Madirans Wine, Muscadines..
Can Red Wine Really Protect Our Hearts?
The Scotsman
12-04-06
IT IS a commonplace that wine, especially red wine, in moderation, is good for you. The Greek physician Hippocrates, the father of medicine, used it to treat his patients and a succession of scientists and doctors from the French chemist Louis Pasteur to the British doctor Christopher Penfold (who was responsible for the famous Penfold's label in Australia) have extolled its virtues.
The statistics do indeed suggest that wine drinkers live longer and are generally speaking healthier during their lives, with a much lower incidence of heart disease, strokes and dementia in particular, although a good diet and plenty of exercise are vitally important for maintaining good health.
But why should this be? And which grapes and vintages should we look out for, from which areas of the world?
The science of understanding precisely why red wine can have such a beneficial effect on human health is in its infancy, and much more research requires to be done, but major advances are being made. It is well established that antioxidant chemicals known as polyphenols, which come from grape skin and seeds and give red wine its colour and taste, protect the lining of the blood vessels from bad cholesterol.
Earlier this week, in the journal Nature, a team of scientists led by Professor Roger Corder, of Queen Mary, University of London, and Alan Crozier, of the University of Glasgow, reported that one particular group of polyphenols, procyanidins, actively suppress production of a protein that constricts the blood vessels, endothelin-1.
Professor Corder, who has written a book entitled The Wine Diet (subtitled Drink red wine every day, Eat fruit and berries, nuts and chocolate, Enjoy a longer, healthier life), says: "The most important breakthrough in our understanding of how these polyphenols protect against heart disease came when studies showed that red wine and grape extracts caused blood vessels to dilate, so helping to reduce blood pressure and protect against hardening of the arteries.
"If you are a red-wine drinker and also eat two or three portions of fruit a day, it is likely that you are already consuming 1-2g of protective polyphenols a day. The proportion of these that are procyanidins may vary considerably, but the ideal daily target to aim for would be 300-500mg of procyanidins."
Professor Corder observes that red wines rich in tannins and best enjoyed with a meal are the healthiest, rather than more modern, less astringent wines designed to be consumed at any time of the day. The bad news is that these types of wines most frequently come from well-established vines which are slow to ripen, give low yields and are often found at high altitudes. They are more difficult to make and tend to be expensive. The good news is that "there are plenty of wines that fall between the two extremes".
Tannat, a grape grown in the Gers area of south-west France and the main constituent of Madiran, is, according to Professor Corder, among the healthiest.
"If there was truly a French paradox [longevity despite high consumption of saturated fats] it was here. Gers has double the national average of men aged 90 or more, so if red wine is the protecting force, then this region's wines must be providing special benefits. Now I'm a fairly sceptical individual, so it was very much a surprise to discover that this does indeed seem to be the case. The wines are the most procyanidin-rich I have encountered."
Two small glasses - say, 125ml - of Madiran per day would yield between 200 and 300mg of procyanidins, which is at the low end of Professor Corder's daily target. Eating fruit, nuts and dark chocolate would increase the procyanidin intake.
But Madiran wines are rare and available only in specialised outlets, so what other grapes have high or medium levels of procyanidins?
Cabernet Sauvignon, a very common grape used in many Bordeaux wines and, by special dispensation in the Marques de Riscal Rioja from Spain, has what Professor Corder calls a high ratio of "pip to pulp". He also recommends Nebbiolo, which is grown in north-west Italy; Sangiovese, which you will find in Tuscan wines generally and Chianti in particular; Aglianico, from southern Italy; and Cannonau from the Nuoro area of Sardinia.
Professor Corder issues a caution over new world wines - good news for beleaguered old world producers who have suffered an onslaught in the past few decades, particularly from Australia - because they tend to rely on newer vines and more modern processes that often reduce the level of tannins, but he is keen on Malbec grown in Argentina and some Chilean Cabernet Sauvignons.
The longer you leave a wine to age, the more the procyanidins disintegrate, although it is a gradual process; after five years there should still be a reasonably high level, after 10 very little. "Long ageing is probably not in your best interests from a health point of view - neither will it do very much for the taste of inexpensive, everyday wines. Communities known for their longevity or exceptional good health traditionally drink their local wines young - usually no more than three years after the vintage - often drawing straight from the barrel."
Professor Corder has established a health rating scale ranging from one to five and using heart symbols. This has not been taken up by any winemakers, although many are now using the index developed in France, the Indice des Polyphenols Totaux, which although not published on bottle labels is available from producers.
But in our health-conscious age, it is surely only a matter of time before such a system is introduced on a wide scale - for marketing purposes if for no other.
"With many thousands of wines being made around the world each year, and with so many variables, a dedicated laboratory would be needed in order to analyse wines systematically.
"I see no reason why in the future it should not be a legal requirement to include a statement of the procyanidin content. I predict that sooner or later we will be told exactly what health benefits we can expect from a glass of wine," he said.
Finally, Professor Corder recommends drinking wine with a meal.Binge drinking cancels out any good that the wine may do.
"It is important that wine drinkers recognise the need to drink responsibly."
WHICH WINES TO BUY FOR YOUR HEALTH
ACCORDING to the scientists, some wines are more healthy for you than others - but do they actually taste any good?
The Scotsman put two of the wines recommended by Professor Corder - both with five hearts for high levels of procyanidins - to the test.
Firstly, a Mas de Daumas Gassac, left , from the Languedoc- Rousillon area of France, acquired from Jean Michel Gauffre, chef- owner of La Garrigue restaurant in Edinburgh, which specialises in food and wine from the region.
Corder recommends the 2003 vintage, but we tasted the 2001 vintage. Made from a blend of cabernet sauvignon (80 per cent) and 20 other grape varieties, it has a powerful bouquet, is rich and heavy and tastes spicy. It is quite astringent. A very fine wine, but it won't be to everyone's taste. Depending on the year, it retails for between GBP 20 and GBP 40 a bottle but can only be bought from specialist suppliers.
Second, the Allegrini Palazzo della Torre 2003, right, from the Veneto in Italy, which is given four hearts. Made from corvino and rondinella grapes enhanced by the ripasso technique in which, in this case, the young wine is refermented using Amarone skins, it is again a complex, strong tasting, astringent wine, although with a much more subtle bouquet. Not as good as the best Valpolicellas and Amarones from the same region. On sale in Valvona & Crolla for GBP 13.95.
What other wines should you look out for that are high in procyanidins? From Madiran, Corder recommends the Chateau d'Aydie, Domaine Berthoumieu Cuvee, Charles De Batz, Chateau Bouscasse Vieilles Vignes. From Bordeaux, Montagne-St Emilion and Chateau Montaiguillon. From Spain, the Rioja Altos de Tamaron Ribera del Duero Reserva. From Argentina the Malbec Reserva Altos Las Hormigas. From Chile the Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo and Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon.
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