Government statistics released last week showed that U.S. wine consumption hit a 90-year low in 2024, validating what we all knew: Wine sales in the last year dipped steeply.

There are several reasons for this, including scary statements from several "health" organizations alleging that even a sip of wine causes problems. This has been undercut by medical science, which indicates benefits from moderate consumption.

But accusing wine seems to infect more U.S. consumers than do scientific papers. I defer to Dr. R. Curtis Ellison, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine since 1989.

Ellison says that one glass of wine per day may increase breast cancer very slightly, but that is offset by a huge decrease in heart disease, the No. 1 killer of Americans.

Although the wine industry would like to tell Americans the other side of the story about the health benefits of moderate consumption, Congress prohibits it. It was in 1988 that Congress required all alcoholic beverages to have warning labels on them.

In addition, the industry was strictly prohibited from making any statement at all that implied that moderate use of wine could benefit people. The penalties were severe.

It was just about the same time (1990) that Robert Mondavi wrote a "mission statement" that was released at the time that Copia, "The American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts," was being built in Napa.

A year later, the government denied Copia's plan to use it's "mission statement" because it implied that wine in moderation was healthful. However, the government warning label could stay.

The Copia statement eventually was forced to remove the word "healthful," to read:

"At Robert Mondavi, we view wine as an integral part of our culture, heritage, and the gracious way of life. We believe wine is the temperate, civilized, sacred, romantic mealtime beverage. Wine has been praised for centuries by statesmen, philosophers, poets and scholars. Wine has been with us since civilization began and will be with us indefinitely."

Meanwhile, the following list contains names of wine, people, and the ages at which they died:

Napa winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff, 92; UC Davis viticulture professor Harold Olmo, 97; Sonoma County winemaker Louis Foppiano, 101; British wine author Andre Simon, 92; British wine collector/author/Bordeaux chateau manager Harry Waugh, 97; Mendocino winegrower Charlie Barra, 92; Modesto winery owner Ernest Gallo, 97; Napa winery owner Robert Mondavi, 94; Los Angeles Times wine columnist/wine merchant Robert Lawrence Balzer, 991/2; Mendocino winemaker John Parducci, 96; British wine critic/auctioneer/author J. Michael Broadbent, 92; winemaker Brother Timothy Diener (The Christian Brothers), 94; pioneer Sonoma County grape grower Louis Pagani, 98; Portugal winemaker Baron Bodo von Bruemmer, 105; Napa winemaker Mike Grgich, 100; winemaker Warren Winiarski, 94; Dorothy Tchelistcheff (widow of Andre), 99; Freixenet Chairman Josep Ferrer Sala, 99; winery owner Maddalena Riboli, 101; Peter M.F. Sichel, Blue Nun founder and owner of Chateau Fourcas-Hosten, 102.

The key words to remember in all of the health statements about wine are daily and moderation.

Wine of the Week: 2023 Rodney Strong Rose of Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ($22) — A citrus/guava and cantaloupe melon aromatic is appealing, and the wine has a subtle taste of tropical fruit. It is dry, but not austere. Only 12.5% alcohol. Occasionally seen for less than $20. Good value.

Dan Berger lives in Sonoma County, California, where he publishes "Vintage Experiences," a weekly wine newsletter. Write to him at winenut@gmail.com. To find out more about Dan Berger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Usman Yousaf at Unsplash