Health Q&A: Are Unfiltered Wines Healthier?

Posted: June 12, 2008

Q: Is unfiltered wine healthier than filtered wine?

A: There are no epidemiological studies that directly compare unfiltered and filtered wines, but scientist Roger Corder, who wrote The Red Wine Diet, says:

"If you base it on my research and evidence that procyanidin-rich red wines are a better choice for maximum health benefit, then total phenolics (including procyanidins) are generally most dependent on grape variety, grape ripeness (overripe grapes have lower levels), and the optimal three- to four-week period of alcoholic maceration/extraction…. Filtration and fining will reduce the concentration of phenolics including procyanidins, but the effect is less than if a winemaker opts for overripe grapes, a less tannic variety, or an extraction time of seven days or less."

Find out what wines Roger Corder recommends here.

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