Red Wine vs Beer

by Matthew Ndarimani

Any type of alcohol can light up the fireworks in your mind, even on the dullest of nights. Cherish the buzz with a bottle of Pinot Noir or a chilled six-pack of your favorite lager. Just be ready for that crazy headache. Hangovers can make you feel more miserable than Cinderella looking for a lost slipper on a sinking Titanic.

Reluctant boozers religiously cling to their poisoned beverages, claiming that drinking helps with stress management and is less harmful than cannabis and or cocaine.  That is their prerogative, but what do medical experts say about alcohol?

I don’t have an MSc or PhD written next to my name; I’m just a guzzler like you, looking to justify my love for the drink. Anyway, in this article, I am going to compare beer and red wine without bias.

Quick Facts

 

	Red Wine	Beer
Price	Generally more expensive	Generally cheaper
Calories	133 kcal per glass	160 kcal per pint
Protein	0.1g to 0.3g per glass	1.6 to 2.0g per pint
Iron	0.35mg per glass	0.02mg per pint
B Vitamins
Alcohol Content	9 – 14%	3.5 – 5%
Water	80 – 86%	90 – 95%
Production Process	Made from crushed fermented grapes	Made from grain and hops

 

What Health Experts Say

Well, 10 out of 10 times, the doctor will tell you that you are better off without alcohol, be it beer, red wine, or tequila. However, since we’re, to be honest, hung on being drunk, the physician encourages us to cut our alcohol consumption.

Red wine is thought to be better than beer due to its high content of compounds known as polyphenols, which offer antioxidants and are essential in fending off heart diseases and other conditions. Inversely, beer contains more protein and B Vitamins, which smoothens your metabolism.

However, the negative impacts of ethanol are much heavier than the antioxidants offered by a whole case of Merlot or the special vitamins you would find in a keg of beer. Clearly, eating plant-based foods like strawberries, bananas, and even dark chocolate is a way more practical way to achieve your daily dietary requirements.

So, whenever your thirsty friends recommend vin rouge over a cold one, just take the advice with a pinch of salt. Okay, I’m not saying that tequila people will assume that they are on the right path.  

Red Wine vs Alcohol – Westerners vs Africans

As the country is home to some of the best vineyards in the world, red wine is a symbolic beverage in France. The beverage basically defines the people. Westerners generally keep red wine in the house, serving it with meals. The elite, having run out of hobbies, collect the priciest aged bottles just to taste them decades later.

True beer fans, like us, seldom understand why wine tasting is an institution. Why would you sip on a Cabernet Sauvignon worth $15,000 and spit it? Beers are more of a refreshment, occasionally accompanying that sandwich before dinner.

The Motherland also has some bountiful vineyards, but red wine isn’t very popular among boozers in African countries. Society demands that real men drink bitter lagers straight from the bottle. So, red wine is either for ladies or men trying to pick up ladies from top-flight nightclubs. Alcohol is never served with food. You eat your dinner, then go to the local tavern.

What’s your poison?

Beer is a money saver, with higher protein content and is ideal for those less formal moments. But red wine seems a trifle complicated, as it is associated with class. Vin rouge is also thought to help with heart disease. Regardless of your preferences, modest alcohol consumption is the best way to look after your health.