And now, my grandmother's stellar habits find support in a new study (by Harvard, no less). Researchers discovered that compared with women who didn't drink at all, those who reported having one or two drinks a day in middle age were significantly more likely to maintain good health as they aged. (The researchers defined good health as being free of major chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease, and having no physical disability, cognitive decline or mental health problems.)

They found women who drank up to one alcoholic beverage per day in midlife were 19 percent more likely than nondrinkers to enjoy good health at 70. Women who had one to two drinks a day had even better odds, a 28 percent greater chance of good health. Even those who drank less, a third of a glass of alcohol a day—or just two drinks a week—boosted their chances of overall good health by 11 percent. My grandmother—sharp as she ever was, in shape as could be and an advocate for downing a glass of red every night (or two, for a lousy day)—looks like a genius.

But here's something to note: those ladies who squeezed their drinking into just one or two days a week were no better off when it came to overall health than nondrinkers. So binge drinking doesn't quite work.

With all our talk about ridiculous medical bills (in fact, one stat claims there's a 39 percent increase of bankruptcies in the nation for people 65 and older—mostly because of health bills), can we take a cue from grandma and be responsible and hold ourselves accountable for what we become? Be moderate, take care of yourself and stop making dumb decisions now that will screw you over in the end (and the rest of us, too, since we have to pay for your medical bills).

Yes, I know—ailments can't always be helped. But some things (and often times, general health) can. And hey, if having a glass of cabernet every day helps my health in the long run, hold me accountable for mine.