When a 90-year-old woman says wine is the secret to a long life, you believe her. This magical liquid can do everything from flavor your baked goods to sharpen your mind—all in moderation, of course.
Share these facts the next time your friends decide to open another bottle of red wine. There are many interesting facts that can be discussed over a glass of aromatic drink.
1. Wine is really good for your brain
A study published last year in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that sommeliers have a larger part of the brain responsible for recognizing smells. And in 2014, scientists reported that moderate wine consumption reduces the risk of cognitive decline.
2. Wine doesn't affect your waistline.
While beer can give you an unsightly beer belly, wine doesn’t affect your waistline at all. In fact, recent research has shown that “women who regularly drank moderate amounts of alcohol, totaling about one glass a day, weighed 10 pounds less than women who didn’t drink at all.” Experts believe that the calories in alcohol aren’t metabolized the same way as calories from carbohydrates, fat, or protein. So if you’re going to start a diet to lose weight, then you might want to consider a glass of wine instead of chocolate pudding for dessert.
3. Wine can improve your sex life
This is perhaps one of the most surprising and interesting facts about wine. When you get drunk regularly, it can help you increase your sex drive. An Italian study found that women who drink 2 glasses of wine a day enjoy physical pleasure much more intensely than women who do not drink wine at all. A very good reason to start drinking wine, right?
4. Not every wine improves your health
Red wines are known to contain many beneficial antioxidants, such as flavonoids, quercetin, and resveratrol, which have heart-protective and anti-cancer effects. Grape skins are especially rich in antioxidants. Since red wine is fermented with the skins on, it contains more antioxidants than white wine, which is processed without them. White wine may even slightly increase the risk of cancer, especially of the gastrointestinal tract, as some studies show. But, do not drink more than 1 or 2 glasses of wine per day!
5. There's a reason why wine is stored horizontally.
According to Wine Spectator, storing bottles horizontally pushes the liquid away from the cork, theoretically keeping it from drying out. As for temperature, a chilled 55 degrees Fahrenheit is best. A cellar is usually the best option.
6. You can eat your wine
Here's a recipe for so-called wine cakes: pour a glass (or two) of red wine over cranberries, mix flour, chocolate, eggs and butter. Combine all ingredients and pour into a baking dish. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes. Enjoy!
7. Wine glasses should be stored without turning them upside down.
Let's end the debate once and for all.
"The rim is the thinnest part of the glass, so it's best to store the glass upright on its stem, not upside down, to avoid chipping," says Caroline Forte, director of the cleaning lab at the Home Building Institute.
8. Wine with chocolate
Both wine and chocolate are antioxidants, give a great mood, stimulate brain activity, and have a good effect on the cardiovascular system.
So why not double up and make red wine hot chocolate?!
Ingredients
Milk - 1 1/2 cups
Dark chocolate - 100 g
Red wine made from cabernet sauvignon grapes - 240 ml
Method of preparation
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and chocolate pieces. Heat the chocolate-milk mixture, stirring until the chocolate is completely dissolved. Pour red wine into the saucepan and heat the hot chocolate.
- Pour into mugs. Garnish with whipped cream and red pepper.
9. Wine names usually indicate the location or grape variety.
Most European wines are named after their geographical origin. One very famous example is Bordeaux wine, which is produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Bordeaux wines come from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and, to a lesser extent, Carmenere and Malbec.
Non-European wines almost always have the name of the grape (aka varietal) on the label—for example, Cabernet Sauvignon from California.
10. Women get drunk from wine faster than men.
Women generally need less alcohol to get drunk than men because of the fat to water ratio in their bodies. But this has nothing to do with their weight or size. If a woman and a man of the same weight and build drink the same amount of wine, the woman will still have a higher blood alcohol concentration. This is because women have a higher fat content than men, and fat does not absorb any alcohol. So the alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream immediately, resulting in a higher alcohol level.
