Il buon vino fa buon sangue, “good wine makes your blood good:” Italians love to say it while pouring another glass of hearty red, often while dining with friends. But where does this popular expression come from and is there any truth in it?

According to an article published on the wine blog Wine Shop, this proverb is second in popularity, among wine lovers, only to the super-famous Latin in vino veritas, “you’ll find truth in wine.” And iff you’ve been tipsy at least once in your life, you know how easy it becomes to speak your mind after a glass or two…