French Wines for Health

Filed in archive French Wines on December 4, 2006

Old world traditions carry a lot of weight, especially in the wine industry. In fact, some wine lovers believe that too much technology can just ruin your grapes.

There's something else might not be good for - your health.

From News-Medical.net:

The researchers say the traditional red wines from the vineyards of France and Italy are the best at protecting the heart, because reds from these two particular regions contain the highest concentrations of 'oligomeric procyanidins', the antioxidants which contribute to cardiovascular health.

It seems the wines from the Nuoro province in Sardinia, and the Gers area in the Foothills of the Pyrenees, are particularly rich in chemicals called polyphenols and contain as much as 10 times more of the beneficial compounds than alternatives from Australia, South Africa and the United States.

Numerous studies over recent years have firmly established that a glass or two of red wine a day is good for the heart, and moderate drinkers are thought to be less likely to suffer from heart disease than those who abstain.

[...] The researchers have identified a particular group of polyphenols, known as oligomeric procyanidins, which they believe offer the greatest degree of protection to human blood-vessel cells.

Procyanadins suppress production of endothelin-1, a protein that constricts blood vessels, and armed with this knowledge, the researchers set out to establish whether wines from any particular regions were especially rich in procyanidins.

[...] Grape variety is also important as some grapes such as those used in the south west of France are particularly rich in procyanidins but the fermentation process is still thought to be a factor in how high procyanidin content will be.

Professor Corder says healthy wine is a difficult concept as too many people over-indulge and smooth, sweet, very alcoholic wines tend to dominate the market, which are not as a rule high in procyanidins.