Madison blogs - wine lips - one thing. Wine teeth - altogether another

I hated red wine for a long time. It and I had a fight one night deep down in some New York basement bar and we decided to never ever meet up any longer. That was several years ago. After this, I happily sipped my way through countless crops of sauvignon blanc grapes. Until, one day, white wine made me suddenly feel queasy. I should have known it was the tell-tale pregnancy sign. I mean, I love my wine. It’s like medicine, settling everything from a bad hair day to a severe case of stressed-out nerves. But – and a straw-poll of knocked-up friends confirms this – white wine doesn’t sit well with the chemical concoction that is a body making a baby.

That’s fine, of course. Alcohol and pregnancy aren’t the best mix and we can all benefit from an enforced detox from time to time. But about mid-way into my pregnancy, something strange started to happen. I had my first and only cravings – and they were for red wine. Not in an overpowering way (please don’t call DOCS on me) but just in an a-sip-would-be-so-nice-and-soothing-on-these-ouchy-ligaments way. After some research, I found many new nums – with 100% healthy babies – also confessed to a mild red wine fetish during their pregnancies. So I decided to make up with my lost friend pinot noir, and I have been having the occasional quarter-glass every now and then.

So not too much of the stuff. Because of the mother guilt, for one. But also because of the teeth factor. I’ve been told to steer clear of my teeth-whitening obsession until post-baby. Which means any of those usual teeth-darkening culprits will be even more ready to pounce. And red wine, while a seductive shade when it comes to lipstick and gloss, isn’t so pretty on the old pearly whites.

But just because I can’t go overboard with red wine right now, doesn’t mean you can’t. It’s antioxidant-packed, after all. But there’s another good reason to uncork another cabernet – Wine Wipes are now available in Australia. These are super-nifty towelettes that have been formulated (with the help of a sommelier) to both remove red stains on teeth and cleanse the palate, without leaving an aftertaste that will interfere with wine drinking. FYI they’re $32.35 (for 3 packs/60 wipes) and available from Wine Wipes.

Clever, huh? I wonder if I can ask for them as a baby shower present. Along with a case of pinot.