Red wine increases the female libido, research has found.
According to a study carried out by the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital in Florence, drinking one to two glasses of red wine a day increases female sexual desire.
The study investigated 789 Italian women aged between 18 and 50.
Drinking red wine not only helps to release inhibitions, but also has a direct effect on sexual activity
Women who drink one to two glasses of wine a day were found to be more sexually active than those who abstain.
Dark chocolate, which is rich in antioxidants, has a similarly positive effect on the female libido.
Have your say... To post your comment on this story, email us at news@decanter.com, making sure the relevant headline is in the subject field
Interesting news and, just to be on the safe side, will feed my wife a glass of port with a piece of black chocolate every evening. Who knows?! Does it work for over 50?
João Filipe Clemente, Sâo Paulo, Brasil
Red wine and chocolate increases female libido. Already known since centuries by experts lika Montezuma, Casanova and Linnaeus and many more. Similarities with Viagra. But of course why not take the chance to publish another scientific paper! However, certainly not qualifying for a Nobel Prize!
Nils Stormby, MD, Ass. Professor, University of Lund, Sweden
Well, Well !
Michel Constant, L'Île-Bizard, Québec, Canada
As much as I wish to agree, this conclusions seems rather arguable. The study's result actually can't say more than that women who drink red wine have or wish to have more sex than women who don't drink red wine. We can't really draw the conclusion that their sexual desire has increased because they have drunk the wine. Likewise we could deduce that women with a positive attitude towards the pleasures of life appreciate both: wine and sex. And chocolate. Even if - which we don't know - part of the study was the experiment to take red wine away from women who would have liked to drink it and then their sexual desire decreased, we still couldn't be sure about the causality since they might just be annoyed over the sacrifice of wine and are thus in no mood for sex.
The same problem occurs with the famous Renaud-study that basically conludes that wine-drinkers live longer because they drink wine (the fact itself is unarguable, the causality is the problem). It may well be a given positive attitude, the ability for enjoyment that reduces the risk to die of heart-attacks and the wine-drinking might just be another effect of that disposition rather then the actual cause for longer lifes.
Absolutely undisputable however is the fact that wine-drinking women with a good taste for dark chocolate appear much more attractive to men than the mineral-water sipping type gnawing at a carrot. And that again might be another reason why red-wine-drinking women have more sex.
Ralf Szymanski, Berlin, Germany
It's no secret, chicks love a good hard Pinot!
Mick Dowling, Tanunda, South Australia
Our wine The Very Sexy Shiraz was so named because its combination of gorgeously juicy Darling fruit and French oak is so attractive it couldn't be called anything other than 'sexy'. We have witnessed degrees of heightened excitement on the part of female imbibers, and had always assumed that they were responding to the wine's deliciousness. Now (perhaps) we know otherwise.
Sexy is as Sexy does...
Oscar Foulkes, Cloof Wine Estate, Darling, South Africa
Immediately after reading this article I noticed the Decanter.com slogan at the top of the page. Has that always been there or have I exceeded my quota of red wine and dark chocolate today?
Jane B, South Australia
The study taken relates only to Italian women. How far is this true to other women around the world. It would have been more appropriate to make a sample of women in different countries. Knowing that Italian women are more hot and lively.
Ram Pareatumbee
It's a shame then that wine has an inversely proportional effect on male sexual performance…allegedly!
Simon, UK
Perhaps this will legitimise 'sex sells' marketing campaigns! Italian women, Italian wine how could this not work. Molto Buono!
Regan, Auckland, New Zealand
Unfortunately, alcohol may increase the desire but decreases the ability in both men and women. The "brewer's droop" is a common term referring to the impotence that may follow drinking in males. A man's ability the following morning on the other hand may be surprising. Woman may find their desires heightened through removal of inhibitions but too much wine or alcohol makes it less likely that she will have an orgasm.
Rusty Gaffney, California, USA
Register on decanter.com absolutely free for news alerts delivered direct to your email inbox, and our fortnightly newsletter with advance notice of what’s coming up in Decanter magazine, offers, competitions and more.
PLUS registration is a one-stop shop for the Decanter magazine Archive and Decanter Fine Wine Tracker.
Interesting news and, just to be on the safe side, will feed my wife a glass of port with a piece of black chocolate every evening. Who knows?! Does it work for over 50?
