What is wine?
Wine is made from fermented grape juice. The grapes are picked, crushed and put into barrels or vats for fermentation. The fermentation process converts the natural sugars in grape juice into alcohol. Fermentation can happen naturally, but sometimes the brewer will add yeast to help control the process. The crushed grapes are passed through a press to remove the peel and other sediments. Whether this step is performed before or after fermentation, and the color of the grapes, determine whether the wine turns red or white. To make white wine, grapes are pressed before fermentation. Red wine is usually pressed after fermentation. After this step, the wine is aged in stainless steel or oak barrels until it is ready for bottling.
What is the difference between red wine and white wine?
However, in order to make red wine, crushed red grapes are transferred directly to vats and fermented with the skins, seeds and stems. Grape skins give wine pigments, as well as many unique health compounds found in red wine. Because it is soaked with grape skins, red wine is particularly rich in plant compounds present in grape skins, such as tannins and resveratrol. White wine also contains some of these healthy plant compounds, but usually the content is much lower. Many different grape varieties are used to produce wine, including Pinot Gris, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Red grape varieties are used to make red wine, while white wine can actually be made from red grapes or white grapes. For example, traditional French champagne is made from red Pinot Noir grapes.
Many countries produce wine. Some of the main wine producing regions are located in France, Italy, Spain, Chile, South Africa, Australia and California in the United States.
Although most regions grow multiple grape varieties, some places are famous for one or two grape varieties, such as Napa Valley Chardonnay, Spanish Tempranillo, and South African White Sinan.
Nutrition comparison
However, looking at the nutrients in every 5 ounce (148 ml) glass, you will find some differences:
| Red Wine | Liquor | |
| Calories | 125 | 121 |
| carbohydrate | 4 grams | 4 grams |
| carbohydrate | 1 g | 1 g |
| manganese | 10% of RDI | 9% of RDI |
| Potassium | 5% of RDI | 3% of RDI |
| magnesium | 4% of RDI | 4% of RDI |
| Vitamin B6 | 4% of RDI | 4% of RDI |
| iron | 4% of RDI | 2% of RDI |
| Riboflavin | 3% of RDI | 1% of RDI |
| phosphorus | 3% of RDI | 3% of RDI |
| niacin | 2% of RDI | 1% of RDI |
| Calcium, vitamin K, zinc | 1% of RDI | 1% of RDI |
In general, red wine has a slight advantage over white wine because it contains more vitamins and minerals. Nevertheless, white wine contains fewer calories.
Benefits of red wine
It may help reduce the risk of heart disease
Red wine is the secret behind the French paradox. This is the relatively rare concept of heart disease in France, despite the tradition of eating a diet high in saturated fat. Studies have found that drinking red wine may have a protective effect on the cardiovascular system. In fact, it is related to a 30% reduction in the risk of dying from heart disease. Part of the reason may be because wine contains compounds that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. These help reduce the risk of heart disease.
It may help increase "good" HDL cholesterol
Red wine has also been shown to increase the level of "good" HDL cholesterol, which is related to reducing the incidence of heart disease. A small study found that adults who drank 1-2 glasses of red wine a day for four weeks increased their HDL levels by 11-16% compared to people who only drank water or water and grape extract.
It may slow down brain decline
Several studies have shown that drinking red wine can help slow down age-related mental decline. This may be partly due to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of resveratrol, which is an antioxidant-like compound in red wine. Resveratrol seems to prevent the formation of protein particles called beta-amyloid. These beta-amyloid proteins play a key role in the formation of plaques in the brain, which is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.
Other benefits of resveratrol
The potential benefits of resveratrol as a supplement have been extensively studied. In these concentrated doses, resveratrol appears to have the following benefits:
- Relieve joint pain: it can prevent cartilage damage.
- Helps to treat diabetes: it increases insulin sensitivity. In animal studies, resveratrol can prevent diabetes complications.
- Extend the lifespan of various organisms: It does this by activating genes that fight aging diseases.
- May help treat cancer: The potential of resveratrol to prevent and treat cancer has been extensively studied, but the results are mixed.
Other possible health benefits of wine
Here are some of the main ones:
- Reduce the risk of heart disease: More than 100 studies have shown that moderate drinking can reduce the risk of heart disease by 25-40%.
- Reduce the risk of dying from heart disease or stroke: In a Danish study, people who drank low and medium amounts of wine were less likely to die from heart disease or stroke than people who drank beer or other spirits.
- Better cholesterol levels: A moderate amount of alcohol also seems to improve cholesterol levels.
- Reduce the risk of death: Many population studies have shown that drinkers have a lower risk of death due to various causes, including heart disease.
- Reduce the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases: Compared with non-drinkers, light to moderate drinkers have a lower risk of neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's).
- Reduce the risk of osteoarthritis: At least one study found that people who drink wine have a lower risk of developing the disease than people who drink beer.
- Reduce the risk of certain cancers: Observational studies have shown that people who drink alcohol may have a lower chance of developing lung cancer.
Having said that, it is important to remember that these studies are observational in nature. They cannot prove causality and should be reserved.
Disadvantages of drinking
Is red wine healthier than white wine?
If you are going to drink wine, it is obvious that red wine is healthier than white wine—or not so bad. In other words, in terms of health effects, red wine is clearly the winner. Having said that, considering the huge harmful effects of excessive drinking, drinking alcohol should never be promoted as a way to improve health. In addition, most studies that show benefits are observational in nature, which means they cannot prove cause and effect. If you really like to drink, red wine is a better choice, but restricting alcohol (or avoiding alcohol altogether) is always the safest choice. The potential benefits of resveratrol as a supplement have been extensively studied. In these concentrated doses, resveratrol appears to have the following benefits:
- Relieve joint pain: it can prevent cartilage damage.
- Helps to treat diabetes: it increases insulin sensitivity. In animal studies, resveratrol can prevent diabetes complications.
- Extend the lifespan of various organisms: It does this by activating genes that fight aging diseases.
- May help treat cancer: The potential of resveratrol to prevent and treat cancer has been extensively studied, but the results are mixed.