Health Secrets of Red Wine Uncovered

Scientists already knew that drinking red wine in moderation is good for your health; now they are figuring out why.

New research is uncovering the disease-prevention secrets of a polyphenol called resveratrol, one of compounds in red wine that seems to improve health. Although the benefits have been touted for years, researchers weren't sure how polyphenols, and resveratrol in particular, worked in the body.

"The breadth of benefits is remarkable -- cancer prevention, protection of the heart and brain from damage, reducing age-related diseases, such as inflammation, reversing diabetes and obesity, and many more," said Lindsay Brown, an associate professor of the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Queensland in Australia and co-author of a study that will appear in the September issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Brown said scientists are beginning to understand how resveratrol does its work. Possible mechanisms include:

• High doses of the compound may prevent cancer by increasing the process of apoptosis (programmed cell death).


• Low doses improve cardiac health by increasing cellular protection and reducing damage.


• Resveratrol may help remove very reactive oxidants in the body and improve blood supply to cells.

Scientists are also studying how the body absorbs resveratrol into the blood stream, since the compound is largely inactivated in the gut and liver.

"Most of the resveratrol in imbibed red wine does not reach the circulation," Stephen Taylor, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Queensland, said in a journal news release. "Interestingly, absorption via the mucous membranes in the mouth can result in up to around 100 times the blood levels, if done slowly rather than simply gulping it down."

Georgian drinking glasses

Drinking Glasses, 1750 – 1800

These beautiful drinking glasses served wine. The bowls are much smaller than those served in bars and pubs today because wine was stronger than it is now.

It the 1600s most delicate drinking glasses were imported from Europe, especially Venice. Britain’s decorative glass industry took off from the early 1700s.

The incredible pattern in the stem is called an opaque or cotton twist. Pressing white enamel rods into molten glass and then twisting them inside a mould make these amazing patterns. Skilled glass blowers made lots of stems from one long length. The bowl, the stem and the foot of the glass were blown separately, and then stuck together.

Heavy Metals Can Taint Wine

The cardiac benefits of wine have been touted for years, but heavy metal contamination found in some European red and white wines could turn a health benefit into a hazard, British researchers report.

Heavy metals have been linked to neurological problems such as Parkinson's disease and may also increase oxidative stress, which can lead to chronic inflammatory disease and cancer, the researchers noted.

"We used literature reports of concentrations of metals in wines originating from 16 countries to determine the Target Hazard Quotients (THQ) for these wines," said lead researcher Declan Naughton, a professor of biomolecular sciences at Kingston University in South West London. "Many of the wines gave very high THQ values, which is concerning."

Among wines from Portugal, Austria, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Serbia, Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Jordan, Macedonia, Slovakia and Greece, only three countries had wines that posed no hazard from heavy metals.

Based on the wines analyzed, only those from Argentina, Brazil and Italy had THQ values that were below 1.0.

The report was published in the Oct. 30 online edition of Chemistry Central Journal.

For the study, Naughton and his colleague Andrea Petroczi used the THQ, a formula developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to look for seven heavy metals in wines. These included vanadium, copper, manganese, nickel, zinc, chromium and lead.

Naughton and Petroczi found that most wines had THQ values much higher than 1.0. In fact, THQ values typically ranged from 50 to 200. Red and white wines from Hungary and Slovakia reached THQ levels of 300.

"For consumption of 250 mL (8.5 oz.) daily, these wines give very high THQ values and may present detrimental health concerns through a lifetime," Naughton said.

Because heavy metals can pose a health threat, Naughton and Petroczi recommend that levels of metal ions should appear on wine labels. "This would help inform customer choice," Naughton said. "In addition, where necessary, further steps should be introduced to remove key hazardous metal ions during wine production."

No wines from the United States were included in the study, so it is not possible to tell the heavy metal content of wines produced in this country. One critic of the study does not think U.S. wines contain dangerous levels of heavy metals.

"The U.S. [Alcohol and Tobacco] Tax and Trade Bureau routinely performs market basket surveys in the U.S. to test wine and alcohol for a number of components, including heavy metals," explained Gladys Horiuchi, communications manager at the Wine Institute of California.

Joan R. Davenport, a professor of soil science in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Washington State University, thinks a lot more study needs to be done to figure out how these heavy metals are ending up in wine.

"Knowing what I know about not only growing wine grapes but the whole process of turning them into wine and looking at some of the countries where these wines came from, it makes me wonder what may happen in the processing," Davenport said.

A lot of the heavy metals found in the wines in the study, exist in only very small quantities in soil, Davenport said. "The likelihood of that being in the grapes isn't very likely," she said. The contamination could be coming from the metal barrels used in processing the wine, she added.

Davenport isn't worried that these metals are a health problem. "I'm not going to drink any less wine," she said. "Enjoy what you enjoy in moderation. But if you like only Hungarian wine, you might be in more trouble than if you like Argentinean wine."

Making Wine and Micro Brewing

The demand for specialty alcoholic beverages is growing as changing consumer tastes, among baby boomers in particular, are influencing industry trends. This population group tends to be more health conscious and enjoys specialty products designed for consumption with meals. As tourists, this group, seeks regionally unique and cultured products such as wines made from locally grown and native berries. Specialty wine and beer producers in the Province have identified and are taking advantage of opportunities in the wine-making and micro-brewing industry. They are focusing their efforts, for the most part, on niche markets in the tourism sector, and in the local market’s desire for pure and preservative-free products.

Wineries
Three companies currently produce and sell specialty small fruit and rhubarb wines in the Province. Last year, combined production was estimated at 330,000 bottles. The outlook appears to be bright for the industry with expanding product lines and all producers expecting increased production for 2000.

Markland Cottage Winery was the forerunner in this industry in the Province––it began making blueberry wine in 1993 at Whitbourne. The Company has since expanded its product line to include a dry blueberry wine as well as partridgeberry, barrens blend (a partridgeberry and blueberry combination), bakeapple, plum, strawberry, and pear wines. The Company sells its products nationally and internationally under the trade name Rodrigues. All Rodrigues wines are Kosher/Pareve certified which enables the Company to target Jewish communities in Toronto and New York. There are only two other wineries in North America that have this certification.

Weil Winery Limited, in Twillingate, began operations in 1998. Its first vintage, strawberry wine, was produced from locally farmed berries. The Company has since expanded and now produces 10 different wines including: cherry, blueberry, damson, dogberry, partridgeberry and rhubarb. The product sells under the trade name Notre Dame Wines and is marketed locally and in Ontario. The Company plans to expand its market within Canada and internationally.

Flynn’s Winery of Shoal Harbour, which opened in 1997, produces blueberry and rhubarb wine. The product, which sells under the trade name Flynn Winery, is sold in local markets. This year the Company plans to expand into the Maritimes.

Micro-Breweries
Six companies produce and sell beer in the Province. While Molson Breweries and Labatt Breweries are the largest producers, four micro-breweries have started production in recent years. Last year, micro-breweries produced the equivalent of 1.3 million bottles in Newfoundland. Production is expected to increase in 2000. Micro-brewing is becoming increasingly popular across the country. In 1998, there were 54 micro-breweries in Canada, more than double the number a decade earlier. Some produce and sell through retail outlets while others brew products for sale through their pubs and restaurants.