I find myself writing about something I don’t have at present and seriously thought I wouldn’t be having in future. I’d adjusted to this new reality, had no feelings of sadness or deprivation but wondered if I would still have the occasional yearning and if so, how I would respond. These were vague musings because the point at which temptation might resurge is still some way off – they were musings none the less.
Today I muse no more on this subject because as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining, or to be precise a Tuscan red one.
This morning I discovered that the odd glass of Tuscan red (or French, Californian, NZ, Argentinian… etc.) might be a good thing, indeed a very good thing. According to a report by CBS Atlanta, red wine is beneficial for women fighting breast cancer. (Study: Red Wine May Improve Chances Of Surviving Breast Cancer « CBS Atlanta.)
Amaron, Serego Alighieri, Italy. Credit: valpolicellaweb
A study undertaken by the University of Cambridge followed 13,525 women for seven years and its findings indicate that ladies who partook of c. three and a half small glasses of red wine per week were 10% more likely to survive breast cancer than those who were tee-total. Even more astounding given the well-known risks of excessive alcohol consumption was the discovery that women who drank seven small glasses of red wine a week were 20% more likely to survive. Dr Pharoah, Dept. of Oncology said “it is reasonable, if you’re diagnosed with breast cancer, to enjoy the occasional drink of alcohol.”
I don’t want to get too excited about this or encourage people to go out there getting drunk as a skunk. If it was this easy we could all enjoy a nice glass of red wine every day and forget the spectre of breast cancer, but life isn’t that simple. It does, however, mean that I may return to supping a glass of wine without wondering if I’m in some way sealing my own fate. It means that when I’ve had a bad day I don’t need to chastise myself for washing it away with a glass of the red stuff and when all this treatment is over it means I’ll return to another of my favourite places.
The vineyards of Serego Alighieri call to me, it’s more than a decade since my last visit and sometime next year I’ll return for a new supply of ruby-red deliciousness. I don’t imagine this trip will be possible for a while yet but when it is it will be a reward, a celebration of walking out of the Inferno.
From Purgatorio to Paradiso accompanied by a small glass of red wine is more than good enough for me.
Vineyards Serego Alighieri. Credit: flickrhivemind
FEC-THis 