Feminist wine club raises money with spirits

November 7, 10:30 AMSacramento Nutrition ExaminerAnne Hart

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Now there’s an easy, enjoyable, non-intimidating way for women to learn about wine, build community, and support women winemakers and causes as well. The Feminist Wine Club, by Bottlenotes and the California National Organization for Women, brings fabulous women-made wines to women’s doorsteps each month, according to the NOW press release, "Feminist Wine Club Raises Money & Spirits - We'll Drink to That!"

Interestingly, a Danish study in 2002 showed that wine drinkers have higher IQs than beer drinkers. See the article based on the study,"Better psychological functioning and higher social status may largely explain the apparent health benefits of wine: a study of wine and beer drinking in young Danish adults." The Archives of Internal Medicine. 2002 Feb 11;162(3):364-5  published the study.           

That Danish study concluded, "Our data demonstrate that wine drinking is a general indicator of optimal social, cognitive, and personality development in Denmark. Similar social, cognitive, and personality factors have also been associated with better health in many populations. Consequently, the association between drinking habits and social and psychological characteristics, in large part, may explain the apparent health benefits of wine."

From a nutritionist's point of view, do wine clubs present health benefits and risks of wine as well as informational materials about wines, how they're made, and when and how to serve them with what types of food? What information is provided also is about the regions where wines are made. It's more than learning about wines or raising money. It's also a social gathering to make contacts and form connectedness with others based on interests in similar topics and current issues.

The Feminist Wine Club provides information and education, knowledge about wines. Whether they’re poured out at a book club night, saved for a special wine tasting, or just enjoyed with a good dinner, the Feminist Wine Club will help subscribers learn about fabulous regional and varietal boutique wines while connecting members with each other, and with issues that matter to women across the state and country.

Feminist Wine Club members can also read and store wine tasting notes in their free online wine cellar (My Wine Cellar), register for wines they want, and sign up for The Daily Sip™ to get a free daily dose of wine knowledge (think Daily Candy for wine), featuring winemakers, wine regions, wines, celebrity wine lovers and chefs, wine tips and gadgets.

Started by Alyssa Rapp and Kim Donaldson, Bottlenotes is the premier online wine community, where wine enthusiasts come to learn about wine, share wine tasting notes, and buy great boutique and estate wines from around the world.

The California National Organization for Women (CA NOW) is the largest state organization of feminists, both women and men, in the United States. It is made up of 40 chapters throughout the state, representing over 75,000 members and supporters. The agenda of CA NOW also includes the vision of true social, political and economic equality for all women. We believe that if every woman can be assured these basic requirements she will have a fair chance at a life of quality and equality.

There are two sides to every story about the health benefits versus the risks of drinking wine. To read about the risks of drinking wine or any other form of alcohol, read the article, "Is Wine Healthy or Do Wine Drinkers Have a Healthier Lifestyle that Has Nothing To Do With the Wine?"

The article reports, "Andrew Weil, M.D., internationally recognized expert on health, suggests that grape juice may prove to be healthier than wine because a study found that after drinking nonalcoholic wine, the catechin, an antioxidant flavonoid, remained for almost an hour longer in the blood than when drinking the alcoholic wine. His added comment was that although grape juice doesn't appear to boost your HDL, regular aerobic exercise can be added. Exercise, diet (including fruits and vegetables), and meditation are safer ways to improve one's health without the added risks when drinking wine."