Although excessive alcohol consumption has adverse health effects, studies have consistently demonstrated that moderate consumption of red wine has many health benefits. For example, resveratrol, a compound in red wine, has been shown to increase lifespan in animal studies, protect against Alzheimer's disease and dementia, reduce the risk of heart and cardiovascular disease, lower LDL cholesterol, and reduce the risks of some cancers. Additionally, resveratrol has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, which have been shown to help overall physical health since many diseases and ailments can be attributed to inflammation.
Despite these benefits, there are still some negative aspects to the consumption of red wine, including but not limited to, wine-moustaches (i.e. a stain of wine on the upper lip) and temporary and/or permanent stained teeth (e.g. purple teeth). These negative side effects, however, can be prevented. Dentists and dental professionals recommend that one way to enjoy the benefits of red wine without experiencing the negative aspects is to drink the wine through a straw. Although drinking straws exist, they are not designed for wine and often alter the taste and/or experience of drinking the wine. Existing straws are large (i.e. not discreet), have too wide of an inner diameter, are made from flimsy, porous plastic, come into direct contact with any sediment in the glass, and are expensive to manufacture.
In view of the foregoing, what is needed is a straw for wine that allows wine drinkers to consume wine without obtaining a wine-moustache, stained teeth, and stained lips, and also to keep lipstick and lip gloss on a drinker's lips and not on the wine glass. More specifically, a wine straw that is easy to manufacture, that is discreet, avoids the consumption of sediment at the bottom of the wine glass, and allows the drinker to consume the wine from the top surface of the liquid, where the wine has been exposed to oxygen and has been aerated, is needed.