Resveratrol and hydroxycinnamic acids substances in wine for the prevention of coronary artery disease

Abstract

It is widely confirmed that red wines contain significantly high amounts of polyphenolic antioxidants. Therefore, a moderate, regular and appropriate wine consumption, possibly associated with meals, surely represents a primary source for these compounds. It is necessary to be cautious in making general recommendations, since advice to drink some alcoholic beverages to avoid coronary heart disease and some kinds of cancer could possibly encourage abuse. In this paper two groups of nonflavonoids, resveratrol and hydroxycinnamates, are described in greater detail. It is worth stressing that, as for all other polyphenols, the contents of resveratrol and hydroxycinnamates vary considerably with the wine type. The absolute quantity of these two chemical classes of polyphenols depends considerably in connection on variety, area of production, agronomical techniques adopted, choice of vinification processes, vintage, age, etc. In particular, variety plays a central role in determining the amount of resveratrol and hydroxycinnamic acids. The right choice of varieties and winemaking processes can contribute to optimizing the content of resveratrol and hydroxycinnamates as well as all other natural antioxidants in wine, and it could become a further criterion - besides the traditional and consolidated ones - for orienting the production towards wines of better nutritional quality.