It is said that an occasional glass of wine has many positive impacts in terms of heart health. The antioxidants (flavonoids and resveratrol ) present in good quality wine have proven effects in raising HDL and also reduce the formation of a blood clot and reduce LDL which is the bad cholesterol. Consumption of moderate amount of wine also helps in decreasing blood pressure.
Many studies have shown the positive effects of taking light to moderate consumption of alcohol, which also helps decrease coronary artery disease by 40% to 70%. Occasional and moderate consumption of wine is considered to be the best approach. However, the negatives may outweigh the positives of wine consumption in excess, so those who are trying it should be diligent and self-controlled.
How to incorporate wine into the diet?
Keep track of your consumption
As there is only a very thin fine line between ‘moderate’ and ‘excess’ consumption, it is essential for the consumers to track how much you are taking in. As a rule of thumb to follow, men shouldn’t consume more than two 5 oz or 150 mL glass of wine and women should consume only half of it per day.
Measure the portions
People tend to pour large portions than standard while they are into a party or dinner. Always measure out the exact 5 ounces or 150 mL per serving to keep the consumption to a moderate level. If you go for a second glass, then pour only a 3 oz serving first and another 3 oz too only if necessary to finish it off. This measurement is based on the wines with an alcohol content of 12% or lesser. There are many stronger wines, so the quantity of those should further be restricted.
Considering the Petrus
So, what makes Petrus one of the most expensive choices in wine? The Petrus clay soils is about 40 million years old, and the thick grit around the plateau of Petrus is about one million years old. It is not the exclusive subsoil as found in other vineyards. The clay here is so hard and packed with dense dark blue clay that even the tree roots cannot penetrate. What happens as a result is that the vines grow sideways in search of enough nutrition and don’t go deep than 80 cm.
Even during the summer months, the vines can feed on the moisture. The blue clay of Petrus will create the grapes with the maximum degree of tannins in the Pomerol, and for most of the Bordeaux, it creates tannins which are among the softest in the texture. The vineyards of Petrus are getting replanted at such a pace to allow work to continue at a portion of the one-hectare yard each 7 to 9 years. The average age of this vineyard is 40 years, and the oldest existing vines of Petrus were of 1952.
Back in 1985, Petrus started their cloning process with an objective of propagating their vines while replanting. They don’t do green harvest on the vineyards but prefer to clip the bunches to decrease yields. Petrus is one of the earliest known vineyards which eschew the use of any types of chemical fertilizers but instead using the weeds itself to dry the soil during winter months. The weeds are ploughed back deep into the soil for this purpose.
During harvest, they pick berries one at a time. The fruit also gets 100% de-stemmed. From 2009 vintage, there is an optical sorter also which is now used for more accuracy rather than doing hard sorting. The grapes get crushed gently before the process in a total of 12 temperature controlled, traditional, concrete vats. Each of these is about 50 hectoliter to 130 hectoliter capacity.
After completing fermentation, the vats are then bottled as Petrus and blended and placed in about 50% new oak French barrels and kept for about 18 to 20 months. These barrels also get steamed before aging to avoid topping during aging. Before 1960, only very little fresh oak was used for aging. From the 1960s, about 10-15% of the wine is getting aged in new oak.
The best Petrus vintages available now are:
- 2005 Petrus
- 2000 Petrus
- 1966 Petrus
- 1981 Petrus
- 1999 Petrus
- 1953 Petrus
- 1976 Petrus
- 1998 Petrus
- 1989 Petrus
- 2015 Petrus
- 2004 Petrus
- 2009 Petrus
- 2010 Petrus
- 2012 Petrus
- 1996 Petrus
- 1982 Petrus
- 2002 Petrus
- 1990 Petrus
- 1986 Petrus
- 1970 Petrus
- 1989 La Fleur Petrus etc.
Let’s get back to the healthy wine consumptions rules.
Stick to just your portions consistently
In addition to keeping the measuring strictly, you also need to moderate the number of glasses you consume in one sitting. Healthcare professionals strictly recommend that you stick to a certain consistent amount of drinks daily to prevent any negative side effects. Women shouldn’t go beyond 1 glass per day and men not more than two glasses per day. If you go beyond this limit, then the negative consequences will surely outweigh its positives.
Cooking with wine
If you are not fond of drinking wine but want to consume it for health benefits, then you can plan for cooking with wine. A flavor of wine adds more to the taste of many dishes. As popularly known, red wine is an amazing, great ingredient in cooking. While cooking with wine, you should allow the wine to simmer adequately. This will burn off the alcohol content, and the flavor of the wine and antioxidant content can be preserved. You can also add red wine to the sauce or gravy while serving beef steaks or pork chops. You can also consider red wine while deglazing the pots while cooking stews or soup.
While planning to take wine for health benefits, it is said that red wine is preferred over white. However, not all wines have the same benefits. While you are planning to consume wine for health benefits, then try to choose the category of wines which offers the most benefits. In terms of calories and carbohydrates, both white and red wines are the same, but when it comes to antioxidants, red wine has a significant edge over the other.