Longevity interests a lot of people who aren't ready to give up their lives, just yet, and who look to healthy alternatives to culturally defined eating patterns and "health care."

The benefits of drinking wine have been touted for a while and are thought, by some, to be the reason why the French can get away with eating a high fat diet while enjoying a low rate of coronary disease.

A few years ago, a study by French research team also found that men who regularly drank at least two glasses of wine daily were 50 percent less likely than non-drinkers to suffer a second heart attack.

Previous studies with yeast, a small species of worm, and fruit flies have shown that resveratrol -- a polyphenol antioxidant found in grapes, especially red grapes, and particularly pinot noir grapes which are grown in northern latitudes and used in wines coming from New York, Washington, and Oregon -- is a life-extending compound.

In a new study from Italy, resveratrol has been used to increase the life span of a short-lived breed of tropical fish by more than 50%. Not only did fish given resveratrol in their food live longer than the control group, they stayed livelier as they aged and displayed better memory in stimulus/response tests. And the neurons in their brains didn't decay as quickly when they died and were dissected.

Resveratrol, an organic compound contained in the skins of grapes that protects them from disease, is extracted from grapes by the wine making process. The wine becomes a preservative for the resveratrol and prevents its oxidation.

That's why drinking grape juice or eating raisins doesn't have the same effect; the resveratrol has neither been extracted nor preserved. It's also been shown that resveratrol in food supplements oxidizes upon exposure to air and loses its effectiveness.

Red wine may truly be a "wondrous drug!"

Other studies have shown that wine, especially red wine, can help prevent colds, increase the levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, lower the risk of Alzheimer's, reduce the size and number of fat cells in the body, reduce the risk of prostate cancer, and has anti-inflammatory properties to boot.

Drug companies are trying to copy resveratrol, but might not be able to preserve it's health-preserving benefits. Besides, resveratrol is freely available in red wine and not patentable as such.

----------------------------
Dr. Lawrence Stepanowicz is a Doctor of Naturopathy and writer on health topics. You can find more information on good health in practice at his website and blog, http://practicalhealth.net.

About the Author

Dr. Lawrence Stepanowicz is a Doctor of Naturopathy and writer on health topics. You can find more information on good health in practice at his website and blog, http://practicalhealth.net.

Short Review on French Wine

A Little Red Wine Could Take You A Long Way!


Longevity interests a lot of people who aren't ready to give up their lives, just yet, and who look to healthy alternatives to culturally defined eati...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

French Wine Products we recommend

The FTD Sweetness and Light Bouquet - Deluxe


This sweet bouquet is a vision of pink, purple and white blooms. Flowers include purple iris, white freesia, pink tulips and more in a glass vase. C22-3433D


Price: 66.99 USD



News about French Wine

A new film by Scorsese

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 10:14:53 -0700
Each year, the Spanish sparkling wine juggernaut Freixenet produces a long-format TV commercial to promote its bubbles during the holidays. This year, it was Martin Scorsese’s turn at bat and he decided to do a spot as an homage to Alfred Hitchcock. See it here.

Emerging, in Spain, to Warm Applause

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:22:07 -0800
The Spanish wine Rueda, filled with juicy citrus, floral and mineral flavors, is just the sort of white wine to have on hand in the refrigerator.

Recipe for Spanish Father's Day (March 19) wine dinner

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 07:57:23 -0800
Take advantage of this great opportunity to honor your Father or the Father of your children with this recipe for Manchego Cheese Canapes With Olives And Piquillo Peppers, the perfect appetizer for your Spanish-themed meal, paired with a red Rioja wine.

3 Great Spanish White Wines

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 07:45:18 -0800
If you are looking to try something new, head right for the Spanish section at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. Spanish wine is unlike anything else you’ve tried. Most everyone has tried the Spanish red grapes, Tempranillo and Garnacha, but you have to check out the whites.

Wine may calm inflammation in blood vessels

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:04:39 -0800
By Amy Norton NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Adding to evidence that a little wine can do a heart good, a new study suggests that women who drink moderate amounts may have less inflammation in their blood vessels. Spanish researchers found that after...


Cabernet Wine
Wine Kits

Labels: Liquor Cabinet

Posted by Larry Smithson | 0 comments

Tonight?s the night. You?ve got that special dinner party with friends and you want it to be perfect. You?ve got the menu completed but the question is which wine will compliment the meal best? Here are some tips for choosing fine wine.



Lighter foods need lighter wines while heartier foods need full bodied wines. For example, fish is light and thus a wine like Pinot Noir goes very nicely because it is also light.



The way the food is prepared will also influence the type of wine you choose. Whether your meal is grilled or roasted as well as the spices you use will affect your wine choice.



Bitter foods need a fruity wine that will compliment it, such as a Chardonnay or Merlot. Shiraz or some of the other heavy tannic red wines go great with a grilled steak because the fat in the meat tones down the bitterness in the wine.



Foods that are salty or oily go much better with a wine that?s higher in acid like Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc. Sweet foods do much better with a slightly sweet dry wine such as Riesling or Chenin Blanc.



Dry wines, both red and white, work well with a wider selection of foods so if in doubt go this route. A general rule of thumb is that you want your wine to offer a nice contrast from your food but you don?t want it to clash.



The most important tip to remember is that wine is about taste and it?s a personal choice so trust your taste buds. It?s always a good idea to test a wine before purchasing it, and don?t base your wine buying decisions on what your friends or family say. Use your own palate to make your choices.



You should also be patient with yourself because learning to buy good wine has quite a learning curve. The best way to learn is try many different wines and expand your wine cellar. People tend to find a wine they like and then stick with it spending little time experimenting with other wines. Why not explore other wines and find some other great choices?



The price of wine doesn?t dictate the quality. Of course many would like you to believe it does but the British Columbia wine industry is proving that?s just not so, producing some top quality wines at a fraction of the cost of imported wines. Of course, as with many things, best costs more but there are plenty of excellent choices and it really does pay to shop around.



Always put together your wine cabinet with thought. Think about your budget, the types of food you most often serve, and how much entertaining you do. Set aside the most expensive wines for those special occasions and serve the less expensive, but still delicious, wines for your daily use.



These tips for choosing fine wine will have your wine cabinet looking very healthy in no time and your wines will compliment your meals nicely!

About the Author:

Gray Rollins is a featured writer for GreatWineTips.com. For more wine tips and to learn how to make wine, visit us.