CORUNA (SPAIN): Wine-drinking in Spain has reached alarming figures, with less than 20 litres (42 pints) a year per person, in a country which produces much more and is known for the quality of its wines.
Wine, as I noticed recently during a visit to one of my favourite bars in Coruna in northern Spain, has become a beverage for those above 40, or even 50 years of age. The very few younger people I saw had a pint of beer in front of them.
My generation was the generation of wine. That is what you would drink when going out with friends or at family meals.
Wine was always present in Spanish homes, for lunch and dinner. And in celebrations, even children would get a drop diluted in soda water.
Today things have changed. To begin with, tight schedules have put an end to family meals, whereas, in the olden days conversation was not stifled by the sound of a TV set.
Youths do not see wine at the table any more and do not drink at home, among other reasons because society has demonised alcohol consumption.
Warning advertisements, funnily enough, always show wine bottles and glasses and never other distilled spirits.
And anyone mentioning the need to introduce youths to the culture of wine will immediately be scorned by advocates of the politically correct and be accused of wanting to create a generation of alcoholics.
But wine is an essential part of Christian Western culture. It is inherent to the Mediterranean civilisation, to put it in layman's words.
Today, young people do not care for wine. That would be wonderful for moralists if it were not because they do not have tea or coffee instead, but resort to weekend binge-drinking of huge amounts of beer and stronger spirits on the streets.
Mankind will continue drinking alcoholic beverages even if Islamic law or the U.S. 18th constitutional amendment are imposed over the whole planet.
Our grandchildren will continue drinking. And it would be a tragedy, a cultural suicide, to drink anything except that gift of the gods which is wine. I drink a toast for that never to happen. A toast with wine, for wine.
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