive hypothesis has been put forward, to describe it, it is necessary to start from the consideration that from a chemical point of view, they have the particularity of being both attracted (hydrophilic) and rejected by the water (hydrophobic).
This singular characteristic means that in order not to run the risk of incompatibility with the water which is the main ingredient of the wine, they remain confined within the gaseous bubbles.
Once these rise in the glass and break, they release the two terpenes with a high molecular weight and a very penetrating aroma.
Once out of the gaseous envelope, myrcene and thymol could act as feronomists at the level of a particular area of the nervous system, the hypothalamus, triggering the release of stimuli directed to the sexual organs and the consequent production of hormones.
Could it be true?
It is still early to reach definitive conclusions.
Perhaps the simplest and most likely explanation of the hot effect of expensive French bubbles was provided by their great admirer , Marilyn Monroe, the most famous and talked about Hollywood diva ever.
I conclude with a message of hope.
If you can’t afford champagne, don’t despair, there are cheaper and equally effective alternatives.
The benefits described above can be achieved with all wines refermented both with the Martinotti-Charmat method and with the Classic Method (for mere mortals) and which becomes Champenoise only for the most chic French.
Green light then to the tricolor and prestigious Prosecco , Franciacorta, Trento, Alta Langa, Oltrepo ‘Pavese and why not even to a good Asprinio, pardon the parochialism, anything but hidden.
In all honesty, I don’t think it’s a … bad life .
Michele Scognamiglio
