Ever drink a lot of red wine and wonder if there was more to it than just helping you to relax after a long day? Did you know the glass can be more than a tempting retreat from the trials and tribulations of the day? Imagine your glass of wine giving you a healthy boost! Now, don’t put that glass down — grab another and find out how Red wine can benefit your health and well-being. Sit down, have a glass, and I’ll tell you how.
A Journey Through the History of Red Wine
Why did red wine emerge as the classic toast at the dinner table and the centerpiece of celebration? Pick yourself up a glass and take a deep, alcohol-soaked stroll through the intoxicating history of the bottle.
This story happened 8,000 years ago when an adventurous ancestor discovered that fermenting grape juice in a clay pot produced a delightful drink. The first red wine was born, and humanity has been in love since that moment.
Skip forward a few millennia to ancient Egypt, and you will begin to see red wine being used in much the same way. Pharaohs and high priests drank to the gods, carried out religious ceremonies, and feasted using the liquid called ‘the blood of the gods’. A short while later, the Greeks and Romans seized the baton. Wine became an art form, with the Greeks filtering the drink through Dionysus, their god of wine. Dionysus would have understood a good party.
As the Roman Empire grew, so did its vineyards. The Romans brought wine-making methods with them, sowing the seeds – literally and metaphorically – for the modern wine industry. By the Middle Ages, monasteries took over the reins of viticulture, making wine for church services and, ahem, I mean probably ‘treating’ themselves, too.
Wine became a defining beverage of Renaissance European culture, and winemaking became an emblematic activity for every region, from north to south and west to east. From this ‘starry firmament’ of European grape varieties, explorers who traversed the Atlantic among the first signs of New World expansion took cuttings. Those austere castells flew the galleons of the Spanish Armada and came over the Andes on the backs of llamas. From the outset of the European settlement of the Americas, red wine was a primary beverage of the Old World transplanted to the New.
Today, red wine is a worldwide pastime, enjoyed from Vancouver to Buenos Aires, for its taste, culture, and plethora of health benefits. The next time you pour yourself a glass of red, you can be sure you’re participating in a tradition some 6,000 years in the making. Cheers all around!
Benefits of red wine
Heart Health Hero
At the top of the list is red wine’s reputation as a heart-healthy elixir packed with antioxidants, particularly resveratrol, found in the skins of red grapes. There, they work to protect the heart by lowering already-high levels of bad cholesterol (LDL), while raising other levels of good cholesterol (HDL) that helps lower the risk of heart disease.
But wait, there’s more. Red wine taken in moderation can improve blood flow and help to prevent life-threatening blood clots. Drinking red wine boosts nitric-oxide production, which relaxes blood vessels, thereby reducing blood pressure. As you sip your Cabernet next time, bear in mind that it’s not your taste buds that are getting the benefit – it’s your heart! Just make sure it’s only in moderation – that’s one or two glasses daily for most of us.
Brain Booster
Drink not to sleep, but to stay awake. To keep your hippocampus limber, indulge in red wine. One study found that a moderate drink-a-day habit can reduce Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of mental debilitation by as much as 25 per cent. The key components are resveratrol, the so-revered heart-healthy antioxidant, which also destroys plaques in the brain.
Further, red wine’s polyphenols help neurons to live longer, live stronger and to work more effectively by reducing both neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. When not consumed in excess, wine reduces the inflammation in arteries, which is so critical to retaining brief memories – as well as cardiovascular health. As you can now see, there are powerful neuroprotective actions from Pinot Noir and other alcohols. Drink up! And remember, a bottle a day keeps the doctor away. Cheers.
Longevity Elixir
Bravo! Drink deep, for red wine can lengthen your life! So say proponents of the ‘French paradox’, which suggests that antioxidants in red wine can extend the life span. The long lives of people in the Mediterranean region have also been attributed to that diet, which includes the modestly drunken meals of Tuscany.
Meanwhile, resveratrol restarts a clock of sorts by activating the protein sirtuins, associated with longevity. Sirtuins help the body ward off common age-related diseases, and people who drink wine in moderation tend to live longer than heavy drinkers and teetotalers. Cheers! The next time you sip a glass of Merlot, consider it a vino-vitation to a longer, healthier life.
Cancer Combatant
Cheers to less cancer in the future! Red wine has long been touted as a source of healthy antioxidants, and its primary antioxidant, resveratrol, has been studied for its ability to prevent and fight several types of cancer. Resveratrol has also been demonstrated to stop cancer cells from growing and sometimes kill them.
Quercetin, another potent anticancer antioxidant, is also present in red wine. In addition to these compounds, the grape extract inhibits a specific enzyme (cyclo-oxygenase 2, or COX-2) that is overproduced in cancer cells and responsible for pain and inflammation.
Yes, it replenishes and supports good bacteria in the colon, improves bowel function, and fights colonic inflammation. Drinking red wine moderately might be part of a healthy lifestyle that prevents cancer. One glass a day might keep the oncologist away!
A glass of red with dinner becomes a digestive miracle. It increases the production of gastric juices that aid in digestion, and red’s polyphenols act as prebiotics, feeding the good bugs in your gut. And a healthy gut? Everything from nutrient absorption to immune function depends on that.
