prohibition ahead?

[Ken Gargett]

this is a little concerning.

European Union Lurches Towards Prohibition

A crunch meeting of the European Parliament could cast the terrible shadow of temperance across Europe.

W. Blake Gray·Saturday, 12-Feb-2022

  

 

© Getty Images | Prohibition in the US sparked a wave of "booze tourism" to Europe – will it come full circle?

A century ago, Europeans scoffed at silly Americans for making wine illegal.

Alcohol tourism from the US soared; most Americans went on drinking holidays to nearby party spots like the Caribbean and Mexico, but the easy availability of wine and cocktails was a major selling point of a visit to gay Paris.

At issue is a report adopted in December from the Parliament's Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) that recommends treating alcohol like tobacco. Most dangerous, long-term, is that the report says there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. If lawmakers accept that as a fact, then they are duty-bound to reduce or eliminate alcohol as much as possible.Wine is not going to be outlawed by the European Parliament next week. But the continent is marching toward Prohibition, and it's very possible the European Parliament will issue regulations after its February 14 meeting that will damage the wine industry worldwide.

Short-term, the most visible thing that could happen would be a cancer warning on wine bottles, similar to those on cigarette cartons. If you're reading this, you're a wine lover; a huge "This 1er Cru causes cancer" label isn't going to be a deterrent. It may give younger drinkers pause, but until the EU legalizes cannabis people are going to keep drinking because human beings like being intoxicated.

A far more dangerous potential outcome for the wine world is if the EU ends its wine marketing programs. The BECA report specifically mentions ending alcohol sponsorship of sporting events. As we prepare this weekend to watch 3.5 hours of light beer and gambling ads occasionally interrupted by the Super Bowl, it's hard to whine about this.

A slippery slope

But don't expect a Prohibitionist movement to stop there. Once you take the extremist position that no level of alcohol consumption is safe, why put government money into marketing it? The best we can hope for is that the EU takes a cynical view like the US does of its tobacco products: severely restricting marketing at home while supporting exports.

I'm not sure how many wine lovers realize how many wine events are at least partially subsidized by EU money.

As a wine journalist, I'm acutely aware of it, and I'm going to invite some brickbats here by explaining why. You may wonder, when you read a story about the great wines a writer tasted in Rias Baixas or Tuscany or Santorini, how did that writer get there? Much of the time it's on a press trip partially paid for by the EU to promote its products. Writers, sommeliers, retail wine buyers and social media influencers get flown over to Europe to taste the wines and enjoy the ambience. We don't like to admit it publicly like this.

I led with the trips in the interest of full disclosure. These junkets are not the only marketing efforts that could come to an end. Consumer tastings in the US. and other countries are often sponsored by the EU. Wine dinners are sponsored. Consumers will miss these if they're gone.

The impact of these wine marketing programs goes well beyond tasting some Touriga Nacional at an event. They are partly responsible for the vibrant wine scene we have worldwide. It's hard for countries like Greece and Portugal to get attention for their wines. Most wineries must export to make money, but small wineries don't have the resources to drum up interest.

The reason an interesting Assyrtiko or Arinto gets onto the wine list at your local bistro might be because the sommelier visited, or went to an EU-sponsored trade fair in the US. Maybe you order it because you read something about Assyrtiko. Without advocates, both wine buyers and TikTok influencers, the next Vin Jaune or Bierzo might remain undiscovered. That might be nice for local drinkers but local trade may not be enough to keep the wineries in business.

Keep in mind that if the European Parliament passes the BECA report, helping to keep wineries in business will no longer be its concern.

If EU marketing efforts are diminished, this is a great boon to the big wineries that can afford marketing programs. Wealthy regions can too; Bordeaux or Rioja could pull together enough funds, but Alentejo or Rueda likely cannot. EU wine marketing programs expose both consumers and the wine trade to wines they wouldn't otherwise taste. That's a factor behind the exciting diversity of wine we have today. We'll miss it if it's gone.

