{"id":7078776,"date":"2026-10-07T01:50:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T01:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776"},"modified":"2026-10-07T01:50:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T01:50:28","slug":"how-to-fall-off-the-wagon-gently","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776","title":{"rendered":"How to fall off the wagon, gently."},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Wine cheers the sad, revives the old, inspires the young, makes weariness forget his toil.<\/em> ~ <\/span>Lord Byron<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBehold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards. There it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.\u201d<\/em> So quipped Benjamin Franklin, who as we all know, was widely celebrated for his intellectual wit, scientific curiosity, and sharp political acumen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/p>\n
\"\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

<\/a>

From <\/span>Flights of Fancy, <\/em>1831 \u2014 British Library archive<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Although Franklin was by no means a teetotaler, he deplored drunkenness as \u201ca very unfortunate Vice.\u201d He was committed to the virtue of moderation, going so far as to publish a <\/span>Drinkers Dictionar<\/a>y<\/span><\/em>\u2014amusing expressions about the dangers of drinking to excess\u2014in <\/span>The Pennsylvania Gazette<\/em> in 1737.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s point was obvious. Wine is better than liquor. Less wine is better than more. Which can be extrapolated to mean lower alcohol is best. And imbibing in moderation is best of all. Okay, I can buy into that \u2026in moderation.<\/p>\n

Of course, as astutely summarized by a Googlebot (move over Ben!), \u201c<\/span>Alcohol is critical to the flavor, body, and overall structure of traditional wine, acting as a key component in its balance, texture, and ability to carry aromas. It provides a subtle sweetness, viscosity, and a warming sensation that defines the wine\u2019s mouthfeel. However, it is the balance of alcohol with acidity and tannins, not the alcohol level alone, that makes a wine taste \u201cgood.\u201d\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Which pretty much throws the onus back on the winemaker. How low can you go with ABV (alcohol by volume), and still make good wine? All judgement aside concerning highly-touted rants from arguing factions on the number of drinks per day versus ill effects, resveratrol and other polyphenolic antioxidants positing healthy effects, Mediterranean diets and French Paradoxes (hell, all the paradoxes!)\u2014for me ABV has become an essential question as I strive to discover true balance in wine, for only that begets a genuine sense of well-being, which is what this whole thing is all about.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn vino veritas,\u201d <\/em>extolls Pliny the Elder.<\/span> <\/em>But still<\/span>, <\/em>I can\u2019t really solve that question personally for anyone. To each his\/her own. But the search for well-being is not really about the proverbial journey, rather it <\/span>is<\/em> the destination that counts. And I have the perfect, most delicious, happiness inducing, possibly even slightly titillating destination. Go to <\/span>tinyvineyards.com<\/a> and scroll down to find the 2025 Daniel\u2019s Pride Albari\u00f1o. There you may find Nirvana, grasshopper.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/p>\n
\"\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

I first encountered Albari\u00f1o a couple of years ago over a bowl of <\/span>“<\/strong>chowdah<\/span>“<\/strong> at the Little Whale Oyster Bar in Boston\u2019s Back Bay. Only the bottle said <\/span>Alvarinho, <\/em>which is what it\u2019s called in Portugal, only delineated by a thin border line on the map from the exact same area of land fronting the Atlantic Ocean in the northwestern part of Spain\u2014same grape, same terroir, same wine. This was only a year after I had an epiphany over <\/span>Vermentino<\/a> in Italy, and had declared the \u201cperfect white wine\u201d designation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Albari\u00f1o certainly earns that designation, and to me is like Vermentino\u2019s wild younger sibling. Sometimes described as sunshine in a glass, this is a white wine with a racy palate that is often slightly unhinged, yet oh so sophisticated. But it\u2019s only just now begun sneaking out of the house after curfew with help from an ever-increasing cadre of West Coast viticulturists\u2014bless their adventurous souls!\u2014growing Albari\u00f1o in local soils of sand and loam and decomposing granite (we found our grapes in the Sierra Foothills) which create a perfect American proxy for the coveted terroir of the Iberian Peninsula. <\/p>\n

Our Albari\u00f1o is very light and dry, extremely refreshing at only 11.5% alcohol, and delicately defined by flavors of peach and apricot, notes of melon, lime, and grapefruit, hints of maritime-influenced minerality, and zippy acidity. It\u2019s truly the ideal antidote for ennui and lassitude\u2014that forlorn sense of not-being\u2014which an entire month without wine can bring about, and a glass of Albari\u00f1o can vanquish!<\/p>\n

Find Your Sense of Well-Being Here<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

And for those of you who still claim to not like white wine\u2014buck up boys, once you\u2019ve had white you\u2019ll discover the might!\u2014we\u2019ve just released a 13% ABV Ros\u00e9 of Pinot Noir, and a 13.5% ABV Sangiovese, both low enough in alcohol to cushion that fall off the wagon while keeping you in good stead with Mr. Franklin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wine cheers the sad, revives the old, inspires the young, makes weariness forget his toil. ~ Lord Byron \u201cBehold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards. There it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.\u201d So […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7078777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6235,60351,14579],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7078776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-fall","tag-gently","tag-wagon"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to fall off the wagon, gently. - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to fall off the wagon, gently. - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Wine cheers the sad, revives the old, inspires the young, makes weariness forget his toil. ~ Lord Byron \u201cBehold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards. There it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.\u201d So […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-07T01:50:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!qpII!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7fb50aa3-0a12-46a0-9145-400356bf3d92_900x501.heic\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\"},\"headline\":\"How to fall off the wagon, gently.\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-07T01:50:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776\"},\"wordCount\":763,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2F7fb50aa3-0a12-46a0-9145-40035.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Fall\",\"Gently\",\"Wagon\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776\",\"name\":\"How to fall off the wagon, gently. - Som2ny Network\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2F7fb50aa3-0a12-46a0-9145-40035.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-07T01:50:28+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2F7fb50aa3-0a12-46a0-9145-40035.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2F7fb50aa3-0a12-46a0-9145-40035.jpeg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":501},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to fall off the wagon, gently.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"description\":\"Daily Deals\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":86,\"caption\":\"Som2ny Network\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to fall off the wagon, gently. - Som2ny Network","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to fall off the wagon, gently. - Som2ny Network","og_description":"Wine cheers the sad, revives the old, inspires the young, makes weariness forget his toil. ~ Lord Byron \u201cBehold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards. There it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.\u201d So […]","og_url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776","og_site_name":"Som2ny Network","article_published_time":"2026-10-07T01:50:28+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!qpII!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7fb50aa3-0a12-46a0-9145-400356bf3d92_900x501.heic","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371"},"headline":"How to fall off the wagon, gently.","datePublished":"2026-10-07T01:50:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776"},"wordCount":763,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2F7fb50aa3-0a12-46a0-9145-40035.jpeg","keywords":["Fall","Gently","Wagon"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776","name":"How to fall off the wagon, gently. - Som2ny Network","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2F7fb50aa3-0a12-46a0-9145-40035.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-10-07T01:50:28+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2F7fb50aa3-0a12-46a0-9145-40035.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2F7fb50aa3-0a12-46a0-9145-40035.jpeg","width":900,"height":501},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078776#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to fall off the wagon, gently."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","name":"Som2ny Network","description":"Daily Deals","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization","name":"Som2ny Network","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","width":300,"height":86,"caption":"Som2ny Network"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/fivemor.com"],"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7078776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7078776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7078776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7078777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7078776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7078776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7078776"},{"taxonomy":"dealstore","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fdealstore&post=7078776"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fofferexpiration&post=7078776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}