There’s been a fair few reports in the last week, including one on how it is the mother, rather than the father’s drinking habits that shape how our children will drink in 20 years time (based largely on the fact that fathers drink in the pub, mothers at home). There was the one about baby boomers being the biggest drain on NHS resources in terms of alcohol-related illnesses. And then there was the one about alcohol misuse being a silent epidemic in families. It usually appeared with a photo of a mother with a glass of wine in hand. The message was very clear: only bad mothers drink.
But here’s the thing. I am at home, having a glass of wine at the end of the day, when the children are in bed. I’m drinking that wine because I love the taste of it, not for the hit. If I wanted a hit, I’d go to net-a-porter. Obviously it is a question of how much/how often but if we continue to demonise wine drinkers, even the responsible ones; now that’s a drinking problem.
Current white in the fridge: Principe Strozzi Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2011, £8.99, Laithwaites
Book club last night, so this was one from our case of wine kindly provided by Donna at Laithwaites (thank you)! Actually, last night’s book club was quite something: the man who wrote the book came to talk to us. I can highly recommend Wee Davy (that’s the book, not the author). The wine also comes highly recommended. Fresh, lemony white made from the Vernaccia grape in Tuscany. It was just so refreshing simple, but with real flavour. I think even Wee Davy might have approved, and he’s a two-foot foul-mouthed septuagenarian Scotsman.
Current red in the rack: Errazuriz Estate Shiraz Reserve 2011, £7.49 on offer, Waitrose
Shiraz (or Syrah as it is often called in France and other old world countries) is a peppery number, usually coming with a good measure of blackcurrant-like fruit. This one is from one of my very favourite producers from Chile. Errazuriz is big, and clever. They have vineyards in the northern Aconcagua Valley region, where the long growing season means lots of flavour in the grapes. And they have got a bit of a thing for Shiraz. Taste this and you can tell.
Cheers, dears x
Maybe you should become the Bad Mothers' Wine Club…
I'm in.
Loving that!
Applications approved x
I'm in too, sits nicely alongside my plan to be the best mother at unparenting!
Forgot to take that article home with me…have you still got it?
Great posting! I love wine and thank you for sharing this great information. PositionRealty.com
Er, thanks.
Well that's me in the bad mother's wine club too then! Great post, so very true.
Glad you agree…seems like a misfire, no?
I drink wine very frequently, but I never get pissed. That's not why I drink it.
It's quite annoying that the male drinking habit, which has ripped families apart in the past, is being swept under the carpet here.
Totally agree…
Totally agree. We drink wine, but we choose it with care and often spend quite a lot of money on it. I hope our children see that and learn that it's something to be respected and enjoyed and not abused. By the way, Errazuriz is one of my all time favourites.
So it is! And glad you agree, annoying to same old story wheeled out…
Yes, I'll join the Bad Mother's wine club too 🙂
I have been to San Gimignano and enjoyed many of the whites they make – not all at once I hasten to add but they remain firm favourites of mine. Now to try Laithwaites Principe Strozzi – what a lovely name 🙂
I bet you pronounce it beautifully 😉
If all Mums got regularly sozzled,
then where would our poor husbands be?
Not down the pub getting hammered,
but home cooking all our kids tea!
Now there's a thought!
Ah gotta love a bit of gender stereotyping…
And always nice to see mothers being blamed for everything… again…
Ha ha…exactly. More guilt, bring it on.
Helen totally agree and I also read that article, the fact is if you drink responsibly and lead by example, hopefully our children will grown up to also drink in moderation and enjoy rather than binge drink…
WLM – knew you'd get it! x
Oh well, I guess I'd better face up to the fact that I'm a bad mother too. There's obviously no hope for me. I'm already too far down the bottle of Shiraz!
No hope for you then..:)
i'm in too sis..
knackered/bad mother's drinking club founder member x
miss yooooooou x
Hmm. My mum never drank a drop, except a sherry on Christmas. Now I drink wine every night after the kids are in bed. Am I normal? Is my mum? 😉
Ha ha…I'd say you are more normal! x
Pah, just another prop to bash middle-class mothers over the head with. I bet the journos coming up with crap are just typing lazy copy trying to sort out their own hangovers!
Ha ha! Think you might be right…