How is the color of red wine related to its cardiovascular protective powers? When I was twelve years old, I knew nothing about the health benefits of red wine. But I broke into my dad’s wine reserve, ignored all the white wines and helped myself to the red. I was captivated by the beautiful color. I drank a full bottle and became very sick. My dad grounded me for a month, but I overheard him tell my mother that I had chosen the Cabernet Sauvignon and that proved I had good taste. Why do many wine connoisseurs choose red wine? Perhaps my early experience with red wine set me on a path to explore a variety of vintages. It was probably a key factor that motivated me to build my own wine cellar. I loved red wine way before all the health claims about it came out. So I was amazed when biochemists started telling us that red wine was good for our health. What were these claims, specifically? From what I can gather, biochemist think that the dark color of red wine is related to the fact that red wine comes in contact with the peelings during processing and that the peelings contain the chemical reservatrol, the specific that increases good cholesterol and lowers bad cholesterol. Red wine also contains procyenihns, which supports the heart. Cabernet Sauvignon seems to have specific effects, warding off both lung cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Of course, these are not the only factors related to heart and cardiovascular health that red wine promotes. You must become a consistent moderate drinker. This means that if you are a male you will consume two glasses of wine per day and if you are a female you will imbibe one. This is the remarkable curative power of red wine.

I was surprised to learn that people in France have significantly lower rates of heart problems than Americans.  This is true even though the French eat a high fat diet. I was reminded that in my travels to Paris, I would gravitate to their pastry shops, sample their chocolates, crème cake and éclairs. To be sure, these delicious items were high in fat, but the French even have a better heart health profile than those who do not drink at all. The same pattern holds true for populations in the Mediterranean.  In these countries, it is the usual practice to have wine with meals. The idea is to enhance the dining, not to over drink. Thus they drink moderately but consistently. What about packaging? Do you like corks in your bottles of red wine? Are you a traditionalist or do you really think that the metal cap damages the quality of the wine? On the other hand, you may prefer metal caps because they are easy to open and close. Also, you won’t get cork in your wine. The French red wine public seems to prefer corks in their bottles of red wine, and the vast majority of American red wine drinkers are still undecided about the meal caps and the synthetic corks that are starting to make an appearance.  However, it is clear from recent polls that both the French and Americans prefer the metal screwcaps to the synthetic corks. Generally speaking, the corks in the red wine bottles have the effect of bridging the cultural divide and making the red wine factor a cause of celebration, not division.

I walked into a health food store and was surprised to find three brand names of reservatrol on the shelf: Res V Lifeline, Rezmelts and Res Vie. Many biochemists point out that the active ingredient, reservatrol, is now available in extract or synthetic form and can be purchased on line. This means that if you want to gain the health advantages of consuming red wine without the alcohol, you can do this by purchasing reservatrol directly. What should you expect other than heart health? The claim is renewed energy, more youthful skin, wrinkle reduction. For my part, all this may be true but I prefer the liquid stuff. I prefer the taste, the headiness, the aroma and the look of red wine itself, If all these other benefits are added to its heart support, so much the better, but I would not give up red wine when I can have it all in a good bottle of Pinot Noir. Now that we have explored some significant health benefits of red wine, we can look at an overview of what is available in red wines. If you have been a white wine drinker, you have quite a treat in store for you. If you like, try a Pinot Noir. You can sip your Pinot and imagine you are a character in Sideways.If you like a full bodied wine, try a Medoc or a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Syrah, a Malbec or Genoch.