While I was researching this article, it quickly became apparent that discussing alcohol consumption and moderation wouldn’t be a straightforward affair. Stakeholders come to the table with assumptions, agendas and moral viewpoints that often cloud the objective interpretation of studies and data – which, as I discovered, have many gaps and flaws themselves. Particularly problematic is that some of the key concepts at the core of the discussion (risk, excess, wellbeing – moderation itself) mean different things to different people.
Embracing complexity
Because individual agendas, assumptions and background were a recurring theme, it’s perhaps useful to begin by stating – clearly and humbly – the premises with which I arrived at this subject myself. Wine is part of my diet, a companion to meals (not every day). I see wine as a cultural artifact, of intrinsic value before it reaches the glass – a source of pleasure but also of intellectual and aesthetic stimulation. That so many different, complex, evolving iterations of the same plant-derived product can be produced – reflecting different cultures, times and places – is a matter of enduring fascination to me.
I’ve consumed alcohol – moderately; very rarely anything other than wine – and this has been an important part of my family, professional and social experiences. Pregnancy and nursing forced me to interrupt my alcohol consumption, which I did easily and happily (morning sickness helped tremendously!) in light of obvious, conflicting priorities. Abstinence forced me to explore the previously unknown territory of no- and low-alcohol drinks. Here be dragons? Not at all. My tasting experience expanded and flexed, and I found a dynamic community of entrepreneurs and industry professionals developing very interesting products.
I’m sure that many Decanter readers will see themselves, somehow, in this description, with wine as an important part of their personal, if not also professional, identity, but being confronted at some point with the need – temporary or permanent – to moderate or stop drinking alcohol.
Our relationship with alcohol – as with other substances and habits – changes, necessarily, over time. Health, lifestyle, priorities, income, community – all are in continuous flux. What works today might not work tomorrow. What works for me may not work for you. So at what point does drinking wine become ‘bad for you’? Can such a line be drawn? How much is too much?
Studying the studies
Let’s turn to science and official guidelines, in the first instance, for information and data. In 2022, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reviewed its alcohol guidelines, subsequently stating that ‘no level of alcohol consumption is safe’, mentioning a study published in The Lancet (‘Alcohol and Health’; Manthey, Shield et al, November 2022). The Drinkaware website also states that ‘the safest level of drinking is to drink no alcohol at all’.
This view is neither unanimous nor longstanding. The ‘no alcohol is safe’ message – and the validity of the interpretation of the underlying studies – has been and continues to be questioned by many. ‘The WHO guidelines cites its own correspondence rather than The Lancet’s 2022 statement* on cardiovascular protection for moderate drinkers aged over 40, which I think is misleading,’ says Dr Laura Catena, a physician (Stanford Medical School class of 1992 and 27 years in emergency practice in California) and fourth-generation winemaker in Argentina. ‘The study concludes with moderate certainty [because all these studies are observational, the use of low/moderate/high certainty needs to qualify all conclusions drawn] that there are cardiovascular benefits to moderate drinking above a certain age.’ (*‘Consuming a small amount of alcohol for people in [the over 40] age group can provide some health benefits, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes.’)
Pauline Vicard of Areni Global, an independent think tank dedicated to the future of fine wine, has held multiple sessions on moderation and responsible drinking. She reiterates this view. ‘Moderate consumption still stands, both from a cultural and scientific standpoint,’ she says. She refers to the overview conducted by the IARD organisation of meta-analyses on alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality published between 2000 and 2023, all of which show that light to moderate drinkers have the same risk, or lower, than non drinkers. (Listen to ‘Why Moderation is Still a Valid Concept’, an interview with IARD’s chief scientist Jennifer Tujague, January 2025, on Areni Global: In Conversation’s podcast channel.)
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