Doctors have known for decades what drinkers have known for centuries: that moderate wine consumption is good for you.

Since the early l990s there has been a stream of worthy medical reports confirming this or that wine-producing country and this or that grape variety as containing higher levels than their competitors of cardiovascular-protecting goodies.

One minute research pinpoints New World producers like Chile as delivering healthier reds than any other country, the next the thick-skinned cabernet sauvignon grape is the one that doctors love the most.

With global wine production currently far outpacing consumption, cynics might be tempted to believe that it’s the wine promotion bodies who are funding the latest “healthy wine” announcements.

Still, the continued good news is that moderate wine-drinkers live longer, thanks principally to anti-oxidants: polyphenols present in grape skins and pips, particularly in red wines, including the new uber polyphenol, polymeric procyanidins.

The bad news is that the procyanidin-rich Sardinian reds and, to a lesser extent, reds from the Gers in south-west France do not have widespread, or even good, distribution here.

To polyphenol-desperate drinkers, my advice is to opt for any good, tannic, traditionally-fermented red made from beefy grapes like cabernet sauvignon and syrah.

A little of what you fancy does you good.

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