How to Choose a Good-Quality, Healthy Wine

There is a lot of controversy on whether wine is healthy or harmful. In this article we discuss the importance of choosing a good-quality wine, things to look for, and the beneficial effects wine may offer.

In this week’s podcast, we interviewed Todd White with Dry Farm Wines, and we had an amazing discussion about the health benefits of wine and how to choose a good-quality wine. If you enjoy having a nice glass of wine but you’re concerned it’s not good for your body, then you’ll love the podcast and this article.

If you’ve gone from an unhealthy, processed-foods diet to a cleaner, whole-foods diet, then you may notice you react poorly if you splurge on sugar or processed foods. The same is true with alcohol. When you start eating healthier and cleaner, you may find that wine and alcohol affect you more, and you can’t tolerate them as well.

Your body is highly adaptable. It will try to adapt to a toxic lifestyle. It will also adapt to a very clean lifestyle. Therefore, when toxic substances are introduced, it rejects them with more resilience once we get away from them.

Wine, like food, is strongly linked to community and socialization. We don’t want to give that up, and we shouldn’t have to. Fortunately, there are ways to get a much cleaner wine that you might be able to enjoy and tolerate much better.

The key is to be informed, so you can make smart wine choices.

The first thing to consider is the amount of sugar in the wine you’re drinking. You want to make sure the sugar content is on the low side. Unfortunately, wine doesn’t come with nutritional labels, so you have no clue what is in it and how much sugar there is.

Wine is made through a fermentation process. Grape juice, which is high in sugar, is inoculated with yeast. The yeast eats the sugar, and the by-products are ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Sugar is found in wine that isn’t fully fermented. Sugar in wine can range from zero to as much as 300 grams per liter. To put this into perspective, Coke is 108 grams of sugar per liter, so some wines may have three times as much sugar as Coke!

Wines that are higher in sugar include iced wines and dessert wines. They are intentionally made to be very sweet and concentrated with sugar. Avoid these wines if you’re trying to keep your sugar intake on the low side.

Regular, commercial wines that you would have with dinner typically range from 10 grams per liter to 50 grams per liter.

The next thing to consider is the other ingredients in the wine. Most commercial wine made in the US contain not just grapes and yeast. Many other ingredients are added as preservatives and stabilizers. There are 76 approved chemical additives used in wine making, and some are pretty toxic. Wine is one of the only food items without a nutritional label, so you don’t know what ingredients are in it.

There’s also concern about tannins, histamine, and sulfites in wine and the effect they may have on some people.

Researchers believe that the components in wine that make people feel bad are histamine, tyramine, and tannins. Current wine-making styles have substantially increased the tannins and histamines. This is primarily due to a long soak on the skin and aging in new oak.

The reason for a long soak on the skin is that red wine gets its color from contact with the skin and seeds. Americans have a false perception that darker, richer wines are better quality. Although there’s no truth to this misperception, winemakers have implemented a longer soak on the skin to produce a darker, bolder color to appeal to Americans. This extended process drives higher histamine and tannin levels.

Sulfites are another concern. All wines contain sulfites, because they naturally occur in grapes during the fermentation process. However, some wines may have added sulfites.

The US allows for 350 parts per million of sulfites. Most commercial wines are between 150 and 200 ppm. Sulfur dioxide is used to sterilize and preserve wine. This increases the amount of sulfites in commercial wines.

You may be wondering, “Well, how do I choose a wine that doesn’t have all of this stuff?”

The key is to find “natural wines,” which is exactly what Dry Farm Wines offers.

Natural wines have specific qualifications that must be met, which makes them much healthier options.

Natural wines are farmed organically or biodynamically. In other words, they use chemical-free farming, which is super important for many reasons. Monsanto’s Roundup, which is highly toxic, is the No. 1 chemical used in US vineyards. Natural wines are free of this. They are farmed in a very clean way.

Natural wines must also be additive free. There’s nothing in the bottle but fermented grape juice. These wines are very compatible with a clean diet.

Dry Farm Wines adheres to these standards, and they take it a step further. Their wines are sugar free and carb free. They have no impact on ketosis or blood sugar. They are diabetic-friendly. They are additive free.

All of the wines from Dry Farm Wines contain less than one gram per liter of sugar, which is considered sugar free. These wines have zero impact on blood sugar. All of their wines come out of Europe because the quality is much better.

Dry Farm wines are restricted to 75 ppm of sulfites, but most of their wines test out at around 20 ppm of sulfites. That’s a drastic decrease from the 150-200 ppm found in commercial wines.

Another thing to consider when choosing a wine is the alcohol content. Too much alcohol is toxic, and most lower sugar wines have a higher alcohol volume around 13% or 14%. However, if you choose a low-alcohol wine, it’s typically high in sugar.

The natural wines sourced by Dry Farm Wines are all 12.5% or lower in alcohol while also being sugar free. It’s important to get the dosing correct in alcohol since high levels become toxic.

At the right dose, you get increased euphoria, increased vulnerability, and increased creativity. But you also remain cognitively connected and don’t get a hangover. It offers a light, gentle lift, and you’ll experience an energized buzz. So, with a cleaner wine and lower levels of alcohol, you’ll feel good the next day.

These wines are also very low in histamine and tyramine, unlike most commercial wines on the market. Dry Farm Wines also tests all of their wines to ensure they’re free of mold and mycotoxins.

So, if you’ve cut out wine because you don’t tolerate it well, it’s harsh on your gut, or you get headaches or other symptoms, then you might consider trying a natural wine to see how it affects you. These wines might be easier on the gut and more digestive friendly since they are so much cleaner and lower in alcohol.

You can either Google natural wine to see if there are any retailers in your area, or you can check out Dry Farm Wines. To receive a special offer, go to www.dryfarmwines.com/dr

If you need help cleaning up your diet, click here

What do you think? I would like to hear your thoughts or experience with this.