Wine-and-cheese dos in Hyderabad don’t occur once in a bluemoon as they used to a few years ago. Credit that mainly to well travelled Hyderabadis wanting a sip of fine wine and wine being pitched as a health drink.

Dr. M. Rajiv puts things in perspective:
Red wines average 14 per cent alcohol, and 120 ml make for one drink. The safe limit for alcohol is two drinks per day for men, but is just one drink for women because they have lower levels of alcohol dehydrogenase, the enzyme that processes alcohol.

Newer “lite” wines with eight per cent alcohol target women, theoretically allowing them to drink more wine safely. Like filter cigarettes and “light” cigarettes marketed for women, this approach is counterproductive. People simply have more to compensate for the diluteness.

More: The Hindu