With the old year passing by and the New Year fresh in front of us, many of us have the tradition to set new goals and renew old commitments to health, family and career. As you do, you might want to consider the healthy benefits of a little red wine.

Now, this concept is nothing new. The Europeans have known about the healthy benefits of a glass or two of wine in the evening for a long time, but it wasn't until Gene Ford's seminal work on the benefits of drinking wine on a daily basis was part of an expose on CBS 60 Minutes in 1991 that the word began to spread in the U.S.

The 60 Minutes program entitled "The French Paradox" asked the question; "Why do the French eat all the things they shouldn't, smoke and never enter a gym, yet have dramatically less heart disease than Americans?" The answer for many American medical professionals is the consistent and moderate, consumption of red wine.

In Ford's latest work "The Science of Healthy Drinking", he expands on the subject and enlightens his readers. According to broad medical research, moderate wine consumption will benefit nearly every adult and help minimize such evils as angina, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, strokes, and gastro-intestinal problems, not to mention extending one's life expectancy.

Wow, that sounds wonderful and the actual research is quite impressive.

This was further reiterated during a panel sponsored by the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, where I heard several medical doctors—who are also winemakers— speak on the subject. Their voice was clear; they all agreed that wine, in moderation would benefit most adults. The panelists included our very own locals—Dr. Thomas Fogarty (Fogarty Winery, Santa Cruz), Dr. Ellen Mack (Russian Hill Winery, Sonoma) and Dr. Wells Shoemaker (Salamander Wine Cellars, Aptos) along with six others from the far reaches of the globe. It was a high energy dialogue with the audience eager to participate in a Q & A session. Gene Ford acted as the moderator for this impressive event and a wine tasting was enjoyed after the event.

Is a glass-of-wine-a-day a medical breakthrough? Maybe not. Anyone who has spent time in Europe (especially France and Italy) can attest to their shared casual attitude regarding food, wine, exercise and emotion. It's part of the fabric of their lives—their fathers made wine, their grandmothers bottled Limoncella. Everyone from the smallest to the oldest enjoyed a sip or two. They also enjoyed their food with "gusto" and walked everywhere.

I have no doubt that the moderate consumption of wine provides healthful benefits. But what I think is more remarkable is that we, in our American culture, need to have the medical community "bless" a certain practice before we can embrace it. The message to me is "relax already." Wine has been part of the human culture for a very long time. For many of us, this "news" is as old as our mothers telling us to "eat our carrots" and "sit up straight".

No one can debate the evils of any substance abuse and the price innocent individuals pay for the carelessness of others. However, in a free society we cannot guard against every malicious act by curtailing the rights of the law-abiding majority. Carbs are not the enemy, neither is wine. In fact, most cultures see wine as part of a healthy, common diet and as such they teach their children to respect boundaries.

As we enter this new year, whether or not you decide to make a glass or two a part of your daily dinner routine, consider this: if you are a healthy adult then relax about things. Give yourself more time. Smell the flowers and the merlot. Cheer on a marathon runner, applaud a third-grade choir, walk to the market and carry something home, sit in the grass, volunteer at Second Harvest, watch a sunset, tell a stranger "hello", slow down already.

Perhaps what is significant about the Europeans is their ability to "live the good life" and not worry as much as we do. Perhaps a glass of wine in the evening helps them to refocus on what is important, enjoy their meal and loosen their tongue to tell the important people in their life what they feel. Not such a bad plan. Of course, wine is not a necessary accoutrement to this behavior; but it does make it tastier.

For more information about the healthful benefits of wine, check out the works by Gene Ford, "The French Paradox" and "The Science of Healthy Drinking", published by the Wine Appreciation Guild as well as the following websites: www.alcholinformation.org, www.alcohol-aware.com, www.scienceofhealthydrinking.com, www.medicalfriendsofwine.org and www.wineinstitute.com.

Cara Finn is the owner of The Grapevine, a fine wine and cheese store and tasting bar. She can be reached at 408.293.7574 or at info@grapevine-wg.com.