Who wants to live forever?

There is a little bit of a nip in the air in the mornings now. This is the first time in 11 years since Ben Nevis had no snow at the top, but it will be back soon enough. Some of us will switch back from summer Rose and White onto warming, tasty Red. Did you know that red wine is much better for you too?

Red wines have a few things in them that are good for you, apart from the restoration of sanity after a stressful day. They have Tannins which are fantastic antioxidants. The Polyphenols in aromatic, flavoursome, darkly coloured red has even been linked to a reduction in your chances of food-poisoning. Who would have thought it, red wine counteracts dodgy fish curry? Polyphenols possess not only antioxidant properties but also antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects. In effect a glass of red wine is as good as “one of your five a day”. I would caution against taking all 5 as wine though.

The health benefits of white wine are sadly quite limited. This also applies to sparkling wines such as Prosecco. In fact our old friend Prosecco has had some bad publicity recently about its relatively high sugar content allied to high acidity and what that does to your teeth. It isn’t a great idea to desperately brush your teeth after a bottle of Prosecco either, as your enamel is in a weakened state. In general, red wine is better for your teeth because it has lower acidity even though it makes you look like a vampire with red teeth and lips.

Have you ever considered how many additives go into wine? Sulphites are a naturally occurring chemical in wines. They are also added as a preservative to wines and foods. Some people may get an allergic reaction if they are applied too liberally to a tank of wine. Red wines are full of the aforementioned Tannins and Polyphenols so winemakers put much less preservative Sulphites into reds.

Because red grapes are more robust than white ones, they are also much more likely to be organically grown. So, not only are red wines better for you, they are better for the environment. You can now drink yourself happy on many levels.

All these benefits of red wine drinking make you wonder why we wait until Autumn?