Champagne: health benefits and harms

Each festive event - be it romantic dates, festivities, opening ceremonies or victory and triumphs - is accompanied by sparkling wine, which amuses and fills with sparks the joys of all those present. Is there any benefit from a wine drink or does it harm the body? Who can drink champagne and how to do it right - we will consider further.

Types of champagne

Sparkling wine prepared according to special recipes is distinguished by strength and sweetness, as well as depending on the grape variety from which the product is made. Champagne is white and pink, sweet, semisweet and dry.

High-quality champagne is made from good varietal grapes without artificial addition of alcohol, carbon dioxide and extraneous components. Only expensive elite sparkling wine can be considered beneficial for the body when used correctly. It does not bring noticeable harm. It is recommended to refuse to use low-grade drinks.

What is the difference between champagne and sparkling wine

Strictly speaking, the difference between champagne is only in the area of ​​its production. In the French province of Champagne, quality grapes are grown and several well-known varieties of the drink are made - Pinot noir, Pinot munier and Chardonnay.

All other drinks of the same type that are produced in Europe or other parts of the world should be called sparkling wines. The quality of the product depends on compliance with the technology of its production, the class of feedstock, as well as the storage conditions of alcohol.

Composition and calorie content

Champagne and sparkling wine are produced with the addition of a special type of yeast wine mushroom, which allows the drink to ferment properly and form characteristic gases. Sugar is added to the raw materials, but even so, the calorie content of the product increases slightly.

Champagne contains approximately 78–86 kcal per 100 ml, with up to 1.5 g of sugar and 0.3 g of protein. Grapes retain and release part of the nutrients during fermentation. So, in champagne or other sparkling wine contains potassium, sodium, magnesium, useful alkalis, B vitamins, antioxidants and polyphenols.

The drink is considered the lightest, from an energy point of view, alcohol, does not harm the figure and does not bring health problems with moderate consumption.

What is good for champagne

A wine drink, like its other brethren, is famous primarily for its high content of antioxidants, so champagne is often included in the rating of “healthy” alcohol. Of course, with heavy consumption, all alcoholic beverages are harmful and dangerous to the body. But in a moderate amount, champagne can also bring benefits - to each body in its own way.

For women

Ladies mainly appreciate the ability of champagne to prolong youth. The antioxidants contained in its composition cleanse the cells of the skin and organs of the decay products and remove toxins from the body. Champagne is involved in maintaining skin elasticity, increasing its elasticity, moisturizes tissues and accelerates cell renewal.

Also in small quantities, the drink stimulates the appetite, allowing you to enjoy the taste of diet foods. Champagne itself does not contain excess calories.Also, the drink pleasantly entertains and cheers up, relieves fatigue and helps fight stress.

Experts focus on the fact that each organism has a different effect on the drink, so it’s only possible to experimentally understand if champagne “suits” you.

For men

Although champagne is traditionally considered a ladies' drink with a light composition, you can enjoy it for a man. The benefit of drinking champagne cocktails is its positive effect on blood vessels. It can reduce pressure, expand the veins, and this, in turn, not only protects against heart disease, but also stimulates a healthy potency. Champagne is considered an aphrodisiac, able to create a mood for love.

The properties of a sparkling drink to control appetite will help not to overeat and more efficiently digest eaten food.

During pregnancy

During the period of bearing a child, doctors strictly forbid drinking even light alcohol. Even in small quantities, it can affect the formation of the organs and nervous system of the child, as well as provoke poisoning.

When breastfeeding

During lactation, drinking champagne is undesirable. In extreme cases, you can drink a drink 6-8 hours before feeding. If a young mother wants to relax and celebrate a holiday, it is recommended to prepare milk for the baby in advance, and after drinking light alcohol, let him completely get out of the blood in 12-14 hours, or even a day.

Strong alcohol in such cases is strictly prohibited. The same applies to regular drinking. Drinking champagne or dry wine should be an exceptional case, but not a system.

For children

Many parents believe that it is necessary to familiarize the child with the culture of drinking, starting with champagne. On the one hand, dry wine will be the best option, but on the other hand, children generally should not start drinking alcohol before they are 18–20 years old.

