Functional wines on trial

Functional wines with added antioxidants could be available in the UK provided the European Commission approves the special winemaking process that is involved.

The wines contain 100mg per litre of the antioxidant resveratrol, compared with a typical 1mg per litre in normal white wines and 3-6mg per litre in reds. The patented process involves extracting the resveratrol from grapes before concentrating it and adding it back to the wine.

The wines are being trialled in Australia and are being produced by Pendarves Estate REW.