Red Red Wine

I’m not much of a beer drinker. Loved it in college, but aside from the occasional cold one after a good game of rugby or basketball, I pretty much stay away from the suds.

I also generally steer clear of hard alcohol. The exception to this being any afternoon spent on a beach, or at a bar set up to look like a beach, where margaritas are being served. Oh yeah, and the occasional Jimmy Buffet concert. Yes, it is a cliche, but still just seems so right at the time.

So, am I a total wet rag when we go out? Nope. Cause I do love wine. Over the years and much to the derision of my beer swilling, tequila tossing buddies I have developed a real taste for the vino.

I used to favor the whites - Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, etc - but now I pretty much stick to the reds to avoid all the sugar generally found in white varietals. Plus I think my wife gets tired of seeing me mix a nice glass of white wine with apple juice. Yea yea, but it’s good AND good for you.

Now I stick pretty much with the reds. I’ve done alot of research and am convinced by the studies that indicate that the resveratrol and other antioxidants in red wine really do  convey some degree of health benefits.

So, what is this resveratrol stuff?

Resveratrol is a substance found both in red grapes and in the roots and stems of the vines that they grow on.   When those grapes are used to make wine, the wine is actually fermented in a mixture that includes the grapes and the vine stems thus producing large concentrations of resveratrol in the resulting liquid.

Resveratrol is an antioxidant.  Antioxidants have been shown to provide heart health benefits by increasing levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and decreasing levels of bad cholesterol (LDL).  Resveratrol, in addition to other antioxidants found in red wine, have also shown significant weight loss benefits and actually could result in increases in lifespan.  Animal studies have demonstrated that diets supplemented with resveratrol resulted in slimmer, longer living test subjects.  Yes, it’s only been proven in animals, but the average lifespan of cultures that subsist on the Mediterranean Diet is higher than those that don’t adhere to that red wine friendly diet.

The supplement industry has jumped wholeheartedly on the resveratrol bandwagon.   Go figure.  There are a ton of different resveratrol supplemenst out there.  Some are good, others, not so.   It really comes down to the concentration of active resveratrol in the pill, powder, or potion.  So, do your homework.

Me, I’ll stick with my 1-2 glasses of red wine each night.  Cabernet Savignon typically has the highest concentration of resveratrol, followed closely by Pinot Noir and Petit Syrah.  Lesser concentrations can be found in Merlot and Red Zinfandel. I’ll wager to say that, as I don’t think they even use grapes to make it, that you won’t get much in the way of health benefits from Boones Farm Wild Red.

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