Heart and Circulatory System Does beer have the same benefits as wine when it comes to heart health? answered on behalf of Do grapes provide the same heart benefits as red wine? on October 22, 2013 at 4:00 AM, updated A colleague of mine here recently wrote an article about wine versus beer. He made a point of saying that one isn't really better than the other and I definitely agree. Often, when I go out to eat, if there's a great beer on tap, I regularly order a pint or two of beer instead of a glass of wine from a winery you can buy anywhere. Plus there's just something great about drinking a great glass of beer on tap. My fellow writer didn't pick sides in this age-old rivalry. But I'm more than up for the challenge and happy to extol the virtues of wine. I'm especially proud to take a stand for wine since many wine drinkers in this country seem to shrink in the face of anyone who badmouths wine and brags about the virtues of beer. The tired old refrain I often hear from people is beer is for everyone and wine is a snobby drink for rich people riding around in Rolls Royces asking if they have any Grey Poupon.

There's are tons of great wines out there that cost far less than many single bottles of craft beer. (If you wanted, you could spend $26.99 on a single 750 ml bottle (the same size as a standard bottle of wine) on Chimay's 150th anniversary beer at Table and Vine in West Springfield, which actually sounds terrific since I'm a big fan of Belgian ales.) best wine in mdThe problem is many wine magazines and movies love to play up the image of wine as the wealthy man's drink. where can i buy wine for catsStories about wine auctions and six-figure wines routinely make the news, reinforcing many people's stereotypes about wine being a fancy, high-priced drink.wine for cold weatherI'm here to take a stand for the millions of wine drinkers around the world who don't consume wine simply to impress their uptight neighbors. wine bar york street

I'm here to speak out for every regular man and woman that loves to drink a glass or two of wine with dinner or after work or in a quiet hour of meditation, as Dwight Schrute might exclaim in between pounding his fists or randomly fist pumping the air.the best spanish wine And we're not alone. best wine west villageWine consumption continues to climb every year in the United States. And there's a reason why. In fact, I'll give you five reasons why wine continues to be more popular year after year. So watch out, Beer. Wine's coming for you. And here's five reasons why wine is better. 1) Wine's good for you - I don't care what some web site says. You can say all you want about beer making bones stronger or boosting your vitamins or guarding against carcinogens. Who needs facts when you have "60 Minutes" and beer guts. In 1991, the CBS News program "60 Minutes" ran probably the most influential news segment about wine on television in the history of mankind.

(Feel free to use your choice of over-the-top Will Ferrell voices to read that last line. I'm partial to his James Lipton interviewing Charles Nelson Reilly, played by Alec Baldwin on "Saturday Night Live.") In the "60 Minutes" segment entitled "The French Paradox," the news show explored why French people have fewer heart problems than Americans. The simple answer: red wine. Since then, wine sales in America have climbed higher year after year. As for beer guts, well, all I'll say is you never hear about people drinking too much wine and developing a "wine gut." And don't let those beer ads with guys with six-pack abs fool you. Keep drinking that beer and you'll soon be carrying around a 12-pack underneath your bulging shirt, Elby. 2) Wine often costs less - I can already hear you hooligans throwing your beer cans and yelling, "Who are kidding? Wine costs a fortune," blurts out Beer Guy, who we'll call Barney, in honor of "The Simpson's" beer-guzzling patron at Moe's. Pipe down, Choir Boy.

If you want to spend a fortune on wine, go for it. But if you've read this column before or been in a liquor store in the last 10 years, you'd know that you can easily find lots of great wine for under $10 a bottle or even less than $5 a bottle in some cases. As a rule of thumb, there's four glasses of wine in a 750 ml bottle, which is 25.3 ounces. At $5 a bottle, that's $1.25 a glass. So if you're buying a six pack of wine, if wine in a can is your thing, that would work out to $7.50 for six glasses. Sure, there are beers that cost less, but there are many, many more than cost far more, which is fine if that's your favorite beer and you want to spend a few extra dollars. Just don't badmouth wine and say it's a rich man's drink, Barney. 3) Wine often gets better with age - This is one of the great things about wine. Often, most wines taste great the minute you get them home from the store. But in some cases with certain wines, they just get better with age - sort of like Meryl Streep or George Clooney.

That's because some wines, especially certain red ones, have tannins. Let me get a little wine nerdy for a second and talk about tannins, which are a chemical substance found in the grapes used to make wine. These natural-forming chemicals give certain wines a slightly bitter taste when the grapes are young. But as the wines age in a cool, dark place, these chemicals transform these wines into smooth, velvety gems that would give Barry White's voice a run for its money. 4) Wine's sexier - Speaking of Barry White (and who doesn't love to?), there's just something more dashing, more debonaire about wine. "Hey, I thought you were the Regular Joe's drink," Barney burps. But here's the deal. Next time you go out on a date or want to have a nice romantic night with your partner, bring a six pack of beer one night and break out a bottle of sparkling wine another night. Trust me, my friend. Unless you're "The Most Interesting Man In The World," your wine night should be much more romantic - unless of course you decide to break out the Plungerhead.