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POLYPHENOLS EXPLAINED
If polyphenols are the ‘healthy’ component of red wine (as in the ‘French paradox’), does this mean skin-contact/orange wines, such as qvevri and natural wines, are equally good for you, as opposed to white wines which don’t have any skin contact?
Louis Drake, by email
Beverley Blanning MW, Decanter contributor, replies: Polyphenols are present mostly in the skins and seeds of grapes, and the level of polyphenols in wine depends on many factors. These include the grape variety used, the soil where the vines are planted, their access to water and sunlight, the degree of ripeness when the grapes were picked, the strain of yeast used during fermentation and, crucially, the extended maceration of grapes during the winemaking process.
Traditionally made (skin-macerated) red wines typically contain up to 10 times as many polyphenols as their nonmacerated white counterparts. But studies have shown that qvevri-style white wines, which undergo long maceration with the grape skins and seeds, contain levels of polyphenols that are almost as high as those seen in reds, the latter benefiting from additional colour-related anthocyanins not present in white grapes.
So, though there are many variables to consider, the broad answer to the question is ‘yes – almost’, when it comes to white wines with extended skin contact.
I should point out, however, that ‘natural’
