9 Reasons Why Red Wine Is Good For You

Who can deny the pure pleasure of coming home after long day, opening up a great bottle of wine and sitting down to dinner with the ones you love the most?

At this time of year, we hear time and time again that many wine lovers are backing off the juice to detox for the month and get back on the straight and narrow after an indulgent holiday season.

But getting healthy doesn’t have to mean going dry.  The health world has been all a-buzz lately with the seemingly endless way red wine can bolster your health – everything from staying young to preventing cancer – it seems there’s nothing this wonder beverage can’t do.  To get the most health bang for your booze buck, researchers suggest opting for deep, dark, tannic reds, such as those from southern France and Italy.

Down with Cholesterol

Moderate consumption of red wine (most studies we’ve read seem to agree that means 1 glass a day for women and up to 2 for men – why do guys  get all the breaks?), can increase you good cholesterol, the HDL kind, by up to 20% when paired with a healthy diet and exercise. It appears that just as advantageous, LDL, or the bad cholesterol, also can be lowered with a glass or 2.

According to webmd.com, it’s the alcohol itself that is the basis for these lowering of the bad and raising of the good.

Wine Pairing: Madiran wines are considered tops here, as they are made with the inky, tannic grape tannat. Often blended with cabernet sauvignon or cabernet franc to soften the rustic, earthy flavours, these bold wines are not for the faint of heart, but thanks to the dark skins they do offer high levels of antioxidants.

Try: Domaine Capmartin Vielles Vignes Madiran, Southwest France 2009 $15.95 Vintages 290106

Heart Health

This shouldn’t be a surprise, as people have been toasting wine’s positive effects on your ticker for a number of years now.

Stemming from the French Paradox, where lucky Francophiles feast on a rich, fat laden diet but have surprisingly low numbers of heart disease, scientists have put that lifestyle under a microscope and have attributed red wine consumption as the health champion of the French.

The super hero of red wine is resveratrol – a flavanoid found in the skin of red grapes – which combats a host of maladies, including heart disease. Acting as an antioxidant, studies suggest resveratrol helps protect the lining of your heart, as well as reduces the wear and tear on your arteries, prevents blood clotting and lowers bad cholesterol, all culprits of heart disease.

Wine Pairing: Because resveratrol is the heavy hitter in reducing artery plaque, lowering cholesterol and protecting the heart itself, you’ll obviously want a red with higher levels of the miracle antioxidant. Spanish Garnacha clocks in at a high amount of the flavanoid, so go enjoy a glass tonight to help your heart.

Try: Nekeas El Chaparrel de Vega Sindoa Old Vines Grenache, Navarra, Spain 2010 $18.95 Vintages 291997

Blood Sugar Balance

While in no way are we suggesting downing a bottle of Bordeaux will cure diabetics (bummer, right?), it looks like the polyphenols found in the skin of red wine can help control spikes and dips in blood sugar and, as The Daily Mail reported, a few ounces of red wine may contain as many ingredients as a diabetic drug to combat the disease.  Webmd.com also reports studies have found super star antioxidant resveratrol shows promise in combatting insulin resistance.

Wine Pairing: It appears the ligands in red wine have the most effect on glucose and lipid metabolism, reports livestrong.com. Grapes with thick skins such as malbec are chock-full of healthy compounds and chemicals.

Try: Cantena “High Mountain Vines” Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 2010 $19.95 Vintages 478727

Brain Power

Ever wonder why after a few glasses with your BFF’s you can always solve the world’s most perplexing problems? Seems red wine’s the answer! It’s too bad you can’t remember those quick fixes the next day.

Despite those “a-ha!” Friday night moments, researchers have made some interesting discoveries linking red wine to cognitive improvement. The polyphenols found in red wine  – and, praise be, chocolate! – increase blood flow and oxygen to the brain therefore dialing up its power.

Studies also show promise when it comes to neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s, suggesting resveratrol helps decrease brain plaque, improve cognitive impairment and relieve oxidation.

Wine Pairing: While polyphenols are important, a 2007 article in the Daily Mail reports researchers were looking at the links of alcohol itself with preventing or slowing down dementia and memory loss, and Dr. Philip Norrie, an Australian MD who studies the positive affects of wine on health, suggests the best way to prevent Alzeheimer’s is to consume moderate daily amounts of red or white wine.

Try: Montes “Alpha” Cabernet Sauvignon, Colchagua Valley, Chile 2010 $19.95 Vintages 322586

A Cure for the Common Cold

Take two ounces and call us in the morning.

