KEY POINTS:
Emerging groggy from a night of overindulgence, the connection between wine and its health-giving properties feels particularly shaky today. However, it's a link that's been long touted, not just by those looking to excuse their vice, but by a growing body of medical experts, such as Roger Corder,
a British Professor of Experimental Therapeutics and author of the recently published, The Wine Diet.
While I've always maintained a healthy mistrust of dieting, this sounds like it could be a regime that's particularly suited to my proclivities.
"Wine drinkers are generally healthier and live longer," asserts Corder, supporting this with results from numerous studies. These showed moderate wine consumption reduced the risk of heart disease, strokes, dementia and certain cancers, with evidence suggesting that wine consumption provides benefits beyond those that could be attributed solely to a healthy lifestyle.
Wine's elixir is likely its polyphenols, or more specifically the procyanidins found in the skins and pips of grapes, as well as in other foods such as chocolate, apples and certain nuts and spices. In wines, as these are only extracted during fermentation, the bad news for white wine drinkers is that as whites are not fermented on their skins it's just red wines that are rich in these protective procyanidins.
Not all reds offer the same benefits, says Corder, who investigated the "French Paradox" for clues - this is the infuriating phenomenon that finds the French suffering from considerably less heart disease than other nationalities with comparable consumption of saturated fat, something that's been linked with their regular consumption of wine. Corder discovered that the French regions where heart disease was lowest, the procyanidins levels in local wines were highest.
In the Gers region, where fatty fare like foie gras and cheeses are regularly on the menu, there are double the national average of men aged 90 or over. Their longevity perhaps lies in their local tipple, the ultra-tannic procyanidin-rich Madiran.
Made predominantly from the tough-skinned Tannat grape, just one glass could contain the same amount of protective procyanidins as two bottles of most Australian wines, Corder found.
With modern tastes veering away from gum-numbingly tannic wines to softer styles, Corder raises concerns that these easier drinking wines might not be as potent as those of the past. However, there are some varietals and regions he suggests are still likely to have an impressive procyanidin count.
It's good news for New Zealand, as the slow-ripening of grapes in cool climates like ours boosts polyphenol levels, as does the greater UV exposure that's also to be found in warmer countries at higher altitudes. Corder also found more procyanidins in wines that had longer skin contact during the winemaking process and in more concentrated styles.
And if Tannat's not your thing, he recommends Cabernet Sauvignon, with its high ratio of pip to pulp, as a good alternative, as well as varieties such as malbec, nebbiolo and sangiovese.
In Corder's nutritional plan, wine is just one component of a procyanidin rich diet. Far from being licence to stew one's liver in copious amounts of cab sav, moderation is key - just under nine 150ml glasses of an average strength wine a week for a woman and around 13 for a man.
I just can't do it. While I'm willing to watch my weekly alcohol intake, I'm not able to eschew all white wine in favour of red. But the diet does offer another option - to make up the difference with other procyanidin-packed products. I'm thinking chocolate might be an appropriate alternative.
Healthy options
Wine with altitude
Trapiche Malbec 2005 $11.99
With high altitude vineyards and malbec as its flagship grape, Argentina is well placed to produce wines with polyphenols aplenty. From its Mendoza region, this easy drinking malbec is brimming with warm dark berry fruit at a ridiculously low price.
* From Liquor King, Liquorland, New World.
Smooth Operator
Esk Valley Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec 2005 $24-26
Procyanidin-rich cabernet sauvignon is often a tough call in New Zealand's climes, which is why some of the most pleasant are softened with some merlot. In this smooth juicy blend, it's also joined by malbec, which adds richness to its palate of dark fruits, spice and dried herbs.
* From traditional liquor stores and supermarkets.
Taming The Beast
Château Lafitte-Teston Madiran 2001 $30
Madirans can be a bit rough and rustic, but not this one. Made in a more modern style, it has attractive juicy blackberry fruit, a touch of smoke, spice and earthiness and enough age to have mellowed those tannins.
* From Glengarry