Red Wine

For some people, having a dinner without wine is sometime felt incomplete. Yes, wine has become a way of life for some people, especially in the western country. There are several kinds of wine available in the market: Red, white and sparkling wines are the most popular, and are known as light wines because they are only 10–14% alcohol-content by volume. Apéritif and dessert wines contain 14–20% alcohol, and are sometimes fortified to make them richer and sweeter. In this topic we will focus more on red wine.

Red wine can be identified easily from its color, which is dark red. The color indicates the high concentration of antioxidants flavonoid phenolics. Among other components, there are two phenolic constituent which are extensively studied, i.e: resveratrol and flavonoids. Resveratrol, found in grape skins and seeds, increases HDL cholesterol and prevent blood clotting, while Flavonoids exhibit antioxidant properties helping prevent blood clots and plaques formation in arteries.

The red color is derived from a vast assortment of grape varietals ranging from grapes that are reddish, deep purple, and even a beautiful blue on the color scale. The different color of the varieties involved in the slight difference of the red wine colors which range from garnet, almost black, dark red, light red, ruby red, opaque purple, deep violet, maroon, etc. It is the grape skins that are responsible for the red wine’s distinct color spectrum. Why? It’s because the skins are in contact with the grape’s juice during the fermentation process, allowing the dispersion of both color and tannins.

The quality of red wine may vary due to several reasons: the varieties of the grapes, the location of where it’s grown, the fermentation processes, the temperature and humidity of the storage site and last but not least is how long it has been store. Bordeaux, a city in France, is known to be the best grower and producer of red wine. They have the longest tradition of wine producing combine with the best geographic location for growing grapes, processing, fermenting and storing red wine.

Red wine is a legendary beverage in France.