Current scientific assessments suggest that greater nuance is needed in the debate on alcohol. According to the evidence, it is not only the amount consumed that matters, but also drinking patterns, age and lifestyle. Lenz Maria Moser, Chief Winemaker of Château Changyu Moser XV, therefore advocates a conscious approach to wine: enjoyment, yes – excess, no.
Vienna, August 2026. No amount of alcohol is entirely risk-free. But does that necessarily mean that complete abstinence is the only sensible recommendation for all adults? A recent scientific assessment by German preventive medicine specialist Dr Johannes Scholl reaches a more nuanced conclusion. In his 2026 publication Debate Handbook: Wine & Health – Arguments against “Abstinence for everyone”, the specialist in internal medicine, nutritional medicine and sports medicine reviews numerous international studies and systematic reviews, arguing against blanket recommendations that apply irrespective of age, individual risk factors, lifestyle and drinking patterns.
For Lenz Maria Moser, a passionate winemaker and long-standing advocate of a responsible drinking culture, precisely this distinction is crucial. “We finally need to start talking about alcohol sensibly. Excess is always wrong – there is absolutely no debate about that. But between excessive drinking and complete abstinence lies a broad spectrum where enjoyment, moderation and, above all, discipline matter,” says the Chief Winemaker of China’s Château Changyu Moser XV.
Taking a differentiated view of moderate consumption
Among the key scientific sources cited by Dr Scholl is the 2025 systematic review Review of Evidence on Alcohol and Health by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). The review found that, compared with lifelong abstinence, moderate alcohol consumption was statistically associated with 16 percent lower all-cause mortality and 18 percent lower cardiovascular mortality. The authors describe these findings as associations – not as proof that alcohol causes these effects.
At the same time, the scientific assessment does not ignore potential risks. The NASEM review, for example, points to an increased risk of breast cancer among women who consume alcohol moderately. Scholl’s central conclusion is therefore not that alcohol is risk-free or should generally be recommended. Rather, he argues that the existence of individual risks does not automatically justify calling for abstinence across the entire population.
“Wine should never be a product for mindless consumption,” says Moser. “For me, a good glass of wine belongs at the table, with food and in good company.” He adds: “But genuine enjoyment only works if you also know when enough is enough. This is exactly the culture that we in the wine industry need to promote much more strongly. Personally, for example, I only drink wine or alcohol every other day – and I have been doing so for 20 years. It works well for me.”
It’s not just how much you drink, but how you drink
Drinking patterns also play an important role in the research compiled by Scholl. Moderate consumption with meals and spread throughout the week is assessed differently in scientific research from consuming the same or a greater amount of alcohol within a short period of time. Binge drinking and drinking to intoxication are explicitly classified as harmful to health.
Of particular interest to the wine debate is a 2025 study published in the European Heart Journal drawing on data from the PREDIMED project. Rather than relying solely on self-reported consumption, the researchers also assessed wine intake using tartaric acid in urine as a biomarker. Moderate wine consumption as part of a Mediterranean diet was associated with more favourable cardiometabolic markers and a lower risk of heart attack and stroke. At the same time, the authors emphasise that wine cannot be considered in isolation from a person’s overall lifestyle.
For Moser, this is precisely where the wine industry’s responsibility lies: “Our message cannot be: Drink more. It has to be: Drink better! Better to enjoy one good glass consciously than to consume alcohol mindlessly. Getting drunk? No. Enjoyment and discipline? Absolutely!”
The central message, therefore, is neither to downplay the risks nor to advocate prohibition, but to promote a responsible approach to alcohol.
Source: Dr Johannes Scholl, Debate Handbook: Wine & Health – Arguments against “Abstinence for everyone”, 2026; including references to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Review of Evidence on Alcohol and Health, 2025, and Domínguez-López et al., European Heart Journal, 2025.