What to do about creeping prohibitionism

Is red wine a "prescription" for good health? Let's discuss. wineandchampagnegifts.com.

Why are there perpetually conflicting reports on either the health benefits or health risks of wine?

Simple answer: Wine is an alcoholic beverage. It is the alcohol content that is identified as the potentially dangerous substance, often as a carcinogen (i.e., cancerous agent).

Less than "compliant" citizens during the 1920s Prohibition of alcoholic beverages.

Most recently, in 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) put out a statement that “no safe amount of alcohol consumption for cancers and health can be established." This sweeping indictment was published in an issue of The Lancet Public Health. Yet soon after, in the very same publication, an article entitled "Alcohol and Health" was published, stating: 

Many studies have shown that low or moderate amounts of alcohol (particularly red wine) can reduce risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even death—possibly due in part to a tendency to reduce systemic inflammatory mediators. These benefits might be limited to adults older than 40 years ... Potential benefits of light to moderate alcohol consumption have also been reported among patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Ad currently running for an India-based chain of  hospitals.

There have been many studies documenting the impact of wine consumption, including one entitled "Moderate Wine Consumption and Health" (National Library of Medicine) posted in 2022, summarizing the overall consensus that “the beneficial effects of wine are mostly derived from its polyphenolic content, and this represents the crucial difference between wine and other alcoholic beverages.”

And so the arguments and counter-arguments have gone, ever since 60 Minutes first reported on the ‘French paradox” back in 1991, linking the relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) among French people to their diets which, significantly, entail a regular consumption of red wine. Back then, the response of many Americans, of course, was that this might sound too good to be true, while many others thought: “Why take a chance? Drink more red wine!”

Still shot from the historic 1991 episode of 60 Minutes; Morley Safer reporting on The French Paradox.

Which is not to make light of deadly serious issues such as alcoholism and cancer. What many people in industries connected to the production and sales of alcoholic beverages see as a real danger is the increasing credence given to a real and present prospect of another enactment of Prohibition in the United States, a century after it had already been tried and found to have miserably failed.

Contemporary proponents of alcohol restrictions are called “neo-prohibitionists.” Earlier this year the longtime Sacramento wine journalist Mike Dunne had these interesting things to say about this movement on his Signature Wines page:

“Neo-prohibitionists” who get my friends riled do exist, but they are more well-intentioned than menacing. The term “neo-prohibitionist” doesn’t really fit them, if it is to be applied literally. They aren’t out to ban or even restrict harshly access to alcohol. Rather, they are people heavily into wellness. They fret that alcohol–too much of it—could compromise well-being, and they have evidence to back them up...

Are neo-prohibitionists our friends? Let's discuss further. San Francisco, 1917.

These are neo-prohibitionists concerned about the impact of alcohol on drivers of motor vehicles. What’s that figure I heard the other day, that 32 people a day are killed in vehicle wrecks involving drunk drivers? Yes, that’s the figure, amounting to nearly a third of the nation’s annual vehicle-related fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Should, then, the estimated 80 million or so Americans who sip wine at least once a month be afraid that access to the product might be restricted or even banned some time in the near future? The answer is yes, it could happen. History has a way of repeating itself. People forget, especially after 100 years.

Every time the concern pops up, in fact, it becomes more important than ever to restart a conversation not only about the proven health benefits of wine, but also—as Thomas Jefferson, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Mondavi, Kermit Lynch and many others have reminded the world over and over again—its “civilizing” aspects. Whether as humble, inexpensive “everyday” beverages or as compellingly grandiose, intellectually stimulating “fine” vintages, wine is known to contribute to both physical and mental health.

Wine, as Benjamin Franklin (supposedly) once said, serves as “constant proof that God loves us.”

Yes, wine can be dangerous, just like cars can be dangerous if driven by reckless, sleepy or distracted drivers. Obviously, the vast majority of people do not drive recklessly. They just want to get from point A to point B, and they do so responsibly, with great care for the safety of themselves and others. 

Wine also serves a point-A-to-point-B purpose. It has always been consumed as an ideal table beverage, complimenting meals. Its social advantages are self-evident—it stimulates conversation and brings people together, which is as important a reason for its existence as any other. When wine is exceptionally well crafted, it is appreciated practically as an artistic object. In the context of food, the finer the cuisine, the finer we want our wine to be—which makes us want to talk, and positively interact with each other, all the more.

Wine, dinner, couples... and inevitably, romance. Wine & Roses Hotel.

And, lest it go unsaid, wine stimulates romance, perhaps the most important human objective of all. We all live for partnerships; and for most of us, to be fruitful and multiply. This is not just biblical, it's genetic. I’ve lost track of all the couples I’ve known who took time off to go to a wine country destination, to luxury getaways such as Lodi’s Wine & Roses Hotel, or even to experience just one night at a tony restaurant, and came back in love, and often engaged, committed to future lives together. 

I worked in such restaurants for over 28 years, so I was there for a countless number of these moments (and for a good number of break-ups and non-marital dalliances, too!). These experiences almost always involve wine. Never a coincidence.

