Pharmacist and Dr. say it is O.K. to have one glass of wine for Christmas, what do you suggest?

If you would like to drink a glass of wine, and the Dr. and the pharmacist say ok, and alcohol has never been an issue in your life, might as well. It’s a lot better than a pitcher of Pepsi. Pepsi is not good for you in any way.

^ Ditto what @zenvelo has wisely suggested. If you want a glass of wine with your dinner, go for it. Your doctors and pharmacist know what meds you’re on and they’ve given you the okay. If you don’t want to drink – don’t! All good.

I also agree on the pitcher of Pepsi. That’s very bad for you and much worse than a glass of wine.

@Earthbound_Misfit @zenvelo Maybe a pitcher of Orange juice? Perhaps a Screwdriver (Vodka and Orange juice) and a pitcher of water.

I’d go with the Pepsi. I don’t think you will enjoy the wine.

I’m not sure about Canada but you should be able to bring your own bottle of sparkling cider or grape juice? Bit-O-The-Bubbly without alcohol.

Festive juice!

@talljasperman, if you don’t drink alcohol, why start now? Sometimes bartenders will do lovely non-alcoholic cocktails. Why not try even one different drink. You can always ask if they have a non-alcoholic cocktail you can try.

I know you’re trying to be healthier so if I were you, I’d drink water and just have one or two special drinks, whether they’re alcoholic or not. You want to try to keep your sugar consumption down. I know it’s Christmas so let yourself have a treat, but perhaps it could be the start of turning a new leaf. I love ice cold water. Put some sliced lemon in it. I’d rather drink that than any soft drink.

Someone suggested that I have a glass of night train wine. What does that taste like? it is a Flavored fortified wine

I don’t know what that is @talljasperman. Hopefully someone else will be able to give you some advice on what wines might be available to you.

Stay away from the orange juice, that’s worse than Pepsi as far as the sugar. And fortified wine is like an alcoholic version of Pepsi; full of sugar, and more alcohol than a regular wine. Your original idea is best, a nice glass of Pinot or Cabernet will go with a steak.

A really, really big glass.

Fill it with a Silverado Sangeovaise.

You’re a big boy, have the wine, whatever you want. You don’t need us to guide you. Pepsi, wine, OJ, Tequila…go for whatever strikes your fancy.

Night Train is what I drank in High School. Whoever suggested that is fucking with you. It is basically hobo wine. Very cheap and it fucks you up and it tastes like shite.

As long as your doctor says a glass won’t screw with your meds I don’t see the harm. A glass on the rare special occasion isn’t going to turn you into a alcoholic. And drinking is kinda a social thing so it might be nice to have what everyone else is having so you feel a bit more included in the group.

The pitcher of pepsi for a decade is what gave my mom type 2 diabetes. You do not want it. It is pretty horrible. She has to constantly watch her diet and if she fucks up they amputate her feet.

And that past Pepsi makes it so she can’t eat the foods she loved in the past even though she stopped drinking the pepsi. It is like a tipping point. Once you go over it you can’t undo it. Now she snacks on cabbage all day instead of Doritos and if it wasn’t for the two liters of Pepsi a day for a decade she could probably be eating doritos.

@johnpowell is right. Diabetes can be really horrible. You should really reduce your Pepsi consumption. Didn’t you say on one question a while ago that your teeth are bad? I would refrain from Oj as well. That also has a ton of sugar in it.

Anyway, I find red wine to be an acquired taste. I enjoy both white and red but I had to work my way up to red. I started drinking at home when I was 18, and I don’t think I really started to enjoy red wine until I was 22/23. Before that, I didn’t like the taste.

It seems that this is true for other people I know. So with that in mind, I don’t recommend first time or non drinkers to start with a glass of red wine. You will likely not like the taste.

If you really, really want to try wine this holiday though, I suggest a white wine, but not a dry one. You seem to have a sweet tooth, judging by your Pepsi consumption so I’d stick with sweet. Late season Riesling. Or get a small glass of dessert-y ice wine. Ice wine tends to be very sweet and delicious. I had one a year ago that tasted like liquid raspberries.

Forget the wine, just get a good stout beer.

Why not have a glass of apple or orange juice instead?

I’m not really a white person, and when I do drink wine, it’s never a white, rose, blush, or anything that it’s darker than blood. I am rather fond of Carmenere, especially Cassilero del Diablo‘s version but most places don’t have that, so I only drink wine at home as a result.

Belgian-style ale is more my thing, and most of what Unibroue offers is nice. I am particularly fond of Don de Deux, but usually wind up with the (slightly heavier-tasting) La Fin du Monde. Unlike the horse-piss that most people try to call “beer”, a good ale won’t make you want to rip your taste buds out.

Things not to drink: Mad Dog, Night Train, Boones Farm, Thunderbird, or Wild Irish Rose.

One glass…Right

http://www.drinkstuff.com/products/product.asp?ID=12961

Enjoy

Vampire Wine is excellent…

Well, but you can’t buy just one glass of wine.