By the numbers

I'm not going to spend a lot of space here arguing with the BECA report's main point. Epidemiologically, one can argue that any level of alcohol consumption is dangerous because a certain percentage of drinkers will become alcoholics, to everyone's detriment. Alcoholism is the main driver of health dangers for wine. If you have a population of 100 wine drinkers and five become alcoholics, then there's a 5 percent risk that an epidemiologist must account for; those five alcoholics will cost taxpayers on a continent with public health-care systems. (To be clear, I do not know the actual percentage risk of alcoholism, but it is not zero.) Junk food might be more dangerous than alcohol overall but the risks of it are harder to show. You can't take a population of 100 junk food eaters and say five of them will have to be directly treated for eating too many potato chips.

But for individuals, it's different. Of the 95 people in my hypothetical group who do NOT become alcoholics, the health risks from alcohol are much lower; not non-existent, but much lower. It is in averaging the risk of health problems for alcoholics that everyone's percentage of risk becomes higher. The EU will never know which five out of 100 21-year-olds will become alcoholics, so BECA is proposing limiting alcohol access for all 100.

Just last month we ran a story about a major study of UK residents that showed that people who don't drink alcohol at all were more likely to get Covid-19 than people who do. The reason was probably not the absence of alcohol in their system, but a variety of cultural factors that lead them to not drinking. The point, though, is that public health moves regarding alcohol are complicated, and hopefully the European Parliament will not try to oversimplify them.

Wine is an important part of the cultural heritage of many key EU members. It's an important part of civilized life in Europe. We're not talking about espresso martinis here. Wine production supports whole rural communities. Wine consumption helps keep restaurants in business. There are economic benefits as well as lifestyle benefits from wine.

I hope the European Parliament recognizes this and puts the brakes on the most extreme parts of the BECA report. But if not, you know who's going to benefit? The US, from all the wine tourism dollars we're going to get from European drinking tourists, like the hip Americans in Paris in the 1920s.

It took a century but we may have come full circle.

[NSXCIGAR]

I think they should run a free showing of the movie The Untouchables for an idea of how that would work out. 

[Ken Gargett]

3 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

I think they should run a free showing of the movie The Untouchables for an idea of how that would work out. 

sadly, if we take that track, there are way more movies showing depressing effects from alcoholism. 

one of my mates simply said that now he understands the reason for brexit! 

[NSXCIGAR]

2 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

sadly, if we take that track, there are way more movies showing depressing effects from alcoholism.

That presupposes prohibition reduces problem drinking which is still widely debated among experts and historians. Drug prohibition certainly didn't reduce problem drug use. 

Even if it was marginally effective in reducing problem drinking the unintended consequences of a large industrialized western nation banning alcohol and actually trying to enforce it would be devastating. 

[Chas.Alpha]

9 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

sadly, if we take that track, there are way more movies showing depressing effects from alcoholism. 

one of my mates simply said that now he understands the reason for brexit! 

Other than you getting owly with me from time to time, I can see no good reason not to drink to access at every possible opportunity...

[Ken Gargett]

3 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

That presupposes prohibition reduces problem drinking which is still widely debated among experts and historians. Drug prohibition certainly didn't reduce problem drug use. 

Even if it was marginally effective in reducing problem drinking the unintended consequences of a large industrialized western nation banning alcohol and actually trying to enforce it would be devastating. 

no, you misunderstand my comment. it was simply in response to yours re the untouchables. if we go down the movie route, those who support prohibition would have more ammunition (not sure animal house et al would turn the tide). i am the absolute last person to believe in prohibition. 

as a mate who is a doctor also said, next we'll have - 

obesity

Junk food

Meat

Staying up late

Unprotected sex

Sex with more than one person

Ever…

Working too much

Working too little

Not working

Working…

Any form of stress

 

All have valid science to show harm in even small doses

[Chas.Alpha]

17 minutes ago, Chas.Alpha said:

Other than you getting owly with me from time to time, I can see no good reason not to drink to access at every possible opportunity...

Just to clarify; I was talking about me, not Ken...🥂

[Chibearsv]

I swear these power crazed politicians with the never ending rule making (designed to save us all) are going to make me start drinking again. Aside from pitchforks and torches and storming the castle, how else can we tolerate the nonsense they continually legislate?  There should be law that doesn’t allow any new law making for 10 year spans and let these knobs figure out how to survive in the workforce like the rest of us. 

[Ken Gargett]

3 minutes ago, Chas.