Beer and hard liquor have long been known to increase the risk of gout, the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, but according to a 2014 study in The American Journal of Medicine, wine also can contribute to recurrent gout attacks. Gout occurs when excess uric acid builds up around joints – often in the big toe, but also in the feet, ankles, knees, wrists and elbows – leading to episodes of intense pain, redness and swelling. It affects more than 8 million adults in the United States, and the numbers are rising sharply, due mainly to obesity and other lifestyle factors. In the 2014 study, 724 gout patients completed questionnaires every few months as well as after gout attacks about their diet, medications, exercise and number of alcoholic drinks consumed. The researchers compared what a participant consumed on an average day to what that participant had consumed in the 24 hours before a gout attack. Researchers looked at the overall effect of alcohol on gout attacks as well as the individual effects of wine, beer and liquor, while taking diet and other factors into account.

Results showed that a single serving of wine, beer or liquor (either straight or in a mixed drink) in a 24-hour period didn’t significantly increase the chance of repeat gout attacks. But consuming more than one to two drinks a day did – by 36%. With two to four drinks, the risk rose 50%, and it continued to rise with the amount of alcohol consumed.wine and food tumblr When the three types of alcohol were compared, wine was actually a significant trigger. best place to drink wine in europeDrinking between one to two glasses of wine in the 24 hours before the attack raised the risk of recurrent attacks by 138%; dry red wine pricein other words, it more than doubled the risk of a gout attack, compared to drinking no wine. best wine vintages france

By contrast, drinking two to four beers in the 24 hours before an attack increased the risk by 75%. The researchers point out that these results apply to men; findings for women are less clear, mainly because so few women were in the study. Study author Tuhina Neogi, MD, a professor at Boston University School of Medicine, says, “But the patterns of alcohol’s effects on risk of gout attacks were generally similar to [those] seen in men.”best wine commercial ever Dr. Neogi says, “Based on this study, I would counsel gout patients that any type of alcohol may trigger an attack; best chocolate wine reviewsit’s not just beer or liquor but also wine. Each patient is different, so a ‘safe’ limit can’t be uniformly set, but obviously abstaining from alcohol would avoid any risk of attack due to [its use].”

Controlling Your Weight May Be Effective for Lowering Gout Risk The Best Diet Advice for Gout: Eat Less Meat Tags: Gout, gout causesIf you needed an excuse to uncork a bottle tonight, then - as always - we've got you covered. Because new research from labcoats at the Yale Schol of Medicine (people you'll want to listen to)  have found that sniffing and "analysing" a wine before drinking requires more engagement from your brain than solving a maths problem. Which, frankly, is good news when it comes to your unravelling a weekend agenda, knowing that cracking open a bottle of plonk is the smart man's choice. With green apple and biscuit notes and no added sugar, this is Champagne in its purest form: dry, crisp and perfectly zingy. An ideal aperitif or partner for seafood. Made at the foothills of the Pyrenees on limestone chalk, this is a beautiful briney, citrus-filled expression of aromatic Muscat and more neutral Macabeo grapes. A good white for rich meat with great ageing potential.

An East Sussex blend of the three classic Champagne grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Bottled proof that Britain is making sparkling wines to rival Champagne, and that we’re doing it our own way, too.  A big bad daddy of a wine: full-bodied, intensely mature and brimming with dried fruit aromas. Amarone grapes are dried on bamboo racks before a long fermentation, an art mastered by no one better than Masi. If you aren’t a fan of sherbet-y prosecco, this natural, mineral take on Italy’s most famous fizz is worth a try. Extra dry, unfiltered and with notes of apple and preserved lemon. It’s lambrusco reinvented, like Matthew McConaughey’s career. Burnt orange in colour, this biodynamic wine has a dry, earthy sweetness – somewhere between prunes and sour cherries – and is fabulous alongside cold cuts. This Franco-Lebanese blend takes the classic grapes of southern France – like Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvedre – and gives them Levantine character courtesy of the terroirs.

Soft and waming with notes of liquorice and damsons. At this price, it's an ideal party wine, and easy to drink. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has become omnipresent in the UK wine market, but good ones are worth forking out for. This one balances the intense grass and citric acidity with tropical fruit and a full body. Few can turn down a good Rioja – think vanilla, black cherries and tobacco smoke – and that’s before they know it’s from one of the region’s best vintages in recent years, with ten years of age on it to boot. You can’t go wrong with a bottle of Bolly, and this latest non-vintage offering has aromas of roasted apples and peaches alongside the toasty brioche notes typical of classic Champagnes. Penfolds are best known for their reds, but their riesling is a breath, and mouthful, of fresh air. Expect lime, kiwi and the familiar whiff of petrol commonly found with this grape. Ready your lips for puckering. Rust, rubber and wild strawberries - this natural pinot grigio is as eccentric as it sounds, and reinvents the wheel for the ubiquitous Italian grape.

