Kusafiri Organic wines is a small family owned winery on the foot of the Paardeberg, South Africa.
We specialize in organic, no-sulfur-added, vegan-friendly wine, and we are firm believers that you should be kind to yourself as well as the environment. As winemakers, we are passionate about making great, environmentally friendly wines at affordable everyday prices.
We’re one of the few cellars making no-sulphur-added wines in South Africa, and the only one focusing on this winemaking style.
Kusafiri Organic Wines is a South African Organic wine producer with both a USDA Organic and EU Organic Certification, which means we meet the strictest standards for producing organic wines.
There is a big difference between wines made with organic grapes and organic wine certified by the USDA Organic Certification (NOP). Wines produced with certified organically-grown grapes still have added sulfites, but organic wines in the US have to have less than 10 ppm of naturally-occurring sulfites. Organic wines in the US also have to be made in certified USDA cellars.
This type of certification requires a third-party inspection of both the vineyards and the winemaking facility. All of our grapes are non-GMO, and grown without the use of conventional pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or any chemicals deemed harmful to the environment.
Furthermore, we aim to have minimal intervention during the winemaking process in our certified organic winemaking facility. Our philosophy prohibits the use of colour, gluten, flavour or non-organic additives and preservatives.
In conventional winemaking, a lot of proteins called “fining agents” are added to the wine to stabilize it – for example egg whites, gelatin, casein (milk protein), and isinglass.
At Kusafiri Organic Wines we don’t need fining agents because of our high-quality grapes and the unique wine-making process that we’ve developed over the years.
Wine – and especially red wine – is very complex in terms of its chemical structure and composition.
Researchers foundΒ that resveratrol plays a key role in preventing RGC death and boosting mitochondrial biogenesis. AnotherΒ studyΒ found that resveratrol helps prevent light-induced retinal damage and RGC death.
Similarly, quercetin is known toΒ reduce inflammationΒ andΒ oxidative stress, both of which are highly correlated to the development of eye diseases.
Polyphenols have proven to be effective at reducing oxidative stress and preventing free radical damage, both of which are associated with cardiovascular disease. Researchers have confirmed as much; red wine, because it contains polyphenol antioxidants, can protect the heart.
AnotherΒ studyΒ published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Disease research reported that drinking red wine can reduce the progression of atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of fatty deposits in your arteries. The Journal of Molecular Medicine alsoΒ studiedΒ the effect of red wine on atherosclerosis and yielded some interesting results. They also found that those with small to moderate red wine intake had a decreased mortality rate due to heart disease. However, people who drink excessive amounts of red wine, or those who didnβt drink any red wine, had a higher risk of dying from cardiac disease.
Other studies:
Oxidative stress is known to play a role in a long list of serious chronic conditions, includingΒ Alzheimerβs,Β arthritis, cancer,Β diabetes, autoimmune diseases, Parkinsonβs,Β macular degeneration, and glaucoma.
InΒ one study, researchers found that the resveratrol in red wine has neuroprotective properties and can protect against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimerβs. They also found that it plays a role in preventing the build-up of beta-amyloid plaque, which can be found in the brain of Alzheimerβs patients.
As already mentioned, the antioxidants in red wine also reduce free radical damage and inflammation, both of which commonly underpin cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.
The high polyphenol levels in red wine make it a better regulator of glucose levels than white wine. Red wine has nearly 1000% more polyphenols and inhibited glucose absorption enzymes 5 times more than white wine.
