Wine and Health Paradox

Filed in archive Wine News on November 27, 2006

I've written before about the idea that red wine has numerous reported health benefits. However, it never occurred to me that members of the wine industry might want to use this information as a way to promote wine. With the huge restrictions on alcohol, it seemed obvious to me that this just wasn't possible. But, who knows? Maybe we'll see labels on our favorite Pinot Noir proclaiming that it's good for you. Imagine....in the future, we might see bottles of Cabernet in the health food isle of your local grocery store.

Here's more on this idea from The Day.com:

In 1991, some aggressive wine makers sought to trumpet the health benefits of wine, but they were quickly shut down by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and firearms, which then regulated the industry at the federal level. Even the industry's trade organization, the Wine Institute, counseled against promoting wine as a health drink.

Mondavi, who at that time was involved in running his family business, the Robert Mondavi Corp., was one of those who chafed at the strictures.

"We actually resigned from the Wine Institute because we wanted to come out and say wine is healthy and good for you," Mondavi said.

"We put on a back label, that wine is healthy and recommended in the Bible," he added. "The BATF sent us a cease-and-desist-letter and made us change the label even though we went back to Washington and showed them the scientific evidence and read them the Bible passages."

The Wine Institute still advises its members not to promote wine as healthy, and these days there are fewer rebels. That is partly because of fear of litigation, and partly because of the vast consolidation that has transferred ownership of many wineries from family founders to corporate conglomerates.

At 93, Robert Mondavi may be a living testament to wine's effect on longevity, but the winery that bears his name is now owned by Constellation Brands, a publicly-traded company in Fairport, N.Y.

And Constellation is less inclined to tilt at windmills than the iconic Mondavi or his extended wine-making family. "The quantity of this substance you would have to ingest is so great, you could never drink that much red wine," said Michael Martin, Constellation's vice president for corporate communications.