Buy This Book Then Give 100 Copies Away

A simple retort to the crazies saying there is "no safe level" of wine consumption

Everyone in the wine industry has heard the claims being made by the neo-Prohibitionists about the damage done to society by alcohol and wine understands the power of those accusations. Whether it’s the vague cancer claims or the absurd notion that there is “no safe level” of alcohol consumption, the frustration with this attack on wine and alcohol is significant.

There is a desire a desire to push back. But there is no pushback. The reason is fear.

Fear of being sued for damages after claiming wine isn’t dangerous. And the fear of a suit against a class of wineries over some sort of injury claimed by the class victims that can be traced to a group or organization of wineries. Vintners too are afraid of the weight of the Feds coming down on them for making “health claims”. Wholesalers and retailers are afraid of lawsuits. Trade associations are afraid of class action suits.

The fear is paralyzing and the fear is leaving many of the current wildly absurd accusations aimed at alcohol and wine unanswered.

Until the industry figures out a way to do some serious pushback against these neo-prohibitionist claims (and don’t believe for a second that many of the more dubious claims aren’t being made in the service of a desire to severely restrict access to wine and alcohol) I recommend this World of Fine Wine book review…

”A Thoroughly Researched Volume to Square Up to the Neo-Temperance Lobby”…

…of this title by health journalist Tony Edwards:

The Very Good News About Wine: Authoritative health evidence the health authorities don't tell you

Published last December, the book is a detailed critique and review of the various claims made by neo-Prohibitionists about wine and its impact on health. A health researcher and journalist, Edwards provides a concise recitation of many of the claims being made about wine and alcohol and provides rebuttal after rebuttal. It is one of the best weapons currently available to those in the industry who want to arm themselves with knowledge.

What can vintners, wholesalers, and retailers do with this book?

1. Vintners can carry it in their tasting rooms and on their websites. They can send it to their customers. They can send copies to journalists.

2. Wholesalers can give copies to their employees. They can give copies to others in their orbit.

3. Retailers can sell the books. They can send it to their customers.

4. Trade associations can send a copy to each of their members, to members of the media, to industry attorneys, and to alcohol regulators around the country or in their state.

And those of you reading this article, I highly recommend you click the link above and buy the book for yourself. It is well worth your time to read and internalize many of the astute answers to the various claims being made by the anti-alcohol brigade.

There is a move afoot by the neo-Prohibitionists in this country and around the globe to convince every single policymaking body to curtail access to wine, restrict wine promotion and advertising, and to tax wine and alcohol so high as to cause folks to forgo the beverage from something else. Part of this effort explains the remarkable popularity of “Dry January”. It also helps explain why younger drinkers so much more than their older peers believe wine and alcohol at nearly any level is bad for your health. And all of this helps explain the downward trajectory of wine sales in the U.S.

If you don’t think this is true, you just haven’t been paying attention.

Certainly, a response is necessary. The first response really must be understanding what those who would like to see the wine industry crippled are saying, what of it is true, what of it is false, and what of it is misleading. This book provides those answers.