Wine & Health — Sipping Your Way to Wellness
February’s WAG meeting was, by any measure, a triumph — and if the dancing at the end was anything to go by, the feeling was unanimous. The hosts Mac and Roger delivered one of their genuinely illuminating afternoons yet, with a theme that had everyone sitting a little straighter in their chairs: Wine & Health. As it turns out, we’ve all been on a health programme for years and simply didn’t realise it.
It was a particularly warm afternoon for welcomes. Helen McClure returned to the fold — a familiar and very welcome face from 2024 — while Mike and Linda Smith and Tanya Evans joined us for the very first time. We hope they’ll be regulars soon.
And a special mention to Nigel Bentley, whose February birthday was celebrated in fine WAG style, complete with a square of carrot cake and a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday.
The Wines
Four wines, four regions, four very good reasons to feel entirely virtuous. Mac and Roger took us on a whistle-stop tour of the Mediterranean wine map — all purchased from Casa del Vino in Javea.
The afternoon tasting opened with the Mas Picosa Blanc de Negres 2023 from Catalonia — a white wine made entirely from red Garnacha Tinta grapes, which raised more than a few eyebrows and even more glasses. Next came the Alma Rosata from Italy — a bright, crisp rosato that had the ladies vindicated by science (apparently women are genuinely better wine tasters; who knew?). The first red of the afternoon was the Aovanza Mencía 2023 from Galicia — Spain’s answer to Pinot Noir, elegant and effortlessly drinkable. And afternoon closed in style with the
Brote Tinto from Valencia — an organic red that is, we were assured, kinder to all of us than the alternative.
Health, Harmony & the WAG Tune
Throughout the afternoon, our beloved WAG theme song kept everyone in perfect order — Pavlov’s bell, but with considerably better production values. Mac and Roger wove in the science of polyphenols, resveratrol, the Mediterranean diet, and a handful of genuinely handy wine tips (salt in the ice bucket — try it), all delivered with the warmth and wit that makes these afternoons so special.
After the raffle, the WAG1 tune struck up one final time — and this time, nobody sat down. Members took to the floor with real enthusiasm, and the February meeting ended exactly as it should: glasses raised, feet moving, and everyone in fine spirits.
