Professional wine tasting is an extreme sport. Like an athlete, a wine pro’s body goes through a lot. And while the recommended guidelines for alcohol consumption are murky and ever-changing, we know one thing for sure: nothing about drinking 3,000 wines a year screams moderation.
This realization led wine reviewer Michael Alberty to reassess his chosen profession as he shared in a recent article for Wine Enthusiast. Spoiler: Alberty didn’t step away from wine. If anything, he leaned in.
After the New York Times food critic Pete Wells announced that he was stepping away from his post in an essay about how his profession impacted his health, other critics in the food and beverage space started talking about how their profession takes a toll on their bodies. This inspired Alberty’s own essay.
In this episode, we hear from Alberty himself on what it’s like to taste wine for a living and what it means for his health. He shares first-hand insight to his daily tasting routine, the unignorable implications it has on his physical health and how he manages it.
He also shares his experience finding balance on the extreme side of drinking—a gentle yet encouraging reminder that this looks different for everyone and at different periods of time, including the holiday season.
More Health Coverage
- Is a glass of wine a day good for you? We investigate.
- How many calories are in a glass of wine?
- Is Dry January the healthy move? Blue Zones’ Dan Buettner weighs in.
- Here’s a guide to buying better, healthier wines.
- We need to talk about the important role of sugar in wine.
- As Oregon wineries add ingredient and nutrition info to labels, will more follow?
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