Wine is delicious and can also be part of a balanced diet and lifestyle. This is because wine has a useful little compound called “Polyphenols”. They won’t give you superpowers, but they can help your heart and even help you live longer. Find out here which are the best wines for your health.
Health: What is a polyphenol?
Nearly everything in wine that isn’t liquor or water is a polyphenol. These incorporate tannins, a variety of colors, smell, resveratrol, procyanidins and around 5,000 other plant compounds.
Of these polyphenols, the most bountiful in wine for wellbeing reasons are procyanidins, which hinder cholesterol plaque in veins. One reason why wine is heart-healthy.
Dr. Eric Rimm, a teacher at the Harvard School of Public Health, has checked out at the consequences of many examinations on liquor and its impact on wellbeing.
“There is no question that fanatic of wine who drink unobtrusively have lower possibility of coronary episode, and also lower possibility of diabetes and live longer.” – Dr. Eric Rimm
Of course, not all alcoholic beverages are equal in terms of health. Of the different types of alcohol (spirits, beer and wine), one type consistently outperforms the rest: wine.
The beneficial attributes of wine outweigh all other types of alcohol in terms of longevity. However, not all wines are equal. Some wines have significantly higher amounts of “good stuff” in them.
What to look for in a “healthy” wine
These are the traits that characterize wines that are the best wines for you with respect to health:
– “Dry” wines, meaning they are not sweet and have little or no carbohydrates (sugar).
– Wines with less alcohol (ideally, 12.5% ABV or less).
– Wines with higher polyphenol content, especially procyanidins.
Health: Which wines have more polyphenols?
Polyphenols are found in the skins and seeds of grapes, so only wines that are made with skin contact (including reds and orange wines) have high levels of polyphenols. Some grape varieties have higher concentrations of procyanidin. The most prominent are:
- Tannat The wine of Madiran in southwestern France, which also grows abundantly in Uruguay.
- Sagrantino A rare grape from Umbria, which produces wines of intense color.
- Petite Sirah Also known as Durif, and grows mainly in California.
- Marselan A successful cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache with very small berries that creates wines with intense purple hues. A rarity found in small quantities in France, Spain, China, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.
- Nebbiolo Nebbiolo is an important grape from Piedmont, Italy.
These grapes contain 2 to 6 times more polyphenols than other more popular varieties such as Pinot Noir and Merlot. Polyphenol concentrations are higher when the wine is young. Of course, there are many other variables involved, such as how the grapes were harvested and the wine was made. So, if you’re looking for an easier answer, opt for taste.
What do wines with high polyphenol content taste like?
The best wines for wellbeing with polyphenols will have exceptionally thought organic product flavors, higher corrosiveness and a strong, tannic completion. Most will have a hazier variety, to such an extent that you will not have the option to see through your wine glass. If the wine is bitter, better.
Wines high in polyphenols are the opposite of smooth and soft: they are robust, bold and often described as astringent. Wine bitterness seems to be directly related to the level of procyanidin in a wine. So, if you like a little bitterness in your life, you’re going to love these wines!
Of course, wine is not the only food with high levels of polyphenols. Apples, beans, chocolate, grape seed extract (as a supplement), tea and pomegranates are great alternatives to wine with higher levels of polyphenols.
The 5 healthiest types of wine, ranked
Health: Dry reds
The best wines are ruby reds as they are the healthiest, with more antioxidants than all other varieties. This is because the grape skins are not removed during fermentation. Antioxidants provided by the dark skins, such as procyanidins, have been linked to health benefits, such as protection from heart disease and possibly longevity.
The researchers note that wines from southwestern France and Sardinia tend to have higher levels of procyanidins. On average, wines from these two areas had five times more procyanidins than wines from Spain, South America, the United States and Australia.
Orange wines
After dry red, your smartest choice is orange wine, which has been portrayed as “white wine made as red”. In white winemaking, the skins are generally eliminated soon after the grapes are squeezed. In orange wines – which are produced using green grapes – the skins stay in touch with the juice (between a week and a year), bringing about an orange-hued wine.
This is why orange wine is sometimes called “skin contact wine”. In addition to color, the skins provide many antioxidants beneficial to health.
Health: Rosé
Rosé is usually made from red wine grapes, but the “skin contact” time is shorter than for red wine and orange wine. In the case of red wine, it can be one to two months, while in rosé it is usually 2 to 20 hours. Less contact time means less antioxidants.
Dry whites
In white wine production, there is generally no “skin contact” time, which means that the phytonutrients from the skin do not reach the wine. As a result, white wine lacks some of the potentially protective properties of its more colorful counterparts.
Sweet whites
Sweet white wines are sweet in light of the fact that, obviously, they contain more sugar. For instance, a five-ounce serving of Moscato contains 21 grams of carbs, 13 of them as sugar. Compare that to the same serving of chardonnay, which has 3 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of sugar. Think of these varieties as desserts, and turn them into occasional treats.
Some final notes about health and wines…
We advise you to buy organic wines, both because it is better for the environment and to avoid pesticide residues.
Organic wines do not contain added sulfites, preservatives that can cause unpleasant side effects in some people, from nasal congestion and sneezing to asthma-like symptoms and headaches. Whatever the type of wine, choose organic wines.
And make sure you don’t overdo it. Current sustenance and well-being rules suggest a limit of one beverage daily for ladies and two for men. On account of wine, one beverage is characterized as five ounces, which is somewhat not exactly the size of a yogurt holder. And no, the reasonable measure of drinking can’t be “missed,” meaning you can’t avoid for three days and afterward finish an entire bottle in one evening.
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