My parents were never big drinkers, but in the past few
years, my mom has been trying different wines at the dinner table. I find it
curious how integrated drinking wine with meals is in other countries like France
and Italy, and how much rarer it is in America. Surely lots of this difference
has to do with culture and history. However, I also think that one piece of the
puzzle has to do with wine’s perception: while many folks may be vaguely aware
that a glass of red wine a day could keep the doctor away as much as any apple,
much fewer know the particulars of the relationships between wine and health.
It turns out that procyanidins, a type of polyphenol that’s
present in the condensed tannins of many wines, are the same type of compound
that’s found in healthy chocolate and tea. Procyanidins is associated with preventing
cholesterol plaque that can clog blood vessels. As a result, higher tannin
wines are by and large better for you than lower tannin wines. By this standard,
younger red wines are generally a better choice than older red wines because
they usually contain more tannins. Tannat, Petite Sirah, and Sagrantino are particularly
high in condensed tannins.
Red wine also contains resveratrol, a plant-produced
compound that comes from the skins of the grapes. Resveratrol has been shown to
support cardiovascular health (Johns Hopkins even showed it to reduce the
chance of stroke!) and help with acne issues.
Of course, wine also contains healthy anti-oxidants (and,
while you can get them from many other food sources, drinking wine is surely
the most enjoyable one).
Though most people aren’t making purchasing decisions based
on marginal differences in qualities potentially related to health, drinking
less sweet, lower alcohol wines is usually a healthier choice. Many folks just
think of calories as the single measurement for the relative healthiness of a
beverage, but considering other characteristics of the wine can be helpful as
well.
The comparison to "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is an interesting one. In particular, it reminds me of the explosion of wine sales distributors saw after the 60 Minutes episode that suggested wine is good for your health. While the taste profile of the wine didn't change, the perceived health benefits did, and lead to large boosts in wine sales.
ReplyDeleteThe story behind apple sales is the exact opposite: they maintained their perception of health, while improving their taste profile. In particular, it was the invention of "boutique" apples, such as Honeycrisp, transformed the apple industry. Apples went from an ignored, mealy, cardboard-flavored fruit to, in some cases, the top-grossing item in grocery stores. They combined the new flavor profile of Honeycrisps with the old knowledge of apples being healthy to increase market share dramatically.
The point of the comparison is that taste and perception of health both affect sales of food and beverage products in interesting ways. Maybe improving either will improve sales. But it's also possible, as was seen with both apples and wine, that that having one aspect already means that unveiling the other will lead to a much sharper bump in sales. In any case, the interaction is interesting, and it would be interesting to find an economist out there who has looked at this!