There is great news for wine fans all over the world. Red wine has been credited with a number of miraculous health effects throughout history and now scientists have tied down some of the verifiable benefits of drinking it.

Firstly, red wine produces polyphenols, which protect against heart disease and clogged arteries. Scientists in Spain have studied the area in detail and decided that drinking wine, especially red wine, stops people developing colds. People drinking more than two glasses a day have nearly 50 percent fewer colds than teetotallers. Many experts suggest that this could be down to the anti-oxidants in red wine.

As well as this, a glass and a half a day could help improve the little grey cells and stop the progression of brain disorders, according to research. Whatever the veracity of these studies, there’s no doubt that it makes you feel better, whether you’ve got heart problems, memory loss, a cold or, indeed, something less savoury.

The truth is that few exponents of a good red wine would swap it for anything else; certainly not for a glass of white. The two have their champions and the sides are drawn in blood. However, very few people actually know the differences between red wine and white wine and many are surprised to find out that it’s not what they think. Many people assume that white wine comes from white grapes and red wine from red grapes.

Vintage
This is not the case at all; the colour of wine is not determined by the juice of the grape, which is almost always clear, but rather by the presence or absence of the grape skin during fermentation. Red wine is made from red or black grapes, but its red colour is bestowed by a process called maceration, whereby the skin is left in contact with the juice during fermentation. White wine can be made from any colour of grape as the skin is separated from the juice during fermentation.

Many of the wine-tasters who describe chocolate, oaky and vanilla elements of a red wine are not talking about a product of the grape at all either. When a cabernet Sauvignon is described as having blackcurrant flavours this represents a grape flavour, while almost every coffee, chocolate or vanilla element in a wine online is the product of the wood used in oak casks. There are no guarantees at present, but if a glass of red will improve your health, then it’s certainly one of the more pleasant ways of doing it.