Finally, a break-through in dieting that I may be able to live with - The Wine Diet by Roger Corder!

Like most people, I'm constantly struggling with my weight. I've gained and lost the same 20 to 30 pounds three or four times now, and I just can't seem to find a plan I can stick to. One problem, of course, is the fact that wine has anywhere from 100 to 150 calories per glass. So, when you're counting calories that can really start adding up. And then there are other things to count like, oh yes, FOOD!

I guess I'll have to get yet another diet book and read it because this one really sounds promising. Here's a few facts from the article "Drink wine, eat well, live longer. Really!" that seems to give some hope to us wine lovers:

If you are a red-wine drinker and also eat two or three portions of fruit a day, it is likely that you are already consuming 1-2g of protective polyphenols a day. The proportion of these that are procyanidins may vary considerably, but the ideal daily target to aim for would be 300-500mg of procyanidins (I'll be telling you which foods contain procyanidins tomorrow.)

A word of warning. Traditionally made red wine often has noticeable tannins (a type of procyanidin) and is best enjoyed with food.

However, demand for red wines that are suitable to drink at any time and are less astringent means that many wines now contain fewer procyanidins and so have reduced health benefits.

That said, there are plenty of wines that fall somewhere between the two extremes.

So how do we recognise which wines are richest in procyanidins? The factors affecting the amount can be broadly divided into three areas: the vineyard environment, the grape and the winemaker.

[...] In my experience, the grape yielding the most procyanidin-rich wines is the Tannat, one of the traditional varieties of south-west France. Cabernet Sauvignon also has small berries and a high ratio of pip to pulp.

When I compared Cabernet Sauvignon with Malbec wines grown in similar conditions in Argentina, the Cabernets tended to have more procyanidins. Among others, I was impressed by Nebbiolo, one of the classic grapes of north-west Italy, Sangiovese - the grape of Chianti and a number of other Tuscan wines - and Aglianico, an ancient grape variety grown in southern Italy.

The most important aspect of the winemaking process for ensuring high procyanidins is the contact time between the liquid and the grape seeds and skins; less than seven days will mean a relatively low level of procyanidins, while wines with a contact time of three weeks or more have the highest.