Wine & Health: The Healthiest Red Wine?
feb/mar 2007

Red wine is good, but red wine from Sardinia and southwestern France may be the best of all! So say British researchers who have built on the evidence that the polyphenols in red wine are linked to reduced heart disease and longer lives.

According to results published in Nature, a particular type of polyphenol called procyanidins are the most beneficial, and traditionally-made red wines from Sardinia and southwestern France offer the highest amounts of procyanidins.

The "traditionally-made" part seems to be important - with the 3-4 week fermentation period resulting in 2-4 times higher levels of procyanidins than the typical 1-week fermentation period in "New World" wines from places like the US, Australia and South America. The grape used is also key, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, and Tannat listed as particularly high-tannin examples that result in higher levels of procyanidins.

Reference: Nature
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7119/full/444566a.html