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 to discuss over a glass of this aromatic beverage.
1. Wine is really good for the brain.
A study published last year in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that sommeliers have a larger part of the brain responsible for odor recognition. 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 belly, wine has no effect on your waistline. In fact, recent studies have shown that "women who regularly drank moderate amounts of alcohol, totaling about one glass per day, weighed 5 kilograms less than women who didn't drink at all." Experts believe that the calories in alcohol aren't metabolized in the same way as calories from carbohydrates, fat, or protein. So, if you're planning on starting a weight-loss diet, 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. Regularly drinking can actually help boost your sex drive. An Italian study found that women who drink two glasses of wine a day experience significantly more intense sexual pleasure than women who don't 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 cardiovascular and cancer-fighting properties. Grape skins are particularly rich in antioxidants. Because red wine is fermented with the skins, it contains more antioxidants than white wine, which is processed without them. Some studies suggest that white wine may even slightly increase the risk of cancer, particularly of the gastrointestinal tract. However, don't drink more than one or two 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 preventing it from drying out. As for temperature, a chilled temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. A cellar is generally 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, then stir together flour, chocolate, eggs, and butter. Combine all ingredients and pour into a baking pan. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes. Happy drinking!
7. Store wine glasses 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, improve mood, stimulate brain activity, and have a positive 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
- Combine milk and chocolate chips in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the chocolate melts completely. 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 origin or grape variety.
Most European wines are named after their geographical origin. One very famous example is Bordeaux wine, produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Bordeaux wines are made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and, to a lesser extent, Carménère and Malbec.
Non-European wines almost always have the grape name (also known as the varietal) on the label—for example, Cabernet Sauvignon from California.
10. Women get drunk from wine faster than men.
Women typically require less alcohol to become intoxicated than men due to the fat-to-water ratio in their bodies. However, 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 doesn't absorb any alcohol. Therefore, the alcohol is immediately absorbed into the bloodstream, resulting in a higher alcohol level.