LET me get one very obvious point out of the way. Anything good in excess is bad, and that includes wine. In moderation wine is good for you. I’m hardly the most objective person on this subject but there’s a preponderance of evidence supporting the health benefits of wine. The heath benefits of wines are hardly a new discovery.

Ancient wisdom

Health professionals have been prescribing wines for millennia with the earliest accounts of wine benefitting health found on Sumerian and Egyptian tablets dating back to 2300 BC. These ancient tablets provide recipes for medicines made with wine and are currently the oldest documented man made medicine. The belief that wine is beneficial to human health almost certainly predates the Sumerian and Egyptian tablets.

The Greeks changed the art and superstition of medicine into more of a science with wine playing a key role. The father of medicine, Hippocrates, proscribed wine as a daily health drink to be enjoyed with food and also used it as medicine for digestive ailments as well as a disinfectant for wounds. Roman physicians also used wine for medicinal purposes and promoted the beverage as a healthy addition to one’s diet. In the Middle Ages and Early Renaissance, Catholic monks were among the healthiest people in no small part because of their daily intake of wine. One of the giants of modern medicine, Louis Pasteur, described wine as, “the healthiest and most health-giving of drinks.”

For most of mankind’s history, wine has been viewed as beneficial to health. The late 19th century and the advent of the Industrial Revolution ushered in an era of cheap, massed produced wines and liquors for workers in the cities. This resulted in epidemics of alcoholism and alcohol-related health and sociological problems. As a consequence, many politicians, religious leaders and also physicians became anti-alcohol. This included wine. In the 1990s, a growing body of scientific evidence started to change views on wine and increasingly it again became portrayed as a healthy addition to diet.

Recent findings

Two years ago in this column I wrote about recent findings on the health benefits of regular, moderate wine consumption. These included improved eyesight and bone health, and its anti-aging and anti-bacterial properties. Since then, new studies indicate that moderate wine consumption can also help alleviate depression, protect against sunburn, promote lung health and help prevent type-2 diabetes and tooth decay. Perhaps most surprising of all, was a study by the University of California San Diego School of Medicine that concluded that modest wine consumption reduced the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by half. While excessive consumption of any alcohol beverage causes cirrhosis of the liver, the San Diego scientists found that moderate beer and liquor drinkers had a four times greater risk of contracting fatty liver disease than their wine-drinking counterparts.

In terms of health benefits, resveratrol-rich red wines have traditionally received the most attention. Lovers of white and sparkling wines felt left out, but over the past 24 months there’s been growing evidence that these wines may be equally healthy. A study by the University of Connecticut School of Medicine found that the tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol antioxidants in white wines are similar to those in olive oil. A study by the University of Barcelona indicated that white and sparkling wines may well have greater anti-aging and weight loss properties than red wines.

Healthy affordable wines

Languedoc AC is located in the Midi region in the south of France and is renowned for making some of the world’s best low-priced red wines. White wine and sparkling account for only about 15 percent of production yet their popularity is growing. Healthy, reasonably-priced and delicious white and sparkling wines are made from the Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Vermentino, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier varieties.

Two of my favorites are the Antech Cuvee Eugenie Brut, a sparking wine from Limoux, and the Robert Skalli Viognier white wine. Limoux was making sparkling wines nearly a century before Champagne and they remain some of the wine world’s most affordable high quality sparklers. Antech is one of the best Limoux sparking wine producers and their vintage Cuvee Eugenie Brut is the equal of many more pricy Champagnes. It has tiny and persistent bubbles, elegant peach and floral aromas and rich creamy fruit flavors with a long fresh finish. The Robert Skalli Viognier is an aromatic fruity and floral wine that’s nicely textured with good freshness.

Chestnut dishes

Wine by itself is healthy, but when enjoyed with nutritious food the benefits are even greater. Healthy wine and food combinations are far too numerous to mention in this column, however in respect to this week’s iDeal cover story I’ll take a look at wines paired with popular chestnut dishes.

In the world of nuts, the noble chestnut stands out in terms of healthy eating. Relatively low in calories, high in fiber and a rich source of minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous and potassium) vitamins (A, B-complex and C) and phyto-nutrients, chestnuts are also gluten-free. Equally important, chestnut dishes are also extremely wine friendly.

Whether you’re savoring Chinese classics like soy sauce braised chicken with chestnuts, rice with chicken, shiitake mushrooms and chestnuts or simple street-roasted chestnuts, a Limoux sparkler or Languedoc white is the ideal healthy partner. The subtle flavors of the dishes and nuts will be enhanced and not overwhelmed by these delicate and aromatic wines. Sweet chestnut desserts are best served with an equally sweet and savory Languedoc Muscat wine.

Where to buy in Shanghai

Region & Style at a glance

Varieties:

Red wine comprises about 85 percent of wine production in Languedoc but good quality, good value whites are also made from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Chenin Blanc and other varieties.

Key Term:

Cremant wines are French sparkling wines from regions other than Champagne that may be moderate-to-full sparkling wines.