Recent Vintage, No Bouquet

By David Bjerklie

Why would anyone looking for the health benefits of red wine choose a little pill over a nice glass of Pinot Noir? Well, calorie counters or teetotalers might. At least that's what the makers of a bumper crop of new red-wine pills are banking on. The latest entry in the burgeoning wine-supplement market is Longevinex, which boasts that its pills are the only ones that both come in airtight capsules and--mon Dieu!--are made of real red-wine extract from France. Packed into each Longevinex capsule is an active ingredient roughly equivalent to between 5 and 15 glasses of red wine or unfermented grape juice. The key compound is an antioxidant called resveratrol, which has been shown to play a role in longevity--at least for one-cell organisms. Perhaps time and further research will tell whether the benefits of wine, if not the pleasure and bouquet, can be packed into a pill for people. Meanwhile, which pill will pair best with foie gras? --D.B.