I agree with @Coloma have whatever you want and most of all enjoy it.

A pitcher of Pepsi?! Holy diabetes, Batman.

I personally think wine is disgusting and would never blindly order a glass of red wine at a restaurant without having tasted it first. Too expensive for something I’ll probably hate.

That being said, drink whatever you want.

In the Bible it says a little wine is OK. (Timothy, somewhere, I think.)

@Dutchess_III

Plenty of restaurants (which the TC indicated he will be going to) sell wine by the glass.

Oh, he did, didn’t he. My bad. I’m glad he’ll be at a steak house. Sure, have a glass of wine! But just one.

I do agree with the suggestions that you might not like wine. Unless you know you like wine, it’s possibly not your best choice. I love red wine now, but my palate has developed. I started off drinking white wine and even then, white wines can be a bit hit and miss. Red wine is certainly an acquired taste.

@talljasperman I might not be as familiar as others are here with your health issues. But if your doctor says go for it, you could certainly give it a shot!

Any place that sells wine by the glass should be able to let you try a sample first. If it’s a wine that they’re selling by the glass, the bottle is already open. They’ll usually bring you about a sip so you can see if you like it. Then if you do, you can order a full glass. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice.

The traditional pairing for a steak is a heavy red wine like cabernet sauvignon. But if you like sweets enough to drink an entire pitcher of pepsi, then a red wine might not be sweet enough for you.

Red wines have a chemical in them called tannins, which has a mildly astringent effect. You could kind of compare it to drinking black tea that has been steeping too long, unsweetened dark chocolate, or black coffee. Along with that, red wine usually tastes like ripe berries or jam, but not sweet.

Also a pitcher of pepsi is a really excessive amount of soda. That’s bananas!

@filmfann I’ve tried that, it is good. If you ever run across it, you might also like Ferrari-Carrano Siena. It’s a California blend where sangiovese is the main ingredient. Sangiovese from the US is a really unique flavor.

@jerv Carmenere is awesome! And it is hard to find on restaurant wine lists. At my store we have a wine that’s a blend of carmenere and cabernet franc. It’s so peppery and herbaceous that it will like clear your sinuses.

Who’d a thunk it, wine connoisseurs on Fluther!

@Haleth I’m not so sure. I drink about a 6-pack of Pepsi a day myself, yet still like a good ale. But yes, I know some people who, not all of whom have a sweet tooth, who will only drink the sugary alcohol; Manischewitz, wine coolers, “desert” wines, Zima…. that sort of stuff.

Wondering why you have abstained so long.. and why you want to change that now. If you have a history with addiction… well one glass may be enough to take you back… but not necessarily if it was due to a medical condition or drugs you are on… well if the doc and pharmacist green light it as long as you know you will stay within the limit you are good to go.

If it is because you don’t like losing control make sure to sip the wine having a glass of water to intersperse with it and have a full meal besides you will probably get buzzed but not unduly.

I don’t think the OP said anything about addiction. Maybe I missed something.

I was wondering that as well. Perhaps it has something to do with the medication he’s on.

That’s what I assumed. He said pharmacist and doctor.

I don’t drink and several years ago someone pointed out to me that people will assume I am an alcoholic. I almost find that funny. Definitely ironic.

I didn’t assume I posited several reasons. It seems pertinent to know the reason why one hasn’t drank in so long before we can give an opinion as to if a person should or shouldn’t imbibe.

I don’t drink either and I’m not or wasn’t an alcoholic. So it is not a conclusion I or assumption I naturally make.

^^You weren’t the only one mentioning it. I was just talking in general.

I would think an alcoholic would know better. I also think an alcoholic would know exactly what they want to drink if they decided to cheat one day.

@Unbroken Well, it helps if you know @talljasperman a bit. The more you know, the less you have to assume.

@JLeslie Why would someone assume you’re an alcoholic? Based on what?

@Dutchess_III Because some people don’t understand why some people don’t drink. The type of person who drinks whenever they get the chance often have an alcoholic in their family if they aren’t one themselves. The only people in those families who don’t drink at a party or dinner out usually are recovering alcoholics. I wouldn’t say most people assume I am an alcoholic, I would only say there are some people who might.

I actually had a relative who in her mid 20’s couldn’t deal with the peer pressure from a few of her friends (she didn’t go out with them often) and finally just told them she was an alcoholic so they would leave her alone about drinking. As an adult I’ve never had people be so annoying when I don’t drink.

Oh, I see. And you are right.

Rick and I have a friend who is older than us. He said he quit drinking because “I get to seeing double and thinking single!” Yeah, he’s been married for umpteen years. I can imagine him getting into serious trouble if he drinks, because he can be a total asshole sober.

@all I had one half glass of Pepsi. I went to a Chinese buffet. Tomorrow I will order a pizza and root beer to last 2 days.

Nobody said you HAVE to drink wine or alcohol, right? Drink what you enjoy and everything in moderation. The most important thing is that you feel safe and happy. I’ve been away from the group for a while, but I’m hoping you are keeping well and I wish you a very Happy New Year!