“With the completion of an €800.000 R&D (Research & Development) project, Bodegas Vina Hermosa and another eight wineries from La Rioja (Spain) have managed to achieve the highest ever resveratrol content in any wine, achieving rates of 25.6 mg/l, 79% higher than the previous highest content recorded at 14.3 mg/l.

For the first time, through the development and implementation of natural techniques, both in the vineyard and production process, Santiago Ijalba and his son Roberto in Bodegas Vina Hermosa have dramatically increased the level of trans-resveratrol in a wine, reaching values never seen before at 25.6 mg/l. This level of polyphenol represents an increase of 79% over the previous highest level of 14.3 mg/l found in an Hungarian wine. During 2008, the production of higher amounts of polyphenols in selected vineyards belonging to BODEGAS VINA HERMOSA was enhanced by physico-chemical treatments, controls and in-depth analysis during the whole growing season in order to ripen the fruit.

After the harvest in September 2008, the second phase of the project commenced with the pilot micro-vinifications of the wines. It is anticipated that the first wines will be available for public consumption after the 2009 harvest. This project is a serious attempt by these wineries to deepen the connection between wine and health, reinforcing naturally favourable effects for cardiovascular diseases or cancer, which have often been described in reports and scientific studies written by several international agencies and published by magazines such as the Royal Society of Chemistry, American Chemical Society, Elsevier, Laboratoire de Nutrition et Sécurité Alimentaire.

The resulting higher level of trans-resveratrol and quercitin in these wines will enhance (through moderate consumption) effects on health as, for instance, an antioxidant, as a reducer of bad LDL cholesterol values, as a protector against some kinds of cancer, an improver of blood sugar levels and blood flow, having anti-inflammatory properties.”

We at the P.R. Grisley Company are proud to be importing other fine wines from Bodegas Vina Hermosa and can’t wait until these latest ground breaking wines are available and we are able to make them available to you, the consumer! So drink up, soon there will be even more healthy benefits!!

Cheers,

Michael