Health, International Wine Academy’s Appeal to the UN

The International Wine Academy has launched an appeal to heads of state and government gathered in New York for the 80th United Nations General Assembly. The invitation is not to reduce wine to a simple health risk, but to recognize its cultural and social value. Among the signatories are numerous Italian names, alongside authoritative voices from other countries.

“Wine—the document reads—is at the heart of this reflection. Too often it is reduced to an alcohol molecule. Too hastily it is accused of being a drug. But too rarely do we reflect on what it embodies. Coming from twenty different countries, the members of the International Wine Academy wish to warn you against the danger of reducing wine to a simple health risk, thus forgetting its cultural, social, and human dimension. This is what is at stake.”

And further: “A recent report by NASEM (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine of the United States) concludes that ‘compared to no alcohol consumption, moderate consumption is associated with lower all-cause mortality.’ We take no scientific position, but, like many experts, we consider it regrettable that there is no true large-scale randomized study which, alone, would allow a judgment to be based on certified data and not on mere observations, insufficient in the face of the demand for scientific rigor.”

There are seven Italian signatures in the appeal. Donatella Cinelli Colombini, with Fattoria del Colle in Tuscany, reaffirms the role of women in wine. From Langhe come Angelo Gaja, symbol of Italian excellence, and Pietro Ratti, heir to the Renato Ratti winery.

From Sicily, Alberto Graci, interpreter of the Etna terroir, and Salvatore Geraci, founder of the Palari estate, have joined. In Alto Adige, Alois Clemens Lageder stands out with Vigneti Alois Lageder, a pioneer of biodynamics. Closing the Italian group is Maurizio Zanella with Ca’ del Bosco in Franciacorta, among the benchmark wineries for Italian sparkling wines.

Alongside the Italian producers, the document includes participation from major international estates. From France, signatories include Bruno Eugène Borie of Château Ducru Beaucaillou, Jean-Philippe Delmas of Château Haut Brion, Dominique Lafon of Domaine des Comtes Lafon, and Véronique Sanders of Château Haut Bailly.

Spain is represented by Juan José Abó de Juan of Abadía Retuerta, Álvaro Palacios, and Maria José Lopez de Heredia, while from the United States, Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards, Michael Silacci of Opus One, and Joshua Bergström of Bergstrom Wines have joined.

From Germany, Reinhard Löwenstein of Domaine Heymann-Löwenstein and Carl von Schubert of Weingut Maximin Grunhaus are notable. Among other signatories are also prominent names from Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Greece, Argentina, and Lebanon.

The appeal acknowledges the risks associated with abuse and reaffirms the importance of protecting the most vulnerable. At the same time, it calls for promoting education on responsible consumption, rather than prohibitionist policies.

According to the signatories, moderation must become an integral part of wine culture, in a path that unites public health, respect for traditions, and enhancement of the world’s winemaking heritage.

Founded in 1971, the International Wine Academy is a collegial and responsible forum for reflection, which brings together about a hundred members from some twenty different nationalities. Through its work, the International Wine Academy aims to contribute to the improvement of viticulture and winemaking methods, in an approach that respects nature and is oriented toward increasingly high quality standards.

The International Wine Academy conducts its reflections and debates in the most rigorous independence from governmental institutions, regulatory authorities, and private influences. It primarily brings together producers, scientists, sommeliers, and journalists. Members are admitted by co-option and share a common ethic: producing terroir wines, linked to their land, crafted in respect of local traditions and customs, with the goal of quality and sustainability, the fruit of a long history and ancient traditions.

Climate change, biodiversity, regenerative viticulture, carbon management, the evolution of methods and dosages of phytosanitary treatments. And further: consumption habits, as well as the enrichment and preservation of soils. These are some of the topics regularly discussed within the International Wine Academy.