The five best red wines for your health

Red wine is rich in polyphenols, compounds that act as the body’s defence chemicals and help to prevent cell damage. Photo / Getty Images

Today’s news is worth raising a glass to: it turns out that red wine can be good for you, after all. Leading health expert Dr Tim Spector has waded in on this decades-old debate and said that drinking a variety of red wines is good for both your gut and mental health.

Speaking on the Wine Blast podcast, Spector explained: “having a range of different grape varieties in your diet means you are going to be helping different gut microbes inside you and you will increase your gut health and diversity”.

Last year, Spector gave his now well-known piece of advice to aim for 30 different plants, fruits and vegetables in your diet per week. While you definitely shouldn’t aim for 30 glasses of wine, he says the same principle applies in regard to variation.

A diverse gut microbiome – which means a higher proportion of helpful bacteria in the gut – plays a key role in the function of your immune system and metabolism, as well as promoting good mental health.

A 2019 study from King’s College London found that red wine drinkers have a more diverse gut microbiome. People who drank moderate amounts of red wine were also less likely to be overweight or have high cholesterol than those who drank white wine, spirits or beer.

Red wine has also been shown to benefit heart health in several well-publicised studies. In 1992, medical journal The Lancet published a study that showed moderate alcohol consumption resulted in a 40 per cent reduction in heart attacks.

Researchers have been examining the French paradox (the fact that French people have fewer heart attacks than Americans, even though they eat more saturated fat) for 30 years, and some point to moderate red wine consumption as a key factor – although it must be said that others dismiss this out of hand.

“The polyphenols come from the skins and also the seeds of the grapes during the winemaking process, so, as a rule of thumb, go for a dark red wine like a cabernet sauvignon.” Photo / 123rf

So why is red wine the most beneficial tipple? It is rich in polyphenols, compounds that act as the body’s defence chemicals and help to prevent cell damage, protecting against cancer and age-related diseases. According to Spector, red wine has “magic properties”.

But before you uncork a bottle of red and justify it as medicinal, you need to bear in mind that this all comes with a caveat. Drinking too much is strongly linked to an increased risk of stroke, liver disease and numerous types of cancer. Meanwhile, National Health Service guidelines state that there is no “safe” amount to drink.

Spector says the “window” for benefits is between one and two glasses a day, and that for the “people that like to drink half a bottle of wine or more [per day]”, alcohol has a “negative impact… You’re having a toxic effect on the gut microbes if you’re having too much alcohol.”

He professed to liking “an aged full-bodied red wine, a nice Barolo from Italy… a nice Château Margaux from France”.

Well, we all have our favourites, of course. So if you are thinking health first, we have compiled a list of varieties below that you may like to add to your wine rack.

The top five, ranked in order

1. Cabernet sauvignon

The most planted wine grape in the world also happens to be the healthiest. “The wines that tend to have more polyphenols tend to be the ones that are darker coloured,” says Jamie Goode, a wine writer with a PhD in plant biology. “The polyphenols come from the skins and also the seeds of the grapes during the winemaking process, so, as a rule of thumb, go for a dark red wine like a cabernet sauvignon.”

2. Cannonau di Sardegna

Cannonau – a regional red wine drunk in the “Blue Zone’' of Sardinia, known for its longevity – is another name for the grenache grape and is often touted as one of the “healthiest” varieties. It is a rich source of flavonoids, which are compounds found in fruit, veges, chocolate, wine and tea that have a powerful antioxidant effect and help prevent cell damage. Flavonoids have been linked to decreased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and cognitive diseases such as Alzeheimer’s.

3. Malbec

A “high-altitude Argentine” wine is always a good bet, says Goode, as the increased sunlight stimulates the synthesis of polyphenols and means the grapes are thicker-skinned. “As they’re grown at higher altitudes, the UV rays are much stronger, which means the wine is richer in polyphenols.”

4. Alicante bouschet

You’re less likely to be able to pick up a bottle at your local supermarket, but this Spanish grape is darkest in colour (and so richest in polyphenols), notes Goode.

5. Pinot noir

This has a reputation as the healthiest red, but claims that it is “low sugar” or “low calorie” are rubbish, says Goode. However, pinot noir does have a higher content of one polyphenol in particular, resveratrol, which has been shown to relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure in high doses in a study published in the journal Circulation. In animal studies, it has been shown to have benefits for diabetes and longevity.