ANY time now, in the interval between the departure of the Christmas angels and the arrival of the post-Christmas credit card bill, a sort of guilt-edged gloom descends, nasty and impenetrable as a January fog. We've spent too much, gorged ourselves silly on mince pies and bonhomie and, ah yes, consumed so many bottles of seasonal cheer that embarrassing late-night excursions have had to be made this week to the bottle bank. There is a sudden inclination to end it all - drinking, I mean - even before Lent is anywhere near. Resist it. You have your health to consider.
On the brink of Christmas, the recommended safe limits for alcohol consumption - for good health, not for driving - were revised upwards. They rose from 14 to 21 units a week for women and 21 to 28 units a week for men. These figures, set in Britain, are often quoted here. The implication is that we can now allow ourselves three or four standard-sized drinks a day without fear of unhealthy consequences. Tidings, of great joy, indeed - and a sign that, after years of reticence, the medical profession is at last prepared to acknowledge an awkward thesis. Alcohol, in moderation, may actually do us good. A tipple a day might just help to keep the doctor away.
Even more heartening, for wine drinkers, is the steadily increasing body of evidence to suggest that regular, moderate consumption of red wine may help to guard against coronary heart disease and some forms of cancer. The first major public pronouncement on this came over four years ago, in a CBS 60 minutes programme whose findings were eagerly swallowed by 22 million American viewers.
The programme, The French Paradox, asked why the French have a lower rate of coronary heart disease than is current in the United States, even though they consume heaps of saturated fats, smoke like chimneys and have a noted aversion to healthy exercise. The answer seemed to lie in red, wine, consumed in minor quantities with meals. Why only red wine? Apparently because the grape skins contain antioxidants which increase the level of "good" cholesterol in the blood - a substance which in turn helps to eliminate artery-clogging "bad" cholesterol.
Since that programme, red wine sales in the United States have shot up. On this side of the Atlantic, response to the better-red-than-dead theory has been more muted maybe because some of the latest findings have been left to repose quietly in the pages of medical journals. You won't find more cheering New Year reading than an article in the British Medical Journal of last May, examining the link between alcohol intake and mortality among some 13,000 citizens of Copenhagen. The piece was pressed into my hands recently by a relieved Dublin wine merchant whose doctor had supplied it as a cure for his mounting fears about his consumption. Here is the punch-line: "In this study drinker of three to five glasses of wine a day had half as much risk of dying as dying as those who never drank wine."
Health theories come and go, of course, with the same sort of fickleness as hemlines and high heels - but my view is that while this one is current, we might as well enjoy it. Isn't it just the encouragement we need, in g penurious January, to stash a few reasonably priced reds under the bed for regular home consumption?
If you are not (yet) a red wine drinker, start with something young and fruity and work your way slowly towards the heavyweights. Just a glass or two with dinner, remember - nobody has so far recommended that entire bottles be polished off single-handed. If Santa didn't bring you one of those nifty little wine-savers known as a Vacuvin, you might buy one as a New Year's present to yourself. Your good health!
LIGHT AND EASY
Concha y Toro Merlot 1995 (widely available, about £5.85). Look out for more and more good Merlots from Chile - easy drinking at an easy price. This one, from an ultra-reliable winery, has the purple flush of extreme youth and the enticing aroma and taste of soft, red fruits.
Masi Valpolicella Classico 1994 (widely available, £6-£6.50). A bright cherry colour, pronounced cherry aromas and an intense cherry flavour with that typical Italian bitter almond twist at the end. Light and tasty Italy's answer to Beaujolais.
Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Villages 1994 (widely available, about £7.50). A mouthwatering example of juicy, fruity Beaujolais - unfairly discredited by many serious winos because of all the silly hype over Beaujolais Nouveau a few years ago, but still a thoroughly enjoyable route into the red. If you have more money to spare, try some of the crus - especially lesser known ones like Chenas or Julienas.
LOW-PRICE MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Carmen Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 (widely available, £4.99). Of the many marvellously drinkable Chilean Cabernets now available in Ireland, this one from the sister winery of the better-known Santa Rita is one of the most outstanding at this price. Splendidly rich with voluptuous fruit and smoky intensity.
Fuente del Ritmo Tempranillo 1993 (Quinnsworth, £4.99). Pure Tempranillo, the main grape of Rioja, barrel-aged to produce a very impressive wine at a bargain price. See Bottle of the Week.
Alianca Bairrada Reserva 1991 (widely available, £4.39). A great Portuguese standby: open a bottle one of these dark days and you think of vanilla and red fruits baked in summer sunshine. Though it looks quite light, this is a wine with plenty of structure - made for Irish winter food.
MORE BODY, MORE MONEY
Chateau Flaugergues La Mejanelle Coteaux de Languedoc 1993 (Dunnes Stores, £7.99). A substantial and brilliantly classy wine which tastes as if it costs well over a tenner: rich colour, rich, raspberry flavours, balancing tannins and a terrific, long finish.
Tiefenbrunner Lagrein Castel Turmhof 1994 (widely available, about £8.60). Something distinctly different to tantalise the tastebuds of paid-up members of the red brigade who are tired of all the usual grape varieties. Lagrein, native to the South Tyrol, produces a wonderfully smooth, sort wine with a chocolate finish - splendidly rich even when young. Perfect for a venison weekend treat.
Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 1993 (Superquinn, £7.69, and other outlets). This powerful big wine from the company lauded by wine-writer Oz Clarke as the best red wine makers in Australia is the sort of thing to have on standby for internal central heating on a freezing evening.
Rosemount Shiraz/Cabernet 1994 (widely available, about £6). Heartwarming too, with plenty of fruit and well-integrated oak.