British researchers revealed that old fashioned red wines from the vineyards of France and Italy are helpful for protecting the heart. Those wines contained high concentrations of 'oligomeric procyanidins', the antioxidants which are good for cardiovascular health.

The study compared red wines produced using traditional methods, from France and Italy, to red wines produced using modern methods, from the U.S., Australia, Spain and South America.

Researchers from the William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary, University of London, said: "Procyanidins, compounds commonly found in red wine, are good for your blood vessels and are probably one of the factors contributing towards the long life spans of the people from the southwest of France and Sardinia (Italy)."

In describing the difference between old and new methods of making wine, researchers say that the modern techniques used in creating new wines often only ferment the seeds and skins for no more than a week. That results in fewer procyanidins in the finished wine.

The study results published in Nature journal.