BrainReady Blog - Comment
Great article! I tried some tannat-based Madiran wines (and some from Uruguay) recently and agree completely with brainready here: fantastic and interesting wines, and knowing that they are likely healthier than other wines is an added bonus that I had no idea about until now.
Thanks again for another wonderful brainready piece. Forwarded this article to all of my wine lover friends too.
Ron
Would you mind posting the introduction to the study in Nature?
Oenology: Red wine procyanidins and vascular health
R. Corder1, W. Mullen2, N. Q. Khan1, S. C. Marks2, E. G. Wood1, M. J. Carrier1 & A. Crozier1
Regular, moderate consumption of red wine is linked to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease and to lower overall mortality1, but the relative contribution of wine's alcohol and polyphenol components to these effects is unclear2. Here we identify procyanidins as the principal vasoactive polyphenols in red wine and show that they are present at higher concentrations in wines from areas of southwestern France and Sardinia, where traditional production methods ensure that these compounds are efficiently extracted during vinification. These regions also happen to be associated with increased longevity in the population.
Nature 444, 566 (30 November 2006) | doi:10.1038/444566a; Received 29 August 2006; Accepted 9 November 2006; Published online 29 November 2006
You are right in that there are some terrific SW french wines in lovely Gers and bravo for drawing attention to them. Also I have reviewed one at link below but before reading that, be careful of over marketing or jumping to conclusions: first, life expectancy is high in other parts of France without the Tannat, which suggests something else at play, eg general diet, moderation, and other good wines; second, the Japanese prefer Burgundy and have low heart disease, so while there are bland Burgundies, there are excellent Burgundies for the prices you say, eg 10-20 euros from the Beaune region or Cote Chalonnaise; finally, not sure about Madirans, but compared to Bordeaux, Burgundies I am convinced are an aphrodisiac, which is also probably good for the heart! Santé...http://rjdoyle.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/
hello-pellehaut/
Well said Brain! Tannat is an up and coming variety in Australia. A couple of dozen vineyards have the variety and are making some good wine from it.
The other variety mentioned favourably by Corder in his book The Red Wine Diet is Malbec; this is much more generally available.
Great comments everyone!
On the Tannat front, it's great that this wonderful varietal is expanding to other locales such as Australia and beyond...will be interesting to taste the results 
Malbec is indeed another wonderful varietal, particularly the very high altitude-grown, concentrated, tannic ones.
With the trend in red wines over the last decade heading more and more into the "big jammy super-sweet high alcohol" direction, particularly in the U.S. and Australia, perhaps the expansion of Malbec and even Tannat can help to remind that wine can be much more interesting if you get off the super-sweet, low-tannin machine
Best regards,
The BrainReady Team
Thank you for publishing this excellent information. Dr. Corder's work is brilliant in that 1) he has identified procyanidins as the main bioactive compounds in red wine responsible for it cardiovascular benefits, and 2) he has correlated higher consumption of these compounds with longer lifespans in humans.
Resveratrol has gotten the press, but Corder says, "nope, it's the procyanidins." And he's exactly half right.
Researchers in Italy have reversed arterial plaque in rats by 40% in 8 weeks, using a combination of resveratrol and catechins (apple and green tea polyphenols) [doi:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2006.05.047]
Just rats, right? Except... atherosclerosis reversed 40% in 8 weeks, and they haven't even tested the right combination yet. Because resveratrol plus procyanidins will work even better. In humans. You read it here first.
So, Tannat grape wine, hooray! Grape seed extract, apple skin polyphenols, hawthorn berry, concord grape juice, pine bark, dark chocolate/cocoa, even blueberries- all good sources of the right procyanidins to protect your heart, your brain, even your DNA, without side effects, without toxicity, without prescription. Way to go Nature- the journal, and the original- and Dr. Corder.
can you give me a list of madiran wines made from the tanat grape,would appreciate tony hack
An excellent review of a very opulent wine which is clearly a winner in the antioxidant stakes.
There are a couple of organic vineyards as well, which are worth investigating, not being that expensive, which I know is relative.
When in France down south it is no problem to access Madiran in your local supermarket for 3 or 4 Euros, and a fantastic buy it is as well. Superb wine.
Interesting idea!
But you say there are more procyanidins in tannat grapes than there are in apples. Do you have a source that can prove that statement?
In other words, what study was done to show that 4 oz. of a tannat grape wine has more procyanidins than one large red delicious apple?
It's all well and good that these unusual grapes have more than the normal amount of procyanidins, but that, in and of itself, does not make them more powerful than the old Red Delicious apple.
As for the men in southwest France living longer, that too is relative. Do they live longer than 100-year old apple-a-day Vermonters?
Also, how do we know there isn't something in the soil of southwestern France that does something to the local water supply that causes people to live longer?
As I recall, Lourdes is in southwestern France and fairly close to the Madiran area where they grow those tannat grapes.
In conclusion, tannat grapes may not be any better than Vermont apples or the Lourdes water supply.
Sorry to put a damper on your theory but facts are facts.
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