There are varieties of red wines that provide health benefits (improving heart function, lowering bad cholesterol, lowering blood pressure) and are an accompaniment to dinner.
However, choosing one can be a task, and as with all things that have to do with our sense of taste and smell, finding a healthy red wine is a personal choice that may take time for you to discover.
The Health Power Of Red Wine
The nine red wines listed here have qualities beneficial to your health if partaken of in reasonable quantities.
What is different from one to the next is the level of sugar, tannins, resveratrol, and antioxidants in each wine.
These ingredients are beneficial to your health; however, a wine with too much sugar can throw your diet off. The antioxidants in red wine are compounds that balance and counteract free radicals in your body, part of life.
The antioxidant qualities of tannins in red wine can aid in preventing cancer. It can also prevent other ailments and offers the same health benefits as the antioxidants in veggies.
As for resveratrol, it is also a powerful antioxidant, and some wines have more of this beneficial compound than others do.
The Best Red Wines For Your Health
The best red wine for your health is one you enjoy enough to drink every day. With that in mind, the following red wines have different flavor notes and ingredients that give you multiple health benefits.
Pinot Noir
As the healthiest wine you can drink, Pinot Noir has a high level of resveratrol and a lower sugar level than other red wines.
These qualities offer a high level of antioxidants and fewer calories. In addition, Pinot Noir has a unique flavor not found in other red wines.
It is a dry red wine with a light to medium body. Pinot Noir has complex flavors that include the muskiness of mushrooms, the forest, and the fruity flavors of raspberry and cherry.
Muscadine
Made from Muscadine, a grape variety that comes from the southeast United States, this wine is generally overlooked and obscure.
However, it offers quite a few health benefits. Some say it is even a superfood.
It is high in antioxidants because of the grapes thick skin, as well as being packed full of resveratrol, ellagic acid and polyphenols.
As a bonus, this wine has a higher fiber content than you will find in most kinds of oats!
Barbera
Created from the grapes of the Piedmont of Italy, Barbera red wine has a high level of resveratrol.
As a result, the flavor of Barbera has notes of licorice, dried herbs, and cherry. Although less expensive than other red wines, it still offers health benefits.
As the third most planted grape worldwide, Barbera red wine, like the other red wines on this list, is beneficial to your health. It is also less expensive than many other red wines due to its high production rate.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is a full-bodied red wine with notes of baking spice and fruit.
Its health benefit comes from flavonoids, which can protect your heart from being damaged by bad cholesterol.
In addition, the flavonoid makeup of Cabernet Sauvignon can help stimulate protein production, which can be beneficial to cell health.
Merlot
Merlot is a medium-bodied red wine made from the second most popular grape in cultivation.
It has notes of plums and black cherries. In addition, Merlot is high in resveratrol, and procyanidin, which is another flavonoid found in wine.
The chemicals in Merlot can help promote vascular heart health and help lower your cholesterol.
Malbec
Grown mainly in France and Argentina, the Malbec grapes produce a smooth red wine.
Malbec has a high level of antioxidants, which helps your immune system and heart health.
Its flavor has notes of chocolate and blackberries. Malbec grapes are a thick-skinned fruit and produce a deep red wine rich with tannins.
Cannonau (Grenache)
The Cannonau grape is grown on the island of Sardinia, off the coast of Italy.
Also known as the Grenache grape, this variety of grape is thick-skinned and imparts an abundance of antioxidants.
The red skin also gives the wine a deep red color, and it features notes of blackberries and ripe cherries.
Nebbiolo
Another of the red wines from the Piedmont of Italy, Nebbiolo, has high amounts of procyanidin.
It also has a high level of melatonin, which helps induce sleep, so Nebbiolo is an excellent wine to have as a nightcap.
Unlike the other red wines, it has notes of fruit, star anise, and high acidity.
Tannat
A full-bodied red wine, French Tannat, is also known as Madiran.
It tends to have a high level of tannins, and it can be mixed with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon for a different flavor. Tannat from Uruguay is smoother than the French variant, with fewer tannins and an intense fruit flavor.
In addition, it includes procyanidin, which offers benefits for cardiovascular health.
Sagrantino
Sagrantino, a rare red wine made from a rare red grape, comes from Umbria, central Italy.
It is a dark, dense wine and has notes of blueberries, blackberries, black cherries, cocoa, and black tea.
Sagrantino may have more antioxidants than any other red wine.
It is one of Italy’s best red wines, and its rarity adds to this reputation. It grows on less than 900 acres of land and will not grow anywhere else but in Umbria.
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