Someone will consider that in this way the body should gradually get used to alcohol, so that later it will be ready for strong alcohol. In fact, before the age of 20, the nervous and digestive systems have not yet become stronger, and drinking alcohol can lead to serious poisoning, and the notorious “addiction” can cause addiction even after small doses.

One can never say with certainty how the body will react to different doses of alcohol, since each has its own thresholds of sensitivity associated with genetics and a number of other factors.

If the family is determined to introduce the teenager to a drinking culture, it is better to start with wine or cider, 50 g each from 16–18 years old. Champagne can be consumed from 16 years on 1 glass no more than 1 time in 2 weeks, then the body will have time to remove toxins without harm.

In young children and adolescents, even champagne can provoke poisoning, vomiting and headache.

Can I drink champagne while losing weight

Sparkling wine is considered one of the diet drinks, so when losing weight should choose champagne.

Of course, you can’t get involved in alcohol in any case, especially during a period when the body does not receive the usual amount of food and especially fats, which protect the cardiovascular, digestive system and brain from absorption of alcohol and reduce its negative effect.

Drinking alcohol on diets is extremely undesirable, but in order not to deny yourself a holiday, it is worth choosing dry wine or sparkling brut at a gala event. These drinks have a minimum of sugar and alcohol, which also contains a lot of calories. These drinks are not only less energetically valuable, but also have a useful antioxidant effect, so that metabolism is not slowed down.

It is best to limit yourself to 1-2 glasses, then there will be no harm to the body.

Champagne in medicine

Everyone knows that alcohol, even mild, does a lot of harm to the body, and with excessive consumption it accumulates in the form of poison. Alcohol in itself is a provocateur of the development of many diseases, and in the presence of certain diagnoses it should not be consumed at all.

With diabetes

Experts warn that sparkling wines should not be consumed by people with diabetes. The drink affects the functioning of the pancreas and kidneys, upsetting the hormonal balance. If the blood sugar level is unstable or elevated, drinking champagne can lead to dehydration, worsening of the skin, headaches, loss of consciousness, and malaise.

Important: glycemic index of champagne from 0 to 15 units.

With pancreatitis

You can not drink sparkling wines for violations of the pancreas. The components of the drink stimulate the excessive production of digestive enzymes, which can lead to an exacerbation of the disease.

With gastritis

When the gastric mucosa is irritated, it is advisable to refuse sparkling wines so as not to provoke heartburn and an acid-base balance in the stomach.

With gout

An increased content of uric acid in the body implies a specific diet and refusal of alcohol under the threat of exacerbation of the disease and severe side effects.

White wines and champagne are considered relatively safe drinks for gout due to the reduced content of ethyl alcohol and antioxidant effect. At the same time, drinking is recommended to be combined with greens and other products that reduce the amount of purines.

If it is difficult for a patient with gout to give up alcohol on holidays, doctors recommend choosing homemade tinctures (for example, from rose hips) and light wine, in extreme cases - champagne.

With cholecystitis

If a person has abnormalities in the functioning of the choleretic pathways and a tendency to stone formation, the use of champagne should be abandoned. A drink can cause nausea, vomiting, painful attacks, and digestive upsets.

Champagne in cosmetology

There are luxury cosmetic procedures for rejuvenation using expensive varieties of champagne. The whole secret of the miraculous effect of the drink in antioxidants and vitamins in its composition, and they are present only in high-quality and properly seasoned raw materials.

There is a myth about champagne baths as an attribute of luxury and gloss. They have some truth: champagne is added to bathtubs with other useful components, but is often used for compresses and wraps so as not to overuse an expensive product.

A small amount applied to the skin and aged for some time is enough to stimulate collagen production, saturate cells with moisture, produce an antioxidant effect, eliminate decay products, cleanse and rejuvenate tissues, tighten the contours of the figure and increase the elasticity of the skin, eliminating traces of stress and fatigue.

Harm and contraindications

Alcohol with a low alcohol content is insidious in that it is drunk a lot. At the same time, ethanol compounds accumulate in the body, which destroy the internal cells of organs. First of all, champagne is harmful to the liver, and in addition, it can affect the blood vessels, leading to heart ailments and severe headaches.

