As one of his last moves before departing from his role, Surgeon General Dr. Murthy pushed for alcohol warning labels about cancer risks and more public education about alcohol dangers, revitalizing the topic of wine and health.
However, Wine Spectator editor Mitch Frank disagrees with this approach. He says the Surgeon General was ignoring wine’s benefits, pointing out that government health studies show moderate drinkers actually tend to live longer than non-drinkers.
Frank believes Murthy is part of a movement trying to paint all alcohol as dangerous by making broad, oversimplified claims. He says there has been “growing noise” for several years, pushing back on wine consumption for health reasons.
Wine And Health: A Topic In The Weeds
Frank notes there is “not a huge appetite in Congress” to demand cancer warnings on wine labels, meanwhile, Murthy is now out of office and unable to lobby for his proposals in an official role. According to Frank, politically, this topic is still in the weeds. So why does this still matter?
Frank believes the advisory is aimed more at public opinion than legislation, which can confuse wine consumers, who may have unclear impressions of wine’s impact on health. He says that consumers can be victims of the information cycle, left “questioning what to believe.”
Frank feels that prohibition-style rhetoric—backed by early or questionable research—positions wine as “the next tobacco” when it comes to health.
Wine And Health: The New Prohibition?
Seasoned wine writer Dave McIntyre says the current anti-alcohol movement, which in his recent coverage he dubs The New Prohibition, is trying to shift consumer messaging away from drinking responsibly to not drinking at all. “That shift aims to shame people out of the enjoyment and benefits of a cultural tradition dating back millennia,” notes McIntyre.
Frank says that wineries and wine brands have been historically hesitant to push messaging related to health benefits associated with wine consumption, so there wasn’t a unified voice from the people who grow and make the product.
There’s also marketing from recent entries into the beverage market, from prebiotic soda to cannabis-infused drinks, which has found a way to reach consumers during campaigns such as Dry January. But Frank says this “obscures the fact that wine is a farmed product,” one that has brought people together at the table for eons.
Mitch Frank, senior editor at Wine Spectator, says there is a growing messaging movement to dismiss any benefits of wine consumption.
Wine Spectator
Conflicting Studies On Wine And Health
Frank calls attention to a major scientific report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM)—released two weeks before Dr. Murthy’s advisory—which found that moderate drinking is linked to lower death rates compared to not drinking at all. This finding is expected to help shape U.S. dietary guidelines for 2025-2030.
Frank points out that the standard NASEM review of alcohol guidelines has now been joined by a second committee under HHS. He says this new group is different—instead of medical researchers or heart doctors, it’s made up of six substance abuse experts. Many have spent their careers studying alcoholism and alcohol policy, and some, according to Frank, work for organizations that receive funding from groups opposing drinking.
Consumers Need The Full Picture
Ricardo March, U.S. commercial director for Batasiolo Wines and co-founder of Bacan Guaro, a Colombian aguardiente (distilled spirit), has been in the beverage industry for over thirty years. He agrees with Mr. Frank’s opinion piece in Wine Spectator.
“First of all, the advisory was indeed one-sided and failed to address other studies that have been recently published by the scientific community, namely those that state drinking in moderation is not the death sentence Vivek Murthy makes it out to be,” says March. Research suggests moderate drinking may help reduce risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, gallstones and memory problems.
The scientific debate over alcohol’s risks and benefits remains ongoing. However, in March’s opinion, consumers must be able to take responsibility for their choices. He says that knowledge is key, so it’s even more important to understand the full picture and the source of information.
“That shift aims to shame people out of the enjoyment and benefits of a cultural tradition dating back millennia.”
The Power Of Wine And Health Messaging
“Without a doubt, if a warning is enacted, especially one as premature as this, it will hurt the industry as a whole,” says March.
There is evidence this could be true. According to the Silicon Valley Bank State of the Wine Industry Report 2025, there has been a slowing in wine consumption, conditions that reflect the last “consumer correction” in the late 80s to early 90s. According to the report’s author, Rob McMillian, overall alcohol consumption declined at that time due to successful anti-alcohol measures, such as the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act. This legislation raised the legal drinking age to 21, effectively reducing the number of potential consumers by millions.
This circles back to the power of wine and health messaging, the crux of the confusion for consumers according to Frank, McIntyre, March and other experts. McMillan puts it this way: “It’s been enlightening to watch the anti-alcohol battle plan, using marketing tools disguised as scientific studies, cherry-picking data, and changing the definition of health measurements.”
