Drink Red Wine & Lose Weight

Have you heard about the latest study on red wine? Not only is red wine now claimed to be good for your heart, memory and bones, the latest study now claims that drinking one to two glasses of wine per day prevents weight gain. Maybe it’s simply that red wine does not pair well with potato chips but whatever the reason, I’ll raise my glass to whoever conducted that study!

Throughout my years of wine consulting, I have found that there is a tendency for women to ask for a glass of white wine more often than red. White wine is refreshing and easier to drink. It also generally has less alcohol allowing for that extra glass. However, red wine offers complexity of flavors, aging potential, and a larger array of choices. It may just be the large array of choices that has us grabbing that bottle of Chardonnay at our local wine shop.

If you are a white wine aficionado and would like to break into the world of red wine if not for its incredible taste but for your health, here’s an easy plan to convert. Wines are generally categorized from light to heavy. If you’re accustomed to the lightness and fruitiness of white wines, a heavy red cabernet sauvignon is not the place to start. I like to coach my white wine drinkers in following my PMS plan. PMS, yes, an easy acronym for us girls to remember Pinot Noir-Merlot-Syrah, where Pinot Noir is your light wine and Syrah your heavy in the triplet.

Pinot Noir, with its light and fruity character, is a difficult grape to grow. Yet it offers a complex aroma of black cherry with earthy notes of cinnamon and mushroom on the palate. It is also soft and velvety. Stop by your local wine shop and pick up a few bottles of Pinot Noir from different regions. Each region changes the character of this varietal considerably. I would suggest trying Pinot Noirs from Napa, the Russian River in Sonoma, the Willamette Valley of Oregon, and Burgundy, France. The differences will astound you.
Stay tuned for more on PMS in my next article. But in the meantime let me know your thoughts on the Pinots you’ve tried. And remember, one to two glasses per day to stay thin!

Maria Baniel is a Wine Consultant and offers wine tastings for small to large events. Private in-home tastings are her specialty. She can be reached at 908-246-7940 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..