I have written in this space about the confusion and dismay created by conflicting statements from medical experts about whether drinking wine is good or bad for you. Tests, trials and long-term studies have been conducted for decades, and a large body of facts have accumulated showing that moderate drinkers (one or two glasses of wine with food) live longer and are healthier than both those who drink no alcohol and those who drink to excess (five or more glasses a day). And now we have the World Health Organization (WHO) saying that alcohol can cause cancer and therefore one should abstain completely.Since this recent negative position taken by WHO has become known, there has been a surge of new research that is beginning to reaffirm that moderate drinking is safe and good for you. One source in favor of moderate consumption, rather than abstention, is Dr. Laura Catena, a fourth-generation Argentine vintner and medical doctor educated at both Stanford and Harvard. She also founded the Catena Institute of Wine in Mendoza, Argentina, an area that can, perhaps, be called the Napa Valley — no, the Willamette Valley — of Argentina. #placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');When Dr. Catena addressed the 2024 Ohio Grape and Wine Conference, she said she intended to continue drinking wine in moderation regardless of the WHO’s negative stance. Dr. Catena stressed informed individual decision-making based on close involvement with your doctor who knows your medical history. (I admit to being a somewhat biased fan of Laura Catena who I met years ago at a Portland wine-tasting of her family’s Malbec and other fine wines. This smart and attractive Argentinian charmed me by demonstrating a gaucho folk dance as I sipped her wine!). I suggest you do as I do: discuss with your own doctor your lifestyle and habits and get their professional opinion on alcohol’s place in your life.• • •You who know me from this column or our meetings in the town square (otherwise known as Fred Meyer), know how much I enjoy visiting the great outdoors of a beautiful vineyard. This month of May has been the annual Oregon Wine Month officially, but it is just the start of great summer vineyard-visiting weather. Pack a picnic when you go tasting. Get the maps to direct you from the pages of the Oregon Wine Press, the free magazine you can pick up at the chamber of commerce office or local wine shops, such as Grocery Outlet, Nye Beach Wine Cellar or McKay’s Market. The pleasures received from visiting are also experienced by your hosts. We must support our Oregon wineries and vineyards, especially during these times of political disruption and instability.• • •Christina and I eat a healthy diet so we can enjoy long treks on the beach and visiting those vineyards. The heart-healthy Mediterranean diet is one we follow very closely: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, fish, poultry, low fats, and red wine while limiting sweets, processed foods and red meat. We are good about making our favorite meals in quantity so we can freeze the leftovers and revisit them later. This was the case the other night when we thawed out some of Christina’s terrific eggplant parmesan and served it with a bottle of Clos d’Argentine Malbec. This was not a Catena, but a serviceable $7 Malbec from Grocery Outlet. Not overly acidic, the fruit flavors (blackberry) and even a chocolaty finish meshed nicely with the two cheeses and the olive oil-primed eggplant. I added a big green salad that I like to throw together with at least five ingredients, and I was reminded that I would not have a problem becoming a vegetarian if it ever became medically necessary.Cheers!Joseph Swaffordjcswaff56@gmail.com googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });