The white wine that does your heart good

White wine lovers can raise a glass to scientists who have found a way of making their favourite drink good for the heart.

It had been thought that only red wine could help cut down on cholesterol in the bloodstream which can lead to heart attacks.

Red wine is made with the skin of grapes which contain compounds called flavonoids, which make it heathier.

But the skins are not used in white wine production as they alter the taste.

Now Israeli scientists, working with a kosher wine maker, have found that putting chardonnay or muscat grape skins in contact with the alcohol for about 18 hours produces a drink with the same flavonoid levels as red wine, but without changing the taste.

The researchers were led by Professor Michael Aviram, head of the fats research laboratory at the Technion Faculty of Medicine in Haifa, who proved in 1995 that red wine could stop cholesterol clotting in the body's veins and arteries.

The rate of clotting can be speeded up by a process called oxidation, when the fatty cholesterol combines with oxygen molecules.

This increases the risk of heart attacks and coronary heart disease, which kills 140,000 people in Britain every year.

Oxidation can be tackled with chemicals called anti-oxidants.

Professor Aviram said: 'Red wine, which unlike white wine is prepared by a long contact with the grape's skin, contains very potent anti-oxidants.

'As a white wine lover I wanted to prepare a white wine with these oxidants without losing the white wine taste and aroma.'

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