Why wine is healthy

Ironically, red wine gets much of its character from those parts of the grape that are eventually discarded. The pigments that give it colour, the tannins that contribute firmness and astringency, the acidity that makes it refreshing, and several compounds that create its aromas, are all concentrated in or near the skins, while some flavour compounds surround the seeds. These compounds are known as polyphenols, and they also happen to pack a considerably healthy punch when they are released as the grapes are crushed and begin to ferment. The longer the wine is in contact with the skins and seeds, the more polyphenols it is likely to contain, which is why red wines have shown such a variety of protective powers against various ailments. By contrast, white and rosé wines, taken away from the skins and seeds early in the fermentation process, do have some health benefits, but much less than those of reds. As with dark chocolate, the polyphenols found in red wine are a sophisticated group of compounds; in many cases, in fact, they are the same ones found in chocolate. Although some health benefits were known even to the ancient Greeks - Hippocrates, author of the oath that forms a code of practice for doctors, prescribed it, as did Galen, who wrote a treatise about the medical use of wine nearly 2,000 years ago. Monks in the Middle Ages made use of it, philosophers recommended it, and doctors refined its uses during the Renaissance in Italy and Switzerland. Much of the evidence was anecdotal or based on observation, and sometimes even on mythology, but many of the conclusions were later confirmed. In the 19th Century, more progress was made, especially in Australia, where four vineyards and wineries were established by doctors (two of whose names still survive-Penfold's and Lindemans) who had studied the medical values of wine, and published their findings. After Pasteur's breakthroughs on the science of fermentation, further knowledge of wine increased as quickly as its quality did. It was another Frenchman, more recently, who enabled wine and health studies, and wine-drinking in general, to take a great leap forward. Dr. Serge Renaud observed, after studying thousands of people, that French people consumed quite a lot of saturated fat, yet had relatively low rates of coronary heart disease; the link was regular wine-drinking, mostly of red wine. When the findings were aired on American national television in 1991, then published in a British medical journal the following year, and then re-confirmed again on another major TV report, there was a revolution in American wine-drinking habits. Not only did wine consumption rise, but red-wine consumption soared, an incredible result in a nation which, as one commentator noted, "drank out of the fridge". Americans notoriously like their beverages quite cold, and, formerly at least, their wine white. The phenomenon came to be known as "The French Paradox," and the results are still apparent. Just as importantly, the debate over the findings inspired a storm of further research, around the world:  • Studies in Denmark and France involving more than 50,000 men and women over a long time period reported that heart disease was reduced, and that wine drinkers especially had much lower death rates. A follow-up study in California with more than twice as many people-well over 100,000--confirmed the findings, even further emphasising the role of wine in the beneficial aspects. • A survey of health professionals, reviewing their own diets and consumption patterns, found a much lower incidence of strokes and other vascular problems in those who were regular, moderate wine drinkers. • A Canadian study of influenza and other virus-related ailments found that a polyphenol known as resveratrol, found in red wine, was more effective than vitamin C and other common treatments in protecting against infection-more effective, even, than the same dose of resveratrol added to water or juice. • Sirtuin, a protein that maintains and repairs chromosomes and therefore has anti-aging properties, is triggered by ingredients of red wine, according to a recent report from the Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts. • Many studies have shown that moderate wine drinkers have higher levels of HDL-cholesterol (the so-called "good" cholesterol) than abstainers, and with a probability that red wine especially lowers LDL-cholesterol (the "bad" version). An abundance of other claims have been made, and are constantly being tested, some sponsored by an international organization based in California known as The Medical Friends of Wine - there is enough emerging good news to keep research scientists busy, happily, for years to come. Clearly, and in many ways, red wine in moderation can be good for you. But some wines have more healthy possibilities than others. Those whose grapes have an abundance of seeds, which are then made with prolonged skin contact - deep, dark reds, for example - will have more polyphenols than lighter wines. The type of soil can matter, and so can the age of the vines and the altitude where they grow. In fact, the very good news is that there's a nice parallel present here: many of the same factors that contribute to a wine's quality are the same ones that confer health benefits!