1) The study found that red wines from France increased expression of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene and protein in human endothelial cells, whereas red wines from Germany did not. 2) French red wines were also found to increase activity of the eNOS promoter and stability of eNOS mRNA, resulting in increased production of bioactive nitric oxide (NO) from the endothelial cells. 3) The increase in eNOS expression, activity, and NO production brought about by French red wines may contribute to the cardiovascular benefits associated with moderate red wine consumption.