Wine Isn’t the Problem—Disconnection Is

What the WHO’s war on alcohol gets wrong, and what Blue Zones, science, and wine culture can teach us about living well.

May 23, 2025

The Drinks Business reported on the World Health Organization’s renewed push for higher alcohol taxation. On paper, this policy is aimed at reducing preventable diseases. But in practice, it reinforces a troubling pattern: flattening centuries of cultural context and scientific nuance into a single narrative—“alcohol is bad.”

And once again, wine finds itself the scapegoat.

The WHO’s Absolutism Is a Public Messaging Crisis

The claim that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe” has been echoed repeatedly by the WHO. But as Jancis Robinson MW pointed out, this position disregards decades of nutritional and epidemiological studies that highlight not just the amount but the context of consumption.

Wine is not typically consumed in isolation or excess. It’s part of shared meals, community rituals, and sensory engagement. This is especially true in the world’s Blue Zones—longevity hotspots like Sardinia and Ikaria—where wine is a daily habit, not a health hazard. Dan Buettner, who studied these regions extensively, underscores that moderate wine consumption, paired with plant-based diets, physical activity, and social bonds, contributes to thriving—not decline.

The Science Paints a More Complex Picture

Wine is more than ethanol in a bottle. A 2011 AJEV study highlighted how wine's polyphenols—including resveratrol and flavonoids—play roles in cardiovascular support, inflammation modulation, and cellular health. The health effects of wine cannot be fully understood by isolating its alcohol content from the rest of its matrix.

So why is policy still stuck in binaries?

The Industry Is Already Struggling—This Doesn’t Help

As Wine Enthusiast recently reported, the wine industry is in a moment of reckoning. Climate stress, shifting demographics, and a decline in everyday consumption—especially among younger drinkers—have put traditional winemaking under strain.

Meanwhile, The Street warns of mounting inventories, economic fragility, and a growing disconnect between producers and consumers.

This is the moment to invite people back to wine—not penalize the entire industry for public health sins it didn’t create.

Tim Atkin MW Calls It One of Wine’s "Icebergs"

In his piece Wine’s Icebergs, Tim Atkin MW identifies the unseen risks threatening wine’s future: consolidation, debt, generational apathy. We can now add to that list: oversimplified public health narratives that throw tradition, pleasure, and responsible consumption under the bus.

So What Should Be on the Table?

If we’re serious about creating healthier societies, here’s where the real conversation should be happening:

Distinction, not demonization: All alcohol is not the same. Context matters. Wine, consumed mindfully, deserves a distinct policy approach.
Education over erasure: We need more transparency, less shame. Wine teaches pacing, pairing, and pleasure—not just inebriation.
Support for better producers: Encourage lower-ABV wines, regenerative practices, and clean labeling—not blanket punishment.
Ritual and reconnection: Wine can be a portal to presence—at the table, with others, with ourselves. That’s a public good, not a danger.

Final Sip

The real health crisis today isn’t wine. It’s disconnection—from land, from meals, from meaning. We don’t need more fear-based messaging. We need policies rooted in science, in empathy, and in the richness of human experience.