From a large amount of drunk and when mixing drinks, a severe hangover syndrome with nausea, headache, vestibular disorders, severe intestinal gas formation and flatulence, impaired appetite and mood can occur.

Champagne affects the body in different ways. In some people with a sensitive nervous system, it causes apathy, depressive mood, nervous breakdowns, impaired attention and memory lapses.

Sparkling wine as a low-alcohol drink is often offered on holidays to pregnant women and children, believing that such alcohol does not bring much harm. In fact, it emits a sufficient amount of ethylene, harmful to the child's body. Drinking champagne during pregnancy can lead to severe toxicosis, malaise, and impaired fetal development. In children, it can cause poisoning and the appearance of alcohol dependence.

Also, you can not actively consume champagne in such conditions:

• depression, nervous breakdowns;
• lactation period;
• digestive disorders, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, cirrhosis or liver fibrosis;
• gastritis, colitis, hemorrhoids.

In the presence of other serious diseases, it is necessary to consult a doctor about the possibility of drinking sparkling wine and its doses.

How to choose and store champagne

Quality sparkling wine is always sold in glass bottles with a cork sleeve. Be sure to pay attention to the bubbles - they should be small and barely noticeable, about the same size. If bubbles are visible in the bottle as in mineral water - the product was aerated artificially, and it is far from high class.

The price of a good sparkling wine cannot be low, and the product must have quality marks on the packaging.

Champagne is stored in sealed bottles in an inclined state so that the cork is always moistened. When the sleeve dries, micro-holes may appear, due to which the sparkling wine is exhaled, and a dry cork may crumble upon opening. Drinks covered with plastic lids are considered base.

An open bottle with a drink is stored corked in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days. Do not freeze the product.

What to do if champagne is frozen in the freezer

If champagne is frozen, it should never be heated or subjected to a change in temperature. So, not only can a cork fly out, but also a bottle burst. To eliminate ice, a closed bottle is placed in cold water, this will avoid a sharp expansion of materials. When the drink becomes liquid again, it can be consumed or the bottle can be placed in the refrigerator compartment with a low plus temperature.

How to open champagne if the cork is broken

One of the simple and effective ways to gently open champagne is to lightly heat the cork. It is enough to bring a candle or a lighter to the glass, as a result the neck will expand a little - and the cork will carefully pop out. You need to be ready to catch the sleeve, and before heating, you should never shake the bottle so as not to provoke a shot and an abundance of foam.

If this method does not help, you can always turn to a corkscrew.

The bottle with the whole cork is opened slowly, with careful rotational movements, tilting to one side. To avoid foam, champagne is also poured at an angle of 45 °, turning the bottle slightly and letting a trickle of air get into the neck so that the liquid does not “spit out” with throws.

If the cork is broken, you can peel the bottle to knock it out.

How to make champagne from birch sap

Surprisingly, you can make champagne yourself. According to this interesting recipe, a gentle and light drink can be prepared from birch sap.

Structure:

• 1 liter of birch sap (fresh or canned);
• 0.5 g of citric acid - it is needed not only for taste, but also for the duration of storage;
• 200 g of sugar;
• 10 g of dark honey for color (optional);
• wine yeast or sourdough on raisins.

Homemade sparkling is prepared as follows:

1. The juice must be filtered from impurities and sediment, mixed with sugar and citric acid in an enameled container.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat and remove the foam so that there is no precipitate in the sparkling wine. After that, boil the liquid by a third - then the taste will be more saturated and pleasant.
3. After this, cool the liquid to room temperature, if necessary, filter and introduce the starter culture. The wort should be placed in a prepared container with a hydrolock for fermentation. You can use a medical glove (having poured talc from it), in which several holes must be pierced to remove excess gas.
4. After 10-12 hours, the liquid will ferment. It must be stored in the shade in a room with a constant temperature of 18–22 °. Fermentation will end in 3-4 weeks, when the foam disappears from the surface, the yeast precipitates, and the liquid stops bubbling.
5. The last stage is carbonization. To do this, mix the resulting product with 10 g of sugar and pour into 85–90% prepared prepared bottles, leaving a gap necessary to complete the fermentation process. Tightly close the container and store at room temperature for another 7-8 days, after which the sparkling wine will be ready.

