Wine News

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have discovered a new group of chemicals in wine which potentially could provide another explanation for why wine drinking can benefit cardiovascular health. The glucose-based compounds, called saponins, are found in the waxy skins of grapes, but not in the juice. The scientists believe that saponins may help to reduce the level of LDL cholesterol circulating in the body.

"Saponins are a relatively new topic," said head researcher Andrew Waterhouse. "These things are known to be in certain foods, but were never known to be in wine." Olives and vegetables are among the foods that contain saponins. Waterhouse, who is a chemistry professor in the department of viticulture and oenology at UC Davis, presented his team's findings this week in New York at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Waterhouse believes that saponins may work in conjunction with other beneficial compounds found in wine, such as resveratrol. However, he cautioned, little is known about the nature of saponins. "We need more data on what these things do," he said, adding that the research "is not conclusive until we do a more thorough survey as to what is in wine."