Despite endless rounds of studies and tests, it seems no one has quite figured out if red wine is good or bad for our health.

But one cardiologist made up his mind a long time ago – and has been doling out glasses of red to his patients for the past ten years.

Dr William McCrea is convinced that the drink helps prevent heart attacks and strokes and is often found wheeling a trolley of wine on his rounds.

The consultant prescribes the drink to patients in the cardiology ward like he would any other medicine, with precise measures to be taken at regular intervals. He says their good results support the theory that drinking a small amount every day can be beneficial.

Dr McCrea began to hand out wine after discovering that the French suffer from far fewer heart attacks, despite their fatty diets and higher smoking rates.

He believes the antioxidant properties of red wine reduce the risk of second heart attacks by half – and the risk of stroke by 20 per cent.

The cardiologist has now recommended two 125ml glasses a day to around 10,000 patients at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, Wiltshire. And he insists that young wines in screw-top bottles – which are usually the cheapest – are the healthiest varieties.