And then the benefits!

Why do we humans drink wine? Alcohol is a poison; the authorities have drilled that into us quite hard. Something we already knew, so the question remains: why do we still drink? Canadian professor Edward Slingerland, a philosopher, not a physician, arguments that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. And what are those benefits? Alcohol makes us happy, removes inhibitions. It ensures that we are more social, more open to strangers, and even more creative. In his book ‘Drunk, how we sipped, danced and stumbled out way to civilisation', Slingerland states it clearly: if alcohol were merely a poison, drinking it would have evolved away long ago. Among Asians, ‘blushing syndrome’ occurs. An alcohol intolerance of which blushing is one of the effects. You lack one of the two enzymes needed to digest alcohol and become unwell from even the slightest bit. An evolutionary advantage? Not one that has gained the upper hand among us hominids. We drinkers did not go extinct for the benefit of our fellow species with such intolerance. Enjoying alcohol is ancient and occurs in many more animals, not just humans. Our earliest ancestors loved it too, and we still exist today. Alcohol is bad for our bodies, but good for our well-being. Moreover, wine carries an entire culture with it: a culture of origin, of endless variety, of history and stories. Alcohol is a social lubricant of epic proportions; wine is a drink that makes us nicer, more accommodating, that frees us from objections, that makes us walk on the sunny side of the street. In moderation, of course, always in moderation. But still. Wine is a global drink.

Derrick Neleman
Winemaker and founder of Bodegas Neleman
[email protected]