November 24th, World Red Wine Day. Coincidentally, it coincides with Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November. Nosotr@s, living in a wine land par excellence, this article is dedicated to red wine, its peculiarities and properties.
The origins of wine date back to 8,000 BC, archaeologists discovered the oldest winery in the area of Georgia. They also found a vessel with a reddish residue dated to the Neolithic period between the area that is now Iraq and Iran. Later, wine became popular, spreading to the south to Egypt and to Greece in the north. Did you know that in ancient Greece wine was mixed with water and preserved in goatskins? The ancient Egyptians were more refined and kept it in clay amphorae and the Romans were the pioneers in preserving wine in oak barrels.
Red wine is made thanks to the must of red grapes. According to the resting time in barrels and in the bottle itself, called ageing time, they are classified as follows:
Young wines: aged in barrels for between 3 and 6 months. Ideal wines to pair with during an aperitif and soft meals such as pasta and white meats.
Crianza wines: they are aged in barrels for between 6 and 12 months and rest for another 12 months in the same bottle, in a horizontal position, sealed and in the semi-darkness. They are perfect to accompany grilled or grilled red meats, roasts and even cured cheeses.
Reserve wines: aged for 3 years, of which they must be aged in barrels for at least 12 months and the rest in the bottle under the same conditions as the crianzas. They are ideal to eat with mild game stews such as hare, duck or quail meat and also with gelatinous meats.
Gran Reserva wines: this is the top category. They must be aged for 60 months and must rest in barrels for at least 18 months and the rest in the bottle. These wines are perfect to pair with powerful deer or wild boar meat game stews.
Surely you know that drinking red wine in moderation brings us multiple benefits for our body. *Note, it is considered a high dose to take more than 300 ml per day. That said, wine whets the appetite, being an anxiolytic it helps you fall asleep, favors the circulatory system, prevents thrombi, is healthy for the heart, lowers bad cholesterol, is highly antioxidant and reduces possible diabetes problems. Containing antiseptic properties, it also benefits us to heal digestive diseases, intestinal cramps, and other gastrointestinal diseases. In addition, it responds favorably to liver failure. No wonder the cristian@s chose wine to evoke the blood of Christ, and that is because a glass of red wine a day practically gives you eternal 😉 life
But it’s not all gold that glitters, it also has a harmful part. Red wine contains sulfur dioxide and can cause asthma in sensitive people. It should also be said that wine has amounts well below toxic levels. Another adverse effect is that it increases the risk of breast, colon, esophageal, brain and neck cancer. And there are studies that show that it is highly toxic to the cardiovascular system. In addition, frequent consumption, such as other alcoholic beverages, can lead to damage to the nervous system and liver problems. So you know, as the TV commercials say, drink alcohol in moderation.
Another peculiarity of red wine is that in the Middle Ages it was used as a drug. It was used to treat people with problems of anemia, dysentery, and diseases of the nervous system.
At Abrassame we have a careful list of red wines, also whites and rosés, so that you can pair them and enjoy them with fish from the fish market, such as a good seafood paella or a 1 kg grilled T-bone steak aged for 50 days, or even have a glass of young red wine on our terrace. in good company while you are captivated by the panoramic views of Barcelona.