Pour yourself a glass, and take a look at the ways wine benefits us!

Drinking red wine in small doses is better than not drinking at all. Moderate red wine consumption is fine. Why? The antioxidants found in red wine lower incidences of cardiovascular disease, mortality, and type 2 diabetes. Of course, if you drink more than you’re supposed to, the benefits are replaced by increased health risks. So, do yourself a favor, drink red wine in moderation.

Pretty much everything in wine that’s not alcohol or water is a type of polyphenol. Polyphenols include tannin, color pigment, wine aromas, and about 5,000 other plant compounds. Of these polyphenols, which are a type of condensed tannin are also found in green tea and dark chocolate. This compound is specifically associated with inhibiting cholesterol plaque in blood vessels, which is highly beneficial to heart health and longevity.

Not all red wines are made the same. Some wines have significantly higher levels of “good for you stuff” than others. While it’s rather difficult to determine which wines are best (exactly), here are some clues:

– Dry red wines are better than sweet wines.

– Red wines with lower alcohol (preferably below 13% ABV) are better than high alcohol wines

– Red wines with higher tannin (those that are more astringent) are better than low tannin wines.

Young red wines are better than old wines. We’ve been told for years that old wines are the best wines. It’s true that some wines taste better when well-aged, but when it comes to the health aspects of wine, old wine isn’t as good! Young red wines contain greater tannin levels than any other type of wine.