Red wine is a wine whose color can be intense violet, brick red or brown colored. It is produced by the fermentation of dark colored grape (black) with skin so that the color of the wine is maintained. The production process includes the color extraction as well as the flavor components of the grapes skin. Shiraz, Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and Pinot noir are the common varieties of red wine. It contains the alcohol content from 12 to 15 percent. Red wine is considered as the healthiest alcohol due to the production and fermentation process. It contains high content of vitamins, antioxidants and polyphenols. It has resveratrol which assist the body systems.

History

Wine is a very old drink having a long as well as fascinating history. Wine is the fermented or rotten juice. The evidence shows that the production of wine started from 6000 to 5000 B.C in Iran and Russian Georgia. It was used as precious water for the consumption, religious and cultural purposes. The people of different culture learned to make the simple alcoholic beverages. The wine histories date back to Early Roman era. Wine could be prepared from any juice of fruits but mostly made from the crushed grapes. The color of wine is determined by the time upto which the skin remains with juice while performing the process of fermentation. Wine is found in three colors such as white, red and peach to light pink.

Types of Red wine

1. Syrah

The flavor and aroma resembles roasting meat or black pepper spice. It is hearty and spicy reds. The color ranges from finest, deepest to dark red along with intense flavors. It is called Shiraz in Australia. It suits best with beef, lamb, barbecue, sausage venison, duck, tuna and mushroom.

2. Merlot

It has typical taste and flavors plums, blackcherry and herbal. The wine is less tannic in comparison to Cabernet Sauvignon. It is also blended with other wines. It has full flavor. It pairs well with grilled steaks, roasted prime rib, cheese, filet mignon, lamb, duck, turkey, veal, pork, pasta, sausage and tomato sauce.

3. Cabernet sauvignon

The term Sauvignon is derived from the word Savage. It is also used as a blending component. It has deep color such as raspberry. It pairs well with beef dish, duck, steak, venison and cheese dishes.

4. Malbec

It is the wine of well colored having the taste of plums, spice and berries. It is also blended with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit verdot and merlot. It is originated from France.

5. Pinot noir

It has soft tannins and low content of polyphenols. It has fruity aroma. It goes well with chicken, beef, pork loin, lamb, roast duck, salmon, veal, tuna and smoked meat.

6. Zinfandel

It has a zesty flavor of berry and pepper. It is mostly served with pizza, burgers, sweet barbecue sauce, Mexican or Thai foods, turkey tomatoes, sausages and stinky cheese. It has high content of alcohol and medium content of tannin.

7. Sangiovese

It is light and firmly acidic. It is paired with Italian or Mediterranean style cuisines.

8. Cabernet Franc

It is the red wine produced in United States. The ripe tannins has the scent of fresh roasted coffee. It is often blended with Merlot which adds spicy and pungent flavor.

9. Gamay

It has the flavor of raspberry, strawberry or sweet cherries.

10. Grenache/Garnacha

It has high alcohol and low content of acidity. The wine is spicy, fruit and bold flavored.

11. Mourvèdre/Mataro

The wine is lightly spicy and medium bodied with cherry flavored.

12. Tempranillo

It is the red wine made in Spain. It has high acidity and could be aged. It is made from dark grape along with berries, plum, leather, herb and tobacco. It is paired with charcuterie, cheese, rice dish and risotto.

Nutritional value

One serving of red wine presents 127.24 g of moisture, 122 calories, 0.1 g of protein, 0.43 g of ash and 3.82 g of carbohydrate. It also contains 4.9 mg of petunidin, 6.1 mg of delphinidin, 38.6 mg of malvidin, 2.7 mg of peonidin, 11.3 mg of catechin, 15.7 mg of epicatechin, 0.1 mg of luteolin, 0.4 mg of myricetin, 0.9 mg of quercetin, 22.3 mg of Proanthocyanidin dimers and 3.9 mg of Proanthocyanidin trimmers.

Health Benefits of Red wine

Red wine is made from the dark colored grapes. The color of this wine ranges from red to deep purple. The moderate intake of red wine is healthy for heart. Red wines have antioxidants which prevents from coronary artery diseases. The antioxidant increases the good cholesterol and prevents the buildup of cholesterol. Proanthocyanidins and Resveratrol are found in red wine as antioxidant which provides enormous health benefits. It lowers inflammation and assists blood clotting by preventing the chances of cancer and heart ailments. It also prevents dementia, controls hypertension and combats the aging process.

