Nick’s WNSW: Tannat, the perfect grape for the end of dry January!

Over the Christmas period I had the misfortune to watch “The Da Vinci Code”. The film contained this outrageous character called Silas, a mad murderous monk. After each of his wild transgressions he sought atonement for his sins through self flagellation. This got me thinking; after Christmas we all channel our inner Silas a bit and although we don’t self flagellate (hopefully!) we do focus on a bit of correction with things such as “dry January “ and joining the gym and that sort of thing.

I was made aware though of an alternative way of addressing the health issue. A good customer gave me a book  written by a Dr. E. Maury entitled “Your Good Health”. It’s a fascinating book. Dr. Maury suggests that if you’re struggling with constipation for instance, then 3 glasses of Sauternes is far superior to fibre for sorting you out. Likewise a glass of Champagne is great for indigestion and if chronic osteoarthritis is getting you down then a glass of Minervois will have you up and dancing again. Easy to be seduced by Dr. Maury’s remedies no? Maybe but I did feel we were crossing into the Simpson’s Dr. Nick Riviera territory a little.

I was in need of a Tony Blair “third way” so I decided to do what we were constantly told to do during Covid and follow the science. This came via Professor Roger Corder of Queen Mary University. Professor Corder was fascinated by the longevity of lives in various parts of the world including south west France and the possible reason for this longevity. After lengthy research he felt that diet, including the wine, was behind it. One of the key contributors was the grape Tannat, a major grape in the South West. The grape has thick skins and has, therefore, a high concentration of antioxidants in particular a compound called Procyonidin which has a number of health benefits including lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease and improving cognitive function.

So our restorative Wednesday Night Sausage Wine this week is the delicious Don David Tannat from Argentina. Although it doesn’t come from France the principle of the healthy grape is still there. It’s a full bodied wine with dark fruit, cloves and a hint of chocolate. We had it with a favourite winter warmer, a Toulouse sausage cassoulet (Professor Corder would approve!) It went well and, of course, was a healthy option. It was a much nicer way of atoning for any excess.

I’m not saying that the Tannat is a health drink of course, everything in moderation and all that but it needn’t be as Silas like as it sometimes is. I would rather take my advice from someone religiously more eminent than Silas; Saint Paul for instance. Saint Paul, in his letter to Timothy, advised him to “take a little wine for thy stomach’s sake.” Sound advice indeed. 

At £13.99 the Don David Tannat is a touch more expensive than our usual sausage wine but can you really put a price on health!  

Your Good Health!

Nick