The author of the book "Neuroenology: How the Brain Creates The Taste of Wine" says that drinking wine is a great intellectual workout. The workout is in the sniffing and analyzing of a wine before drinking, because it requires “exquisite control of one of the biggest muscles in the body”.

The action of drinking wine engages more parts of our grey matter than any other human behaviour, according to the neuroscientist. He added that the sensations experienced by drinking wine are “heavily dependent on our own memories and emotions and those of our companions." 

In his book, Gordon Shepherd comprehensively explains how the specific sensory pathways in the cerebral cortex create the memory of wine and how language is used to identify and imprint wine characteristics.

"The molecules in the wine don't have taste or flavour, but when they stimulate our brains, the brain creates flavour the same way it creates colour," he said.

The simple act of sipping wine involves a complex interplay of air and liquid controlled by coordinated movements of the the tongue, jaw, diaphragm and throat. Inside the mouth, molecules in wine stimulate thousands of taste and odor receptors, sending a flavour signal to the brain that triggers massive cognitive computation involving pattern recognition, memory, value judgment, emotion and pleasure.

Sounds like the best exercise ever!