As Red as Wine

For most of us boomers, the word ‘Wine’ is synonymous with ‘Red Wine’.

Especially since American wines started being made with gusto, reds have come more into fashion. In fact, all over the world, the demand for white wine was so great that the production could not keep up. And white grapes could not be grown all over the world. Hence started the tradition of making white wine from red grapes, and that is what created the all new Rose wines. Later on, Rose sparkling wines also were invented; but that’s a different story.

Coming to the actual boomers consumption of red wine, it greatly started in the 1990s, as a reaction to the TV show 60 minutes, which showed a report that regular consumption of red wine positively impacted the heart. THE thing that our generation is obsessed with is health. So, anything that is supposed to positively impact our health is immediately accepted by everyone! And hence red wine also became popular big time almost over night.

Actually, the health benefit is true. There’s a chemical called Resveratrol that’s present in red wine, that’s reportedly good for the heart when consumed in small quantities. The key word here is ‘small quantity’. It has been shown in surveys around the world that moderate drinkers have a lower risk of heart disease than even non-drinkers! That probably is the reason why red wine is so revered by most of the people from our generation. Another study reveals that Cabernet Sauvignon (which is one of the world’s premier grape varieties) has shown positive effects on Alzheimer’s!

Who knew that wine had so many benefits?

We guess the day is not far off when doctor’s prescriptions will have an RX asking you to buy a particular brand of enhanced red wine for its health benefits. Cheers till then J