Can Wine Help You to Live Longer?
While longevity is no doubt attributable to a number of everyday lifestyle changes, we cannot discount the value of wine.
Some say yes! Where on earth do people live the longest? What is the secret?
Dan Buettner of National Geographic and his team of scientists and demographers traveled the world in search of communities where people not only lived longer but also enjoyed a high quality of life in their old age. In 2004, Buettner coined the term “Blue Zones” to identify these areas.
Buettner determined these places not only had high concentrations of individuals over 100 years old, but also clusters of people who had grown old without health problems like heart disease, obesity, cancer, or diabetes certainly not in the numbers present in America.
The initial five locations labeled “Blue Zones” are Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Loma Linda in California, and Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica.
Commonalities among the blue zones include staying active, especially outdoors, eating less meat and more vegetables as well as freeing yourself, to the extent possible, of chronic stress and its resulting inflammation in the body.
While longevity is no doubt attributable to the aforementioned everyday lifestyle strategies, we cannot discount the value of wine! Reports have been circulating for years about the longevity in Sardinia with many saying the link to a long life is the wine, specifically Cannonau.
The grape, also known as Grenache in France and Garnacha in Spain, when grown in Sardinian soil is said to have two to three times the levels of artery-scrubbing flavonoids than other wines and flavonoids known to reduce cancers and heart disease.
Italy Magazine says the grape is also rich in anthocyanins, commonly found in berries, naturally occurring compounds responsible for the red and purple colors of red wine grapes, with antioxidant effects as well.
Sardinian locals drink an average of two glasses a day, usually with friends, which is said to multiply the benefits!
Our Cannonau at MetroWines is produced in Sardinia by The Parpinello Family. For three generations, The Parpinello Family has worked the vineyards and winery in the north of Sardinia.
Cannonau, one of Sardinia’s signature red grapes, is distinctive in taste and composition when grown in Sardinia. In this 2021 bottle, you will find ripe red fruits and a hint of cherry on the nose.
The palate is pleasingly dry and elegant in character balanced with a noticeable body giving the wine good weight.
Pair Parpinello Cannonau with Blue Zone’s recipe for Sardinian Minestrone Soup. This is a hearty dish eaten every day for lunch by some of the world’s longest-lived families in Sardinia!
Combine seasonal vegetables, the fresher the better, with fava beans, dried cranberry beans, chickpeas and fregula, a toasted pebble-sized semolina pasta popular in Sardinia. Other ingredients include crushed tomatoes, onions, potatoes, carrots, fennel, parsley, basil and pecorino cheese.
“Live to 100, Secrets of The Blue Zones” is now a Netflix Series. Watch the show in good health and share a bottle of Parpinello Cannonau with friends!