A Glass A Day Keeps The Doctor Away: the Wine – Heart Health Connection

When it comes to the relationship between good health and wine drinking, the proverbial cat has been out of the bag for not just years but decades. It was originally postulated when people in the late 20th Century noticed that the French suffer a lower rate of heart disease than any other Western Country, and drew the obvious correlation between their consumption of wines and this health. Then, with the discovery of the important role that LDL and HDL cholesterol play in determining a person’s chances of heart disease, science uncovered a clear connection between wine, alcohol, and the risk of heart disease. So the simple point is that middle-aged people who regularly consume one to two glasses of red wine a day, closer to eight to nine glasses a week for women, have a lower risk of heart disease and other heart problems than those who don’t.

However, there has been a great deal of back and forth argument about how effective this preventative measure is and how exactly it works. The first point that many contemporary experts make is that consuming alcohol has its own risks, even when done in moderation, and the science isn’t strong enough to suggest that everyone should pick up drinking wine if they aren’t already likely to enjoy the beverage.

The first theory was that by raising HDL (high-density lipoproteins) levels – the more desirable cholesterol – and lowering LDL levels, red wine lowers blood pressure. While this remains essentially true, the effect has been documented and it is not strong enough to cause the benefits some argue red wine has. The next line of science suggested that this happens because certain antioxidants in wine have a positive effect on blood pressure. However, recent studies have shown that these polyphenols have no direct correlation with decreased blood pressure.

Some other proven benefits include decreasing plaque buildup in veins and arteries, thinning the blood, and flavonoids fighting free radicals to prevent cell damage including to the interior lining of veins. Recent studies even show that wine includes a cocktail of healthy, natural elements that also combine to reduce the severity of aging-related diseases such Alzheimer’s, dementia, and even skin inelasticity. But the fact remains that every population the exhibits the kinds of characteristics that suggest a strong correlation between wine and improved health practice regular and moderated drinking with little to no binging. There is even some argument that this general area of benefits to health and longevity can be found in other populations that moderately consume various alcohols, not just wine.

Wine is unique in that its production introduces chemicals from the seeds, skin, and stems into the liquid. It seems that the substances contributed by this process that were first identified as being responsible for wine’s health benefits may not be as important as was initially thought. But this just suggests that more research is necessary to identify exactly what it is about drinking wine that makes regular, moderate consumption so strongly correlated with a lower incidence of heart disease.

Understanding How Wine Can Benefit Your Heart Health Is Important for Making the Right Decisions. A Little Red Wine Can Be Good.

Wine and Chocolate – A Wonderful Romantic Treat

Looking for an incredible gift for that special someone? Trying to create a romantic atmosphere for a memorable evening? Nothing speaks romance better than wine and chocolate.

The wine community can literally produce volumes of guidelines and opinions on various food and wine pairings. There are endless opinions on what foods pair best with different wines. When paired correctly the flavor and taste of both food and wine should be enhanced, complemented and balanced by each other.

Pairing wine and chocolate can be tricky, but when you find the correct combination the results are outstanding. Below are listed some basic guidelines and rules of thumb to follow, but keep in mind that most of the fun in pairing wine and chocolate is experimentation – so be sure to do so!

Start with good quality chocolate – whether your preference is dark, milk or white chocolate; be sure not to skimp on quality ingredients.

The darker the wine, the darker the chocolate: this is a good guideline for a novice to follow when shopping for your first wine and chocolate pairing; but feel free to follow your own taste buds as you experiment with your favorite vintages.

Red wines typically pair well with dark chocolates; this is especially true of full-bodied red wines. A great wine from a local vineyard comes to mind when considering a dark chocolate pairing, Crane Creek Vineyards own Hellbender Red is a dry red wine crafted from the North American Norton grape and pairs wonderfully with rich dark chocolate.

Here are some general recommendations for types of red wines and chocolate:

Merlot – dark chocolate or milk chocolate
Cabernet Sauvignon – dark chocolate
Pinot Noir – either dark or milk chocolate
Zinfandel – dark chocolate

White wines as a general rule will pair better with milk chocolate than dark. Types that come to mind for chocolate pairings are as follows:

Riesling
Sauvignon Blanc
Chardonnay

As a general rule of thumb the sweeter the chocolate the sweeter the wine so when you consider white chocolate you may be relegated to the dessert wines and sherries. I have found port wine paired with dark chocolate to be a fine combination

If you are still not sure which way to go, you can always visit online merchants such as ShopWineStuff.com for wine and chocolate gift baskets in any number of sizes and combinations. They also stock a variety of chocolate specifically for wine pairings.

Michele DeZayas, EzineArticles.com Basic Author Author: Michele DeZayas

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Wine: Benefits of Wine

21310679692_french-red-wine.jpgWhether its red wine or white, French or German wine, costly or cheap wines, the various health benefits of this beverage are not limited to color, region or its price! Numerous researches taken place at various research institutes at different countries of the world have proved that this is far from just an alcoholic drink. The benefits of this remarkable drink are many such as;

*    Red wine decreases the risk of heart attacks and also prevents various other coronary heart diseases.
*    It help in digestion
*    Buy wines to help fight free radicals present in the body
*    Anti-oxidants in this beverage also help improve lung functions
*    Grapes skin has anti-ageing properties and consumption of this grape related drink in moderate quantities also helps fight ulcer causing bacteria
*    Drinking red wine in small quantities also fights obesity, but should never be taken in excess

Since now everything is possible through the internet, you don’t have to search around in different alcohol selling shops to buy wines of your choice. You can easily buy wines online, in different flavors; from any region of the world and that too at discounted rates belonging to different famous brands. Wines compliment food perfectly, and red goes well with almost all types of menu. Red wine gifts are perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year parties and since there are cheap wines available, accompanied with so many health benefits, you shouldn’t have any second thoughts on gifting a bottle of the red category.

Similarly white wines are equally popular. The white ones are not really white but yellow, but instead of calling it yellow wine, alcohol lovers prefer to call it white, which has become a universal name. Gifting a bottle of white or red Zinfandel wine is always an appreciable idea in any occasion. And when we talk of this cocktail how can we forget French wine? You can buy wines online like, Chablis, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Beaujolais; all world renowned French wines.

Each and every day of the year can be a valentine’s day for lovers, and there’s nothing like expressing your love to your beloved in a very special way with a bottle of this special brew. There are numerous gifts available for couples and to woo your partners, but nothing like gifting a special bottle of Burgundy wine gift or the famous and aromatic Pinot Noir, to this special person.

A popular gift to suit most occasions is the wine gift basket. Offered as corporate gifts, personal gifts, on festive occasions, or even as a romantic gesture, these gift baskets suit all pockets and tastes. You even have the option of purchasing discount wines by buying wines online through renowned online shops, who offer the best quality yet cheap wines. Dom Perignon, Moet and Chandon etc are some of the famous wines that you can get when you buy wines online.

These online wine shops also offer case deals where you can buy wines and save almost 50% when you buy cases from any of their selected deals. You can go through various online shops such as Grand Wine Cellar etc to see the offer on cheap wines that they have; such as more than 90+ types of wines at less than $30.

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