Who’s threatening us now: cider!
First there was POM, the bottled nectar of the annoying pomegranate, more seed than fruit. Now cider is trying to move in on the action. Cider!
What this Johnny-Appelseed-come-lately boasts with POM is they is high levels of phenolics, those life prolonging antioxidants. Morley Safer “discovered” on “60 Minutes” in 1991 that moderate consumption of red wine helped lower heart disease in a phenomenon known as “the French Paradox.” Ever since then various hangers-on in the world of drinks have been trying to one-up vin rouge. Red wine, particularly from high elevations, boasts high levels of phenolics.
The Economist recently reported that cider is the latest to extol it’s health virtues. Varieties of British cider apples have been found to have phenolic levels 10 times that of Golden Delicious (no mention of comparison with red wine grapes). But will they transfer to humans through cider? British researcher Serena Marks is doing a study to find out. The wine world will be watching. And we don’t want to have to put her on notice!
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“Who’s threatening us now: robots!” [Dr. V]
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On July 31st, 2007 at 4:12 pm ,Bill Sammon wrote:
The phenol levels of all red wines are not comparable, and it would be helpful if occasionally this were emphasized. The wine industry often does emphasize the healthful benefits of red wine, but then gives little substantial corrobative scientific studies to assist wine sellers and wine buyers for whom the health aspect of wine is important. It appears by some reports that high-altitude red wines from the Georgian Caucasus mountains are the most phenol-packed: Saperavi, Kindzamarauli and Khvanchkara, but virtually no commentary is given of them in these reports. When it comes to these health benfits of wine, it seems we need to move beyond France. Georgia is well-known for its village filled with 100+ yr olds.