Here's something to clink our glasses to - red wine was found to make vertebrates, and possibly humans, feel better and live longer. How's that for good news?

Italian researchers found that resveratrol, an organic compound found in red grapes and wine, "prolongs lifespan and retards the expression of age-dependent traits in a short-lived vertebrate." Neuroscientist Alessandro Cellerino at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy, and colleagues have further proven studies that show resveratol's life-extending properties.

Fantastic! I've always preferred red to white wine.

Article from Discovery Channel News.

In my cooking, I often use red wine even when recipes don't call for it, especially with tomatoes, like pasta sauces and reductions. The red wine never fails to give the sauce more body and adds a smoothness to the dish. I've also seen a lot of food bloggers use red wine in their cooking. Here are links to more traditional recipes.

Elise's Irish Beef StewThe Wednesday Chef's take on Amanda Hesser's Red-Wine RisottoFrom They melt Away, Jaime's Chicken CacciatoreFor dessert, here's Red wine, biscuit and chocolate mousse by James Martin from the BBC.