Interest in wine science has grown enormously over the last two decades as the health benefits of moderate wine consumption have become firmly established in preventing heart disease and been extended to stroke, cancer and dementia. The growth of molecular biology has allowed proper investigation of grapevine identity and lineage and led to improvements in the winemaking process.

This book explores the history and appreciation of wine, its early role as a medicine and modern evidence on how and why wine protects against disease. It also addresses genetic modification of the grapevine, long recognized as a natural process, and of the microbes involved in the making of wine. Pharmacologists, biochemists, epidemiologists, physicians, and public health officials will find this book not only a wealth of data, but also a fascinating read.