Wine is Bad for You? Yes, But So is Everything Else

For anyone who loves wine, it was quite a gut punch to hear the pronouncement that all alcohol consumption is now proven harmful for health. 

This news hurts because there’s no wiggle room for moderate consumption and no exemption for red wine’s heart benefits. Nope, all drinking is bad. 

The certainty and finality is demoralizing and disheartening. Part of the allure of wine culture is joining its elegant and erudite community. We take serious the flavor complexity and aromatic notes, as well as appreciate how different vintages complement and elevate gastronomic experiences. 

Connoisseurs don’t abuse alcohol. But being a sophisticated oenophile is now no better than chugging kegs at a college dorm or getting drunk on a street corner.

Wine was supposed to be the vice with a heart of gold. It was meant to be, more or less, harmless. Now, I feel like I’ve been smoking the light cigarettes that tobacco companies used to promise had no effects on my lungs. 

But take comfort, fellow vino aficionados. Let’s put this all in perspective. There are lots of other things that could kill us. We all drive, right? According to statistics, you have a greater chance dying in a car accident than a plane crash. And riding a bike is even more risky than driving. Are you going to give it all up to walk everywhere? 

Animal fat is another hazard. Every bite of a steak, every crackling suckling pig, and every veal schnitzel is a dangerous thing to swallow. A recent health study by University of Michigan noted that each hot dog consumed reduces life expectancy by 36 minutes. Let’s not even get started on sugar. 

By the way, did you know too much oxygen is toxic too? 

Compared with the health metrics of a bag of crisp or a donut, I think I’d rather take my chances with a glass of Bordeaux. Ultimately, what’s life without a little risky living.

There is already some push back against the “all alcohol is bad” blanket statement. Some analysts argue that wine’s effect is actually neutral on people who consume it only with food and healthy folks without pre-existing medical conditions. If you’re predisposed to high blood pressure or autoimmune diseases, surely many other factors and not just alcohol, could aggravate the problem.

A Bill and Melinda Gates’ funded study in 2022 even proposed that older drinkers, aged 40 and above, stand to benefit most from wine’s cardiovascular benefits because they’re less likely to go on a drunken stupor. 

Personally, I am not advocating one stance over another. Wine consumption is a personal choice, as is eating foie gras or bacon double-cheeseburgers. 

What I do know is that wine has been made and enjoyed for millennia. There is evidence of alcohol in ancient China, Iran, Armenia and Georgia, from as early as 6,000BC. If wine was really harmful and dangerous, we would have stopped drinking it centuries ago. 

If you want reassurance, this beverage of wine was even enjoyed by Jesus. The Bible mentions him drinking and making wine (and I don’t just mean miraculously turning it from water). If it’s good enough for the Son of God, I think we’re okay with a carafe at our supper too. 

After all, what he said was, “Drink this, all of you, this is my blood.” He didn’t add for the Disciples, “But consume me only in moderation. Drinking me may also impair your ability to drive a vehicle or operate heavy machinery.”