Red Wine, Grape Skins, and Your Health — Peeling Away the Truth
You've probably read about the health benefits of drinking wine. If you're a wine enthusiast, you might even know some of the details. However, many people don't look too deeply into their wine choices, which can lead to confusion about how wines differ and whether one wine may provide more benefits than another.
While there's no conclusive evidence about the benefits of red wine vs. white, there are many studies extolling the virtues of red wine for human health. These benefits may also come from a surprising source: grape skins. Keep reading to learn how grape skins affect your wine and why red wine may have some advantages over its lighter-colored counterparts.
Color — It's Not What You Think!
It's no secret that red and white wines use different grapes. Unsurprisingly, red wines use black-skinned grapes, while white wines use green-skinned grapes, commonly referred to as white grapes. However, the skin doesn't affect the color in the way you might expect. While black grapes contain darker flesh, this juice from the flesh isn't the primary source of red wine's color.
Instead, red wine picks up much of its color from the skin and seeds of the grape. White wine uses a different fermentation process that involves removing the skin and seeds before fermentation begins. On the other hand, red wine makers leave the skins with the juice during fermentation, allowing the wine to take on its characteristic color.
Resveratrol and Red Wine
As you might have guessed by now, there's more in grape skins than color. Allowing the skins to ferment with the juice means that red wine contains many compounds that aren't present in white wine. While it's not the only such compound present in red wine, resveratrol is a type of polyphenol found in grapes that's currently a subject of significant research.
Resveratrol is present in grapes skins, meaning white wines don't contain this substance. Rosés will contain some resveratrol, but not as much as red wines since rosés don't ferment with the grape skins for as long. As a result, red wine contains the most resveratrol of any alcoholic beverage made with fermented grapes.
The Health Benefits of Resveratrol
While more research is always necessary, there is good preliminary data on the health benefits of resveratrol. This substance may have benefits ranging from anti-inflammatory effects to cardiovascular disease prevention. Food scientists are still conducting studies to determine the significance of these effects and what other benefits resveratrol may offer.
Of course, the best reason to enjoy wine is for its own merits, but that doesn't mean that you should ignore the potential benefits of a glass now and then. And if you're deciding which bottle to reach for, don't forget to think about how the skins and seeds of wine grapes contribute to red wine's potential health benefits.
To learn more, contact a red wine supplier in your area such as Daveco Beer, Wine & Spirits.
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