Sipping Through the Noise
Can we put a cork on the no-alcohol-ever movement?
Wanda Mann. Wine writer or menace to society?
During those not-so-long-ago days of social distancing, I hosted a series of Instagram Live chats with winemakers around the world from the cocoon of my Manhattan living room. Inevitably, the loud soundtrack of the city streets—sirens, music, or just New Yorkers being New Yorkers, would disrupt the chat. Initially, I would stress about it, but I soon accepted that those unexpected sounds were an authentic part of city life. But lately, there’s a different kind of noise that’s harshing my mellow, a noise that I can’t accept -- an increasingly vocal and puritanical anti-alcohol movement.
Consuming wine is a choice, and yes, that choice, like so many of life’s pleasures, comes with some risk. However, focusing only on the risk without placing wine within its historical, social, and culinary context seems intentionally misleading. Wine has been a part of the human experience for some 8,000 years; it is food, a sacrament, art, science, agriculture, and so much more. Yes, alcohol can be abused, but so can sugar and sunshine. I choose to drink moderately; until recently, science seems to have supported that stance. I’m no scientist, but the no-alcohol-ever studies carry a whiff of self-righteousness drenched in statistics.
I didn’t become a wine writer to lead people on a road to perdition. Wine has taken me far beyond my humble block in New York and connected me to beautiful places and people. It has been a continuing source of education and joy. If you’re reading this newsletter, I’m probably preaching to the choir with this missive, but I wanted to make my stance clear: Unlike riding the subway in the wee hours of the night, when it comes to wine, I accept the risk.
P.S. Several other writers I know have penned compelling pieces on this topic. Here are a few I recommend. Cheers!
Should You Change Your Wine Consumption? by Eric Asimov, The New York Times
Saying bye to dry. by Andrea Strong, The Strong Buzz
The New Prohibition, Part 1 and The New Prohibition, Part 2, by Dave McIntyre, Dave McIntyre's WineLine
Would You Prefer Your January Dry, Damp, or Wet? We Have Thoughts, by Ray Isle. Food & Wine
As a fellow traveler on the road to perdition, I'm having trouble pinpointing where all the anti-alcohol noise is coming from. During Prohibition the first time around, the temperance movement had a religious basis (I believe thus and such, therefore you're not allowed to do anything that conflicts with my beliefs). It was an attempt to turn the population into de facto converts. This time, I'm not so sure. We may not agree with the Surgeon General, but he has a legitimate platform (theoretically safeguarding the health of Americans). But why would anyone else care?
Amen…and speaking of….my Lord and Savior’s first miracle was all about a wedding feast that turned boring and dull because…why…the host ran out of wine…..xo