Furthermore, red wine is known to protect against digestive disorders. For example, one 2016 study showed that red wine can reduce the risk of peptic ulcers, and a 2020 review suggested that it offers protection against H. pylori infection, a common cause of stomach ulcers. So, it’s not just that drinking a bit of red wine with dinner is a pleasure; you can also rest assured that your digestive health is being looked after.
Skin Savior
Have you ever wondered why your skin looks fantastic after a glass (or two) of red wine? It’s not just a coincidence! The antioxidants in red wine aren’t just ‘gut heroes’ – they’re beauty superstars, too. Resveratrol and other polyphenols destroy the destructors called free radicals that cause aging and break down our skin structure.
Cheers – because regular, moderate drinking of red wine can improve the elasticity of your skin and reduce the signs of aging, such as wrinkles, and possesses anti-inflammatory properties that can promote clear skin, not to mention reducing the flaring and flushing of skin conditions such as acne and rosacea. (Since some lovers of red wine leave theirs in the fridge a bit too long, you can supposedly even use it as a red wine ‘face mask’ for an immediate skin boost.) Did you know moderate red wine consumption may improve your skin health?
Stress Reducer
Then there is also the well-documented (and one of the most pleasurable) health benefits: red wine makes you more relaxed. Pouring yourself a glass, sitting back, and allowing the wine to float across your tongue tastes very good – an undeniably relaxing ritual. Red wine reduces stress and feelings of anxiety partly because of the alcohol, which leads to a natural sedative effect.
Red Wine Club
Born to please lovers of red wine, the deeply rated Red Wine Club features our highest ratings for quality, value, and differences. Do you like lighter-bodied, fragrant, food- and fun-friendly styles like Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Frappato? You may also enjoy drinking fuller-bodied, structured, hearty, and tannic profiles like Cabernet, Tannat, and Aglianico. The best-selling, subscription-based wine club, customizable for gifts, features a seasonal selection of full-flavored naturally grown red wines.
Highlights:
- Adventurous Reds: Handpicked from top domestic and international producers.
- Sustainable Practices: Featuring organic, biodynamic, and minimal-intervention winemaking.
- Unique Varietals: Discover indigenous grapes from untapped wine regions.
Best Sellers 6-Pack
This selection showcases six of our most popular, highest-selling red wines of the year, released to our wine clubs in 2015. It’s an international snapshot of some of the most exciting examples of organic/biodynamic/sustainably farmed winemaking across the style’s width and breadth.
- Organic Wine Clubs
- Let us guide you on an expertly curated wine experience, with little-known, sustainably produced, and certified wines from every corner of the globe delivered to your door.
- Mixed Organic Wine Club
- Our most-requested sampler club for wine lovers who like to mix it up! A range of reds, whites, rosé and sparklers from more than 20 domestic and international regions, all made naturally with organic, biodynamic and minimal-intervention methods. Native grapes from the worlds most underrated appellations.
- Red Organic Wine Club
- Discover natural red wine wonders with intense earthy accents in a kaleidoscope of styles. Experience borderline crazy red wines from wine world superstars. Taste rare, morbiddos and everything in between from faraway wine territories with uncharted indigenous grapes.
- White Organic Wine Club
Explore new whites with great adventure, diversity and sustainability. Enjoy exciting whites from four progressive international wineries, with rare grape varietals terroir-driven for their unique origin.
How It Works
Step 1: Select your wine club – reds only, whites only or a rotating selection of reds, whites, rosé and bubble.
Step 2: Select your bottle number – customize your case size with 4 bottles, 6 or 12 bottles every shipment.
Step 3: Your subscription type: month-to-month with ongoing subscription or prepaid package (3, 6, or 12 ships)
Which Wine Club is Right for You?
This was one of the first online services to focus exclusively on natural, biodynamic and organic wines, established by Etty Klein 10 years ago to promote indigenous grapes, sustainable producers and wines from under-the-radar regions in Hungary, Croatia, Greece and other places. – Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers
‘Canvas-bound wineries?’ Some people might be stuck in a bottle rut, ordering the same wines again and again; others may fancy themselves oenophiles but have never heard of a ribolla gialla or a vin de pays de l’hermitage; yet others don’t believe there is a difference between a pinot grigio and a sauvignon blanc. Plonk Wine Club sets out to change all of that: ‘Our vision at Plonk is to introduce the Cabernet and Pinot Grigio fanciers out there to grape varieties and wine regions they’ve never heard of,’ its founder Etty Klein writes on the website. ‘With each Plonk shipment you get tasting notes so that you can further develop your wine ‘palate’ and learn about wine.’ To win over the geek-at-heart, subscription offers a buffet of education and entertainment right on your doorstep. 9 Wine Subscription Services That Will Make You Feel Like a Sommelier
The wines are curated and natural, organic grapes with no pesticides and no additives are used to make each bottle of values and rare finds from everywhere in the world, including the old-world regions. This is a place where one can taste some top-notch expensive wines that are tough to find in a room with others or alone.
