The Health Benefits of Red Moscato Wine – Is it Worth Drinking?

Enjoying a glass of red wine is a common way to relax after a hard day. However, you may be surprised to learn that the health benefits of wine varies depending on which kind you choose to drink. Below we look at the health benefits of red moscato wine, as well as, why a dry wine may be a healthier option than sweet wines.

What is Red Moscato Wine?

If you enjoy a sweet, fruity wine, you’ll probably love drinking a glass of Moscato. Moscato comes in several varieties, including Muscat Blanc, red Moscato, pink Moscato, sparkling Moscato and dessert Moscato. 

Red Moscato wines, also known as black muscat, is a sweet wine that often features a berry flavor and usually comes with notes of raspberries, strawberries, and cherries. This wine variety is typically made by combining a blend of Muscat grapes with Syrah or Zinfandel.

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Health Benefits of Red Moscato Wine

While dry wines are considered the best, the health benefits of red moscato wine come from the flavonoids, antioxidants from the red grapes, the lower alcohol content, and a specific flavonoid — resveratrol.

But since there are several varieties of red wine to choose from, figuring out which red wine is the healthiest can be difficult! 

If you’re open to dry red wine, you may also like FitVine Wine Review| Rose, Syrah and Prosecco Taste Test.

Like most red wine varieties, red Moscato wine has several health benefits, including:

1. High flavonoid content.

Flavonoids make a great addition to your diet because they may help reduce the risk of a variety of chronic diseases, including stroke, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Flavonoids are also known to be antimicrobial and help in boosting your mood.

2. High antioxidant levels.

Since red Moscato has a high flavonoid content, the wine also has high antioxidant levels. Antioxidants are natural molecules that help neutralize free radicals in our bodies’ cells, which means they help reduce the risk of many different diseases, from heart disease to certain cancers.

3. Low acid.

Since the acidity levels are relatively low in red Moscato wine, you don’t have to worry about the harmful effects that come with food and drinks high in acid, like stomach issues and kidney stones.

4. Low alcohol content.

Thanks to the low alcohol content in red Moscato wine, you can help reduce the harmful side effects that come along with drinking too much alcohol. But keep in mind that while the alcohol content is low in red Moscato, this wine variety should still be consumed in moderation.

5. Resveratrol content.

Another healthy benefit of red wine comes in its resveratrol content. Resveratrol is a type of polyphenolic antioxidant that can provide a host of healthy benefits.

This red wine ingredient has been linked to possibly prevent inflammation and blood clotting, reduce the risk of diabetes, and prevent the spread of cancer cells. You should always talk to you doctor about all of this as well.

Is Red Moscato Wine Good for Your Heart?

With so many health benefits, red wine is a great option! But not all red wine varieties are created equally. That means you might be wondering if red Moscato wine is good for your heart.

While red Moscato wine does come with a variety of health benefits, there is one drawback to this wine variety – its sugar content.

Red Moscato wines typically feature natural sugars drawn from the grapes themselves. Since the sugar content in this red wine variety is higher than other types of red wine, red Moscato wine may not be the best option for improving your heart health.

Although the sugars found in Moscato are naturally occurring, they can still contribute to a variety of unhealthy factors. Sugars and fructose – even if they occur naturally – still add carbohydrates to your wine. These carbs can cause weight gain and increase blood sugar levels.

When looking for heart-healthy red wine varieties, it’s best to stick to dry wines since their sugar content is much lower than sweet wines like red Moscato.

3 dry wines at the top of the list when looking for wine that is Heart Healthy are:

• Pinot noir
• Merlot
• Cabernet Sauvignon

Pinot noir, Merlot, and Cabernets all have a lower sugar content and a high amount of resveratrol making them the best grape varieties to consume.

Can You Drink Wine Every Day and be Healthy?

Now that you know the difference between healthy and unhealthy wines, figuring out how much wine is safe to drink is the next step.

Moderation is key when it comes to enjoying healthy wine. That means you’ll need to keep track of the number of drinks you enjoy each day.

While drinking wine every day can provide plenty of health benefits, it’s important to stay within the healthy guidelines outlined by the USDA.

According to the USDA Dietary Guidelines, it is safe to drink up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. When it comes to wine, a “drink” is defined as five fluid ounces.

Consuming too much alcohol has been linked to increasing your risk of cancer, liver damage, and even heart problems. Alcohol can also cause inflammation in the body which can lead to other issues. So if you choose to drink alcoholic drinks like white or red wine, consume it responsibly.

To Summarize

You may have read that there are health benefits of red wine for moderate drinkers —  including:

• raising “good” HDL cholesterol (without raising bad cholesterol),
• offer cardio protective properties,
• fight free radicals,
• and lowering the risk of diabetes.

With that said, it’s hard for scientists to specifically link the moderate consumption of red wine to these potential health benefits. It could be that they are more active or follow a healthier diet like the Mediterranean diet which has been known to help your overall health.

You can check out the best wines for the Mediterranean diet here, as well!

It should also be noted that the Mayo Clinic has not found any link between drinking red wine and a reduction in heart attacks.

You should always talk to you doctor before consuming more wine, and if you don’t drink it already there really isn’t any major reason to start. You could see heart health benefits from staying active and/or the making changes in your diet to suit a Mediterranean diet.