It has been suggested that France’s high red wine consumption is a primary factor for the French longevity. It is believed that one of the active ingredients potentially related to this effect in red wine is resveratrol, but the concentration in wine seems too low to be significant. A study by Professor Roger Corder and team has identified a particular group of polyphenols, known as oligomeric procyanidins, which they believe offer the greatest degree of protection to human blood-vessel cells. Unlike resveratrol, procyanidins are present in wine in quantities that seem to be high enough to be significant as to lower blood pressure.

A study by Professor Roger Corder (R. Corder et al., “Oenology: Red wine procyanidins and vascular health”, Nature vol. 444, p. 566; 30 November 2006) has identified a particular group of polyphenols, known as oligomeric procyanidins, which they believe offer the greatest degree of protection to human blood-vessel cells. Tests with 165 wines showed that these are found in greatest concentration in European red wines from certain areas (southwestern France and Sardinia), which correlates with longevity in those regions. The highest procyanidins are found in wines from the Tannat grape, grown in the Gers area of south-west France (the Madiran appellation requires at least 40 per cent Tannat). Clinical trials of grape seed extract have shown that 200 – 300 mg of procyanidins per day lower blood pressure. Two small glasses (125 ml glass) of a procyanidin-rich red wine, such as a Madiran, would then provide this amount.