Sex therapist launches low-alcohol wine to “arouse”

American sex therapist Dr Ruth Westheimer has launched a line of low-alcohol wines to help “relax” and “arouse” couples. Vin d'Amour Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon contain 6% alcohol, compared to the average 12.5%, along with Westheimer’s smiling face on the label. "My idea is that just the right amount of alcohol will awaken your senses and arouse you," the 83-year-old Holocaust survivor told the New York Post.

"I'm always saying couples should drink to relax, but not too much. If the woman drinks too much, she falls asleep and if the man drinks too much, he can't perform. It's the same problem for gay couples. With this low-alcohol wine, I am saying: ‘Relax, but don’t drink too much.’ If sex follows or not, it doesn’t matter. It’s about finding and communicating with a significant other,” she added. 

The wines, made from grapes grown in California, will go on sale in New York grocery stores and delis in early July priced at US$7.99-9.99 per bottle, with a portion of the profits going to the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Gilt, a high-end Manhattan restaurant in the New York Palace Hotel, will also stock her Cabernet Sauvignon. 

“A little bit of alcohol is welcome as it makes people not only relax, but communicate better,” Westheimer told the Post, adding, “They will talk about their feelings, their hopes and their dreams easier than without alcohol, because there is less censure. But when people get drunk there is no way they can be good lovers,” she added. 

The pint-sized octogenarian has also launched a lingerie line, a book – Sexually Speaking, and Dr Ruth popcorn. The German-born therapist, who has 56,500 followers on Twitter, caused a sensation in the ‘80s with her straight-talking phone-in radio shows offering sexual advice. She also had a TV show, Ask Dr. Ruth, which aired worldwide.