In 1990 a group of educators and scientists representing major universities such as Harvard, Brown and Boston came together to form a collective called Oldways Preservation & Exchange. It is now called Oldways Cultural Food Traditions, serving as a consumer advocacy for healthy, sustainable cuisines around the world, especially those reflecting "old ways." Yes, as you might infer, Oldways is something of a busybody anti-processed food organization, but during its first few years they also came out with ten specific “Guidelines for Sensible Wine Drinking” that I’ve always found to be, well, as sensible as anything said about the role of wine in our culture.

1920s ad for delivery of California and Michigan grapes on the East Coast during Prohibition, when the U.S. government recognized the wisdom of allowing each family to legally produce 200 gallons of their own wine each year.

Honestly, though, I never actually agreed with everything suggested by Oldways, mostly because I’ve always worked in the wine industry, while Oldways approached the subject from outside it. The fact of the matter is, I often do meet with friends and colleagues, all of us as wine professionals, for the express purpose of sipping and celebrating wines for the sake of wine itself, not necessarily as an important cultural experience. It may be fun, but it’s an important part of the job. 

In a way, our industry approach to wine is in agreement with the Oldways dictates in terms of wine needing to fulfill a functional purpose in life. It’s just that the definition of those functions is slightly different for people who make a living out of it. What the values espoused by Oldways also did not consider is the well known fact that wine can also serve as a serious object of aesthetic appreciation; something playing a huge role in wine cultures and industries throughout history and all around the world. 

Appreciating wine for wine’s sake is not just an objective for industry professionals, it is also an objective for the entire range of “serious” wine aficionados, everywhere you find artistically made wines, and the appreciation of vineyards, terroirs, entire histories and cultures of wine regions. Let’s not forget that. 

Meeting of wine professionals in Lodi's Victor community.

Today’s global wine market currently hovers somewhere in the range of 400 billion USD (re Fortune Business Insights, March 2025), much of it driven by garden variety wine buffs sipping their bottles in every nook and cranny of the world.

All the same, the Oldways’ original “ten commandments,” some of it very thought-provoking, reads as such...

1. Wine should be consumed by healthy adults only in moderation.
2. Wine should be consumed as part of social, family, celebratory or other occasions, but not as their central focus.
3. Wine is best consumed with food or around mealtime.
4. Society as a whole and families should accept the responsibility for teaching all people, include the young, about sensible wine drinking, because education helps prevent alcohol abuse.
5. Moderate, non-disruptive drinking is socially acceptable while excessive drinking and any resulting behavior that violates legal or social standards are unacceptable.
6. Parents who drink should drink sensibly, presenting themselves as examples of moderation.
7. Wine drinking should follow clear, consistent and sensible customs that emphasize moderate and discourage binge drinking.
8. The choice of abstinence for any religious, health or personal reasons must be respected.
9. Wine drinkers should know the difference between moderate use and abuse, and drinking must be avoided in situations where it puts the individual or others at risk.
10. Wine should be consumed slowly to enhance the taste of food and to add to the enjoyment of everyday living.

Hands of a handcraft producer of Lodi grown wines.

Finally, the following is an unofficial addendum to the Oldways guidelines that I composed back in the mid-1990s and had published in one of our hospitality industry magazines, specifically for readers working in the restaurant industry:

• We need to sell wine as something that goes with food and celebrates the occasion, not as something valued for its intoxicating benefits.
• We should aggressively promote wine dinners that highlight the art of matching wine and food, not just the art of wine itself.
• When we hold wine tastings—events that show wine outside the context of food—we should only do so in controlled, education oriented settings.
• We should place food matching on an equal footing with the actual taste of wine during our staff training sessions.
• We should include chefs (especially the youngest most impressionable members of our kitchen staffs) in our wine training classes; better yet, hold regularly scheduled wine classes just for them, touching upon the value of wines that enhance the quality of their cooking.
• Restaurants should establish a stong, pervasive wine-and-food culture not only in dining rooms, but also in their public relations, advertising, promotional and community activities; not just for the sake of selling wine, but also for the cultural fulfillment it brings to the dining experience.
• Let the culture of increasingly good quality wine and food, along with knowledgeable service, drive our sales and profits.

Visiting sommeliers experiencing the wines and hospitality of Lodi.

Warren G. Harding once said you should “never do an immoral thing for moral reasons.” To me, neo-prohibitionism is less than moral because 1) it threatens my livelihood, and 2) wine has a tremendously positive impact on our lives. 

Championing the proper consumption of wine serves not only serves a moral purpose, it is the safest means of countering both alcohol abuse and the dangerous consequences of prohibitionism. Anyone who says wine is “bad” only ends up contributing to the consumption of wine for all the wrong reasons. There are far too many right ones.

The more we aggressively and conscientiously attend to these goals, the faster we effect our society’s appreciation of wine’s original, long-standing, practical, aesthetically pleasing and, yes, health related and civilizing benefits, far outweighing the negative factors.

Lodi industry professionals meeting to sip and celebrate wines of their own and wines from around the world.