Congratulations on such a fine article and site I have found it very helpful and informative - I only wish that there were more out there like this one.

I never leave empty handed, sometimes I may even be a little disappointed that I may not agree with a post or reply that has been made. But hey! that is life and if every one agreed on the same thing what a boring old world we would live in.

Keep up the good work and cheers.

It was to teach kids at an early age the effects and the flavors, I grew up never having to sneek about drinking and getting killed driving at the same time when other kids were experimenting and hurting themselves I was not, as it was not a mysterious thing only adults did. Drinking too much was always expressed as bad and we were way more experienced and knowledgeable as a result it puts a person a generation ahead of their peers in tasting experience.

People like Doug here above make me wonder what he thinks a parent that gives a child a little wine with water says “here get drunk and tell all your little friends too” Like what you eat and drink doesn’t matter to that parent. I think it is just a more intelligent parent that does this as this is giving the child a chance to develop taste and smell much earlier, just like language is more easily learned at a younger age. So in essence Doug in my opinion is retarding his children’s growth!

I wonder if he has ever looked at it that way?

Our society’s kids are under no other social pressures than the kids in any other society - other than from reactionary groups that focus only on the negative in things and never the positive.

Wine is meant to be consumed with food as part of a healthy lifestyle. In rational and appropriate amounts, it is less of a poison to children than bovine growth hormone and antibiotics in meat, pesticides on strawberries, or the unpronouncible ingredients in Twinkies. As in other rational cultures, our child drinks her wine as a splash to color her water. That is less alcohol than in sauerkraut, kim chee, or whatever else has been lurking in the back of the fridge for too long.

Our daughter will occasionally sip a tiny bit from our glass and she will sometimes enjoy it. I doubt you will get any medical professional to measure any harm that could possibly be caused by that. As for the irresponsibility of answering a reporter’s questions about my family life? I believe it is more harmful for me not to speak about the good that can come of parents removing the taboo that will later entice teenagers to sneak away and then face serious consequences.

Cheers!

When a vintner discusses this in the newspaper he/she justifies to the public that under age drinking is somehow sophisticated and ok.

What you do in your own family in your house may or may not be ok but to publicize it as an accomplishment publicly is irresponsible if you do not also talk about the serious consequences that drink can have health wise for children in the community.

I also live in the wine country and have children who are being taught that it matters what they eat and drink and that there are seriouis consequences connected with what they put in their bodies as young people. Like wine it is better enjoyed with age.