Since Matt Deller MW’s piece on wine and health in the September-October issue of WBM – Australia’s Wine Business Magazine, significant new research has reinforced the vital role wine can play in a healthy lifestyle.
The latest insights, including the Harvard study published in Harvard Magazine, January-February 2025 and findings from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), confirm what we’ve long understood: for most people, moderate wine consumption is not only safe but beneficial.
The message is clear: unless someone is pregnant, has a family history of certain cancers, preexisting health conditions, or struggles with alcohol dependence, one or two glasses of wine a day can be a positive addition to their lifestyle.
Cardiovascular benefits, as highlighted in the NASEM report, remain compelling, and the social and emotional value of enjoying wine with others fosters human connection in an increasingly disconnected world.
Unfortunately, the World Health Organization’s recent call for zero alcohol consumption risks overshadowing this nuanced and evidence-based perspective.
While their concerns about excessive drinking are valid, these blanket recommendations ignore critical distinctions between responsible and harmful consumption.
The NASEM findings emphasise that moderate drinking, particularly wine, correlates with reduced cardiovascular risk for low-risk individuals.
Failing to communicate this balance has sown confusion and unnecessary fear.
We are already seeing the impact.
Younger consumers, influenced by alarmist messaging, are increasingly choosing abstinence.
While moderating for health reasons is commendable, abstaining entirely without cause means missing out on the health benefits and joy wine can bring.
As Pauline Vicard eloquently articulated in her piece on wine, health and moderation, our industry has a responsibility to provide clarity and model moderation responsibly.
To counter this noise, we must approach the conversation with confidence and a commitment to transparency.
The ‘J-curve’ of alcohol consumption and mortality, showing better outcomes for moderate drinkers compared to both heavy drinkers and abstainers, remains a well-supported framework.
Further, the NASEM report affirms that moderate wine consumption is best understood as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle, not as an isolated behaviour.
As an industry, we have a unique opportunity to reclaim the narrative.
By championing evidence-based moderation and celebrating the connection and pleasure wine brings, we can help consumers make informed, balanced choices.
This isn’t about excusing overindulgence but about empowering people to enjoy wine responsibly as part of their lives.
To all of us in the wine industry, this is our chance to lead the conversation.
Together, we can ensure our messaging is rooted in science, clarity and integrity – and that wine remains a source of health, connection and pleasure for generations to come.
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