The classic fish and seafood wine of the Loire valley, Muscadets are dry, delicious and reliable for food and fun. Like an episode of The Trip. This one is a fine example. This unassuming Italian white is a gentle introduction to the charms of natural wines; subtle on the nose and an explosion of aromatic zest and ripe stone fruit in the mouth. A wine that sings of spring: ripe, energetic and earthy. It’s also savoury with a long finish, so a great pairing for lamb (another of New Zealand’s great exports). Quite literally The Don of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, this guy shows that big, brash new world reds can be as refined as their new world counterparts. An exceptional bed partner for red meat. Made in the vineyard where the Game of Thrones crew party at weekends, this natural, complex Croatian red (made with the plavac mali grape – think tobacco, leather, black fruit), shows just how seriously we should be taking Croatian wines. It's Californian, so predictably fresh and lively.

Perfect with chicken (and a tan). With a cold stone mouth feel and lemon verbena nose, this intensely dry wine is almost austere. Burgundy doesn’t come at much better value than this: think the best of Meursault and Chablis, at a pinch of the price. A big, sweet, blushing Australian rose with, let’s face it, a brilliant name. It’s unexpectedly fresh, fruity and expressive – a winner at barbecues. A knockout pure syrah from the Northern Rhone with notes of bramble, pepper and a long-lasting palate. Its Latin name translates to “beverage with beneficial effects” – we’ll take that. This is the 40th vintage rosé to be released by Moet, and it’s a real corker (pun intended). Expect gingerbread, red stone fruit, rose petals and high minerality. As romantic as it looks. As rock ‘n roll as its name sounds, this is a punchy blend of syrah, grenache, cinsault and old vine carignan that expresses the personality of its maker, who built his estate in the Languedoc from nothing.

This wine’s almost aggressive depth of ruby colour belies its delicacy. Black fruits and sweet spice combine in a great value example of Portugal’s punchy reds. Absurdly good value for a 10-year-old wine. Complex interplay between limey fruit and toasty vanilla. The ideal aperitif, this saline, light, dry sherry is a perfect bed partner for salted almonds and nibbles, come rain or shine. As its name suggests, this is a wine for good company, complete with a screw top for easy access. Rich dark fruit – blueberries, blackberries – with a boost of mocha, too. It’s a heart breaker. This is an award-winning Californian Zinfandel blend – deep, complex, handsome – and needs to be tasted to be believed. We first tried this at The Palomar in London’s Soho, where it blew our minds alongside mezze and mushroom polenta. A fine, peppery syrah with round red fruit, boosted by 15% cabernet sauvignon. A typically peculiar wine from the Jura region of France, this savagnin’s oxidised character is more like a sherry than a traditional white wine.

A brilliant pairing for mountain cuisine – beef or dairy – and best of all for after dinner, with hard cheeses like comte. A juicy Monastrell sourced from old bush vines planted way up in the mountains near Alicante. Pure and simple, and all the better for it. Produced from fruit exclusively grown on a 380-hectre bodega still owned by one of the Rioja region's founding families. Full, rich and very spicy. This little beauty is a classic South Australian shiraz, somehow managing to be dense and robust, yet refreshing. Flavours run the gamut, from milk chocolate to bone marrow. Whatever you do, drink this with meat. If you ever wondered what advocates of natural wine mean when they describe a wine as “funky farmyard”, look no further. This also has a deep, confected character like burnt toffee and toasted nuts - infinitely moreish. Vermentino is the fresh, famously unstuffy white grape of Sardinia, and this one from the island’s east coast promises to be a supportive backing singer to a pasta or seafood headliner.

Cabernet Franc is a notoriously tricky grape, though not in this instance. Full flavoured (red fruit and grass), medium-bodied, lightly-priced. A good introduction to Loire Valley reds. The best kind of weeknight wine: under a tenner, like velvet in the mouth and violets on the palate, and a happy accompaniment to dinner and a boxset. This is a 'natural' dry white that smells of wool and honey. Drinks like a lightly fortifed Port, so goes well with any chocolate desserts.  The noble sparkling wine from Piemonte. Winemaker Alfredo Currado was the first to champion both single vineyard Barolo and this oft-frowned-upon sweet sparkling wine. The perfect aperitif or dessert drink. If you like red wines with mature tannin and high intensity, this will deliver. A classically Argentine blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, expect black fruit, chocolate and tobacco – the ultimate wine for steak. A wine that comes complete with the most curious tasting notes we’ve ever read, ranging from ‘Oscar Wilde in a glass’ to ‘Benolyn, hospital corridors, figs and raisins.’

The peachy, floral torrontes has a small but growing niche on UK soil. This is a great lunching wine, a fresh, tropical and lightly perfumed companion for quinoa, fish and salads. Spanish reds don’t begin and end with Rioja. The purple-hued, super-concentrated red blends from Priorat are the darlings of Catalonian winos, and this big, aromatic example will go down a treat with roast chicken. This southern Rhone style blend from South Africa’s Western Cape has become something of a cult classic in recent years, possibly due in part to its accurate moniker. Chocolatey and immensely indulgent, you’ll feel treated by this one. Arguably Spain’s best white grape, albarino thrives in the maritime climate of Galicia in the north-west. This one has a typically light to medium body, high acidity and is, frankly, glorious with (or without) seafood. One of the lesser-known grapes of Piemonte, Arneis produces delicate, aromatic white wines, of which this – made by one Luca Faccenda in the Roero Valley – is a stunning low-intervention example.