The bottle must be stored in the basement or cellar, but you can leave it in the refrigerator. The shelf life of home-made sparkling wines is no more than 6 months.

The light drink is balanced in taste, it is perfect for dessert and main table and will appeal to everyone who does not like strong alcohol.

How to drink champagne

Drinking culture is an important component in taking alcohol. Only observing etiquette that has existed for many centuries and has been improved by modern connoisseurs can truly enjoy an unusual drink, reveal its delicate taste and benefit for the body.

Champagne is drunk from crystal glasses. Dessert, as a rule, is from wide, cocktail, and dry and semi-sweet - from high and narrow. Such dishes do not allow the bubbles to erode ahead of time and allows you to savor the drink in small sips.

Can I drink every day

Doctors strongly recommend that you avoid drinking alcohol regularly to prevent addiction. Dependence is developed even when drinking weak drinks in minimal quantities simply because of the constant flow of alcohol into the blood.

Useful tinctures or wines can be drunk no more than 2 times a week in reasonable doses. As for champagne - it is undesirable to get involved in sparkling wine so as not to provoke health problems. A fermenting drink can be drunk 1 time per week in 2 glasses without visible harm. If for 1 week there were several feasts - in the next 2-3 months it is worth giving up alcohol to cleanse the body.

What do you drink champagne with

It is customary to supplement a delicious spicy drink with desserts – aphrodisiacs - strawberries with cream, chocolate, ice cream creme brulee, pineapples, assorted fruits with nuts. But you can drink champagne at the table. It is ideal for white poultry, fish, seafood, fresh vegetable salads, cheese platter, julienne, French soup and even some Italian dishes.

Can I drink champagne after beer and wine?

As you know, combining different alcoholic beverages during a feast is very dangerous for the body. In such situations, it is recommended only to increase the degree, but not vice versa.

Regarding champagne, there is a separate warning. A drink often causes a headache and a hangover when drinking it heavily or when combined with other alcohol. It is best to refuse to mix different drinks.

Do not combine champagne with fortified, red wines and beer, this can cause problems with pressure, kidneys, as well as nausea and severe malaise. In an extreme case, after sparkling wine go to martini, cognac or port, avoiding cereal drinks.

The best champagne: rating

Among the sweet sparkling wines of an inexpensive category in Russia, Italian Bellavita La Marchesina is considered good - up to 500 rubles. and Canti Cuvee Dolce - 600 rubles. per bottle.

Of the expensive samples, you can pay attention to Cinzano Asti Spumante and Asti Martini, which are considered excellent (by 9 out of 10 points).

Among the semisweet sparkling available, the Russian variants Lev Golitsyn and Chateau Tamagne are distinguished - they get 6 points, which is equivalent to a "decent" mark.

In the more expensive segment - Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro from Italy and the New World Crimean - 800–900 rubles. per bottle.

The best dry sparkling wine from Italy in Russia is Casa Defra Prosecco.

Interesting facts about champagne

1. The pressure inside the champagne bottle is equal to the pressure in the tire of the London double-decker bus - more than 6 atmospheres.
2. Glasses for sparkling wine are not rubbed with a towel at all for a dazzling shine, but to leave microparticles of cellulose on their walls, due to which appetizing bubbles in the drink will be noticeable.
3. The most expensive champagne in the world is Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck, which was found at the bottom of the sea in 1997. One bottle of refined alcohol costs almost 300 thousand dollars, and only aristocratic families can afford such a luxury.
4. The wire on the champagne bottle that fixes the cork is called the muselet.
5. World Champagne Day is celebrated on August 4, this is the date the French captured as the opening day of a valuable sparkling drink. Its effect was initially considered collateral and undesirable until it was appreciated by the monarchs.

If you like a festive light drink - it is better to occasionally spoil yourself with only high-quality samples. Then you will get real pleasure and do not harm the body.

Champagne photo