Q: Which wines have the most resveratrol? Do rosés and white wines have resveratrol?—Rachel, Burbank, Calif.
A: Resveratrol is one of the most studied polyphenols in wine, and scientific research has indicated that it may have many protective properties. Resveratrol content in wine is directly tied to the wine’s exposure to grape skins during the winemaking process, so red wines, which undergo maceration with the grape skins, are typically higher in resveratrol than rosés and white wines.
Wines made from grapes with thicker skins, like Malbec and Petite Sirah, are likely to have higher resveratrol contents, says Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University. "Because [grape] skin is kept during some of the production of rosé wines, those types of wines would also have some resveratrol, although [not as much as] red wines." Skin-contact white wines (aka orange wines) will also contain higher levels of resveratrol than conventionally made white wines.
Wine is not the only source of resveratrol, however. Regular non-fermented grape juice is high in resveratrol, as are peanuts and peanut butter, cocoa and chocolate, and blueberries and cranberries.