The antioxidants in red wine can reduce mucus and phlegm, and livestrong.com reports, have antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. In a recent study by Spanish researchers, moderate consumption can strengthen your immunity against 200 viruses responsible for the colds. In a recent article in The Daily Mail, people who drank 14 glasses of wine per week were 40% less likely to fall ill.

Wine Pairing: livestrong.com reports cool climate countries like Ontario and Bordeaux produce red wines with more resveratrol and antioxidants than warmer climates and pinot noir in general has been found to have the highest amount of resveratrol. Just one more reason to drink local.

Try: Norman Hardie County Unfiltered Pinot Noir, VQA Prince Edward County, Ontario 2010 $35 Vintages 125310

Cancer Prevention

According to the National Cancer Institute, the polyphenols found in red wine like resveratrol and catechins have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties and they may play an active part in inhibiting the growth of certain kinds of cancer.

Resveratrol is an antioxidant and has been proven to reduce tumours in animals in several stages of cancer development. Studies show a glass of wine a day may cut a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer in half.

In a recent study where mice were given 5 milligrams of resveratrol (the equivalent of 2 glasses of wine), the growth of bowl cancers decreased by 50%. 

Wine Pairing: Red wines from southern Italy are considered among the world’s healthiest – for both your body and your wallet, as many fantastic  vinos are priced well below the $20 mark. Cancer prevention and a bargain? Cheers to that!

Try: Tasca D’almerita Lamuri Nero d’Avola, Sicily, Italy 2009 $17.95 Vintages 568089

Fat Fighter

OK, we have talked about this before. A lot. But if you missed it, check out our past blogs here and here and here.

Anyway, we’re tripping over the number of studies of how red wine can be an ally in the Battle of the Bulge. One of the latest is how piceatannol, which is converted from resveratrol once in the human body, is a fat-fighter.

When fat cells are in their early stages of development, our new BFF piceatannol, swoops in and stops them from growing. Make ours a double.

Wine Pairing: Since piceatannol starts its life as resveratrol, we’re going with the biggest resveratrol wine we can find. Syrahs have a healthy dose with some great tannic grip and are delicious, to boot.

Try: Jackson Triggs “Delaine” Syrah VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario 2010 $32.95 Vintages 86553

Fountain of Youth

Back to everyone’s favourite party guest, resveratrol.  So not only is this All Star the go-to guy for reducing inflammation, lowering cancer risks, dementia, strokes and heart disease, combatting colds and making you smarter, but it’s going to do all this and keep you young, too.

Last spring, the web lit up with the results of a new study showing the fountain of youth may really be the bottle of youth. In studies on mice, resveratrol appears to link onto the SIRT1 gene and stop cellular aging. While the study suggests humans would need to down hundreds of glasses of a wine a day to get the amount that was given to mice, the work continues to develop a resveratrol drug and in the meantime, the study may support that old adage of a glass a day to keep the plastic surgeon away.

Wine Pairing: While a Resveratrol pill is still in the works, as Brillat-Savarin once famously wrote in The Psysiology of Taste, “A man who was fond of wine was offered  some grapes for dessert. ‘Much obliged,’ he said, pushing the grapes away, ‘but I am not in the habit of taking my wine in pills.’” Again, to get as many oxidants stuffed into your glass as possible, go for deep, dark reds with some tannic grip.

Try: Langtry Guenoc Petite Sirah, Lake County, California 2011 $17.95 Vintages 19935

Stress Buster

Scientifically, Dr. Oz says red wine will help calm the neurotransmitters that control stress therefore helping you relax.

We say, stress sucks and hunkering down for a gab fest and a glass with your besties is sure to lift your spirits. Studies do say stress is the silent villain behind all kinds of sickness, so kick it where it counts and unwind. Regularly.

To us, nothing recharges us faster than powering down the laptop and connecting with the things that truly matter. So even if all these studies are proven wrong (as science has an annoying tendency to do), we still believe, however anecdotally, sharing a bottle over a few laughs is what keeps us balanced, healthy and whole.

Wine Pairing: Because red wine helps promote feelings of relaxation, especially when paired with a great meal shared with the people you want to be around, pick one that not only has all the stress busting antioxidants, but one that would go really well with a lot different foods. Sangiovese, with it’s fruity, savoury flavours and elevated acidity is a great dance partner for a myriad of foods.

Try: Le Fonti Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy 2009 $19.95 Vintages 295162

Do you think wine can be part of a healthy lifestyle? What do you do to relax and keep yourself healthy? Let us know in the comments below or tell us on Twitter #healthywino!

By the way – we’re not doctors or scientists and in no way do we want to diminish the seriousness of any diseases and health issues, mentioned or otherwise. We simply believe wine can be a very positive part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. However, should you be feeling under the weather, check with your doctor to see about the best course of action.