1. Avoid harmful effects

The intake of red wine prevents the chances of cardiovascular ailments. The consumption of red wine before lighting cigarette prevents some negative effect on the blood vessels. It stimulates the formation of nitric oxide that promotes the function of endothelial in coronary arteries due to high concentrationof phenol in red wine. The study shows that those who intake red wine before smoking does not experience the cellular changes. (1)

2. Lowers inflammation

Red wine as well as grapes has a component which helps to induce inflammation by bacterial pathogen which is associated to upper respiratory tract and ailments such as chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, asthma and middle ear infection. Resveratrol helps to alleviate inflammation that is occurred in airway disease. It also prevents the bacterial infection. (2)

3. Prevent cancer

Alcohol is a risk factor for the neck and head cancer. The study shows that resveratrol present in skin of grapes or red wine prevents the chances of cancer. Resveratrol eliminates the unrepaired DNA damages so that they won’t be able to cause cancer. The cells are damaged by alcohol and resveratrol wipe out these cells. Other trials are still going on to test the resveratrol ability to prevent the liver and colon cancer as well as treatment for head and neck cancer. (3)

4. Enhance performance

Red wine has a natural compound which promotes performance, training and exercises. The experiment made shows that resveratrol enhance the function of heart, physical performance and strengthen muscles. Resveratrol is helpful for the people who are physically incapable to perform exercises. (4)

5. Regulates blood sugar

 Red wine prevents the heart ailments if the diet is rich in saturated fat. It also regulates blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. It has natural antioxidants which slows the glucose passage through small intestines and blood stream. It also prevents the spike. It also prevent the fluctuations in the level of blood sugar that could lead to high blood pressure, heart problems, kidney, eyes, blood vessel and nerve damage. (5)

6. Prevent memory loss

Red grapes prevent the memory loss related to age. It has resveratrol which is an antioxidant present in the skin of grapes or red wine, berries and peanuts. Resveratrol is able to prevent heart ailments and provides positive effect on learning, memory and mood. It also assist the patients of Alzheimer’s disease. (6)

7. Lowers erectile dysfunction

The research shows that the foods having high content of flavonoids lower the chances of erectile dysfunction. Anthocyanins could be found in cherries, blueberries, blackcurrant and radishes which have positive effects to prevent this health condition. The flavonoid rich foods lower the chances of erectile dysfunction by 14 percent. It also lowers the cardiovascular ailments as well as diabetes. (7)

8. Stroke damage

The researchers discover that the intake of red wine prevents the brain damage such as stroke. The resveratrol induce ischemic stroke by lowering the supply of blood to brains. The animals that ingested resveratrol have low brain damage in comparison who was not provided resveratrol. It resist the brain from ischemic stroke. (8)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqbezsKQgnQ&t=59s

How to use        

• It is used to add flavor as well as aroma to the food.
• It is used as a marinade, ingredient and flavoring agent in cooking.
• The wine should be simmered with food to promote the dish.
• It is also used in desserts.
• It is used in stewing and braising meat.

Precautions                                                                                                 

• Take care about the amount to be used during cooking.
• It should be consumed in limited amounts because excessive consumption will harm the health.
• The reactions such as flushing, confusion, seizures, blackouts, vomiting, diarrhea, problem in walking might be experienced.
• Prolonged use might cause liver problems, cardiovascular problems, mental problems, cancer and pancreas problems.
• It should not be used during pregnancy as well as nursing mothers.
• If used by pregnant women might cause foetal alcohol syndrome or miscarriage.
• Porphyria and blood associated problem patients should avoid its use.
• It has high content of calories so its excessive intake could lead to weight gain.

Other Facts        

• Red wines have red color as the color is extracted from the skin of grapes during fermentation.
• Red wine has high content of resveratrol and antioxidants.
• Red wine loses the color as it ages.
• The smell which comes from the wine is called as an aroma.
• Due to the presence of histamines in red wine some might get headaches.
• The people in China mix red wines with Sprite or Coca-Cola.
• Red wine could lose its flavor when it gets too warm.
• It is considered as the oldest beverage.

Red wine facts

Red wine is formed with the use of red, black or blue grapes. The grape is fermented with seeds and skin. The wine gets its color from the skin not from its juice. The presence of tannin makes the feel of wine firmness in mouth. Wine is only the juice of different fruits in different colors which is served in various sorts of glasses. Besides grapes, it could be made from plums, peaches, pears and others.

 

References:

http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/amazing-benefits-of-red-wine/#gref

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/red-wine-benefits.html

http://www.frenchscout.com/types-of-red-wines 

http://www.winemag.com/2015/10/27/red-wine-basics/

http://wines.com/popular-red-wine-varietals.html

http://www.dummies.com/food-drink/drinks/wine/the-most-popular-red-grape-varieties/

http://www.redwinetourguide.com/types-of-red-wine.html

http://www.naturalarthritistreatments.net/arthritis-in-general/red-wine-for-arthritis#

https://www.factretriever.com/wine-facts

http://www.ora.tv/brownbagwinetasting/article/2014/9/8/10-fun-facts-about-red-wine

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