The 1996 vintage of the wine, produced by the Svischtov winery, came out on top in a study of the health benefits of 16 Safeway reds from the 1996 and 1997 vintages, as undertaken by a team of researchers led by Dr Alan Crozier. According to the research, ‘there is a strong positive correlation between the level of phenolics present in a wine and its antioxidant activity (AA) and vasodilation capacity’. Wines with a high phenolic content could therefore ‘provide enhanced protection against cardiovascular disease’. The Young Vatted Cabernet was shown to have the highest phenolics of the wines tested. Follow-up research on ten Safeway reds from the 1998 to 2000 vintages showed similar ranges of antioxidant activity, with a Young Vatted Bulgarian Cabernet again the top wine. The research also showed that the antioxidant activity in unfermented red grape juice was much lower than in the finished wines; and that antioxidant activity increased during both fermentation and maturation.