BRINGING a bottle of wine to a big gathering sounds easy enough — until you walk into your local store and realize you have no idea what you’re looking for.

    For the most part, we all want the same thing: Something that not only tastes good, but is good — for our waistline and overall health. After all, studies do show that, in moderation, vino may be beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes and might even promote brain health.

    Follow these expert-backed suggestions for picking the best bottle every time.

    1. Go for a Burgundy,

    Bordeaux, or Pinot Noir

    If you’re looking to reap the health benefits from red wine’s potent antioxidant resveratrol — which research shows can help everything from your memory to your heart — some bottles prove better than others. Certain wines are higher in resveratrol than others, most notably red wines. That’s because resveratrol comes from grape skins — and red wine is typically fermented with the skins for a longer period of time. Specifically, grapes grown in colder regions or places with a higher threat of disease tend to contain more resveratrol such as Burgundy, Bordeaux, or a coastal climate like Oregon.

    2. Look for wine with

    minimal intervention

    If you’re concerned about where your food comes from and how it’s processed, you should have the same questions about your wine. Why? Because there’s a long list of additives and processes allowed in wine-making. If you want to carry your clean eating over into the drinking world, ask the people at your local wine shop for wines made with minimal intervention. These are wines made in a way that minimizes the additives and processes.

    It’s better to avoid very large-scale, mass-produced wines, as they are typically made with more processing ingredients and steps, as well as from lower quality grapes, which themselves have received more intervention in their cultivation.

    3. Look for small-lot

    on the label

    One thing you should look for on the label: the words “small-lot.” Small-lot wines offer the most unique expression of a wine and are typically made from one varietal, vineyard, or appellation. When wine is made in larger lots, it is often blended with different — and sometimes lower-quality wine. Seeking out small-lot producers gives you exposure to stylistically interesting wines of superior quality — many of which practice organic or natural wine-making techniques.

    (SD-Agencies)