We’re all familiar with the health risks of alcohol consumption, but on the flip side of the tee total argument is a valid body of research which gives us the leverage, to some extent, to enjoy the odd alcoholic beverage... with ‘enjoy’ being the operative word. If we’re talking specifics (both in terms of drink types AND quantities) then you’ll be pleased to know that all the findings point to Champagne as the best tipple of choice... and three glasses a week at that. This is according to researchers at the University of Oxford AND Columbia, no less! So....the drink that is ordinarily the reserve of special occasions might actually have a case for being enjoyed even without a cause for celebration. A reason to celebrate in itself, perhaps? . As for the mechanisms for this effect, the proposal is that these are two pronged. Aside from the health benefits of improved social cohesion - an important buffer against mental and physical illness - champagne may also help keep you sharp by other mechanisms, mainly owing to special compounds found in Pinot noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. These benefits were proved in an experiment at Reading University in 2013, where scientists gave some rats champagne every day for six weeks, then got them to complete a maze. Without drinking champagne, the rats had an average success rate in the maze of 50%, but that increased to 70% after some bubbly. Proof, if ever it was needed, that moderate consumption of champagne has the potential to influence cognitive functioning. But, as always, moderation is key! As Winston Churchill once said, “a single glass of champagne imparts a feeling of exhilaration…. A bottle produces the opposite”, and we’d just so happen to agree! 📸 Celebrating the launch of the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Terrace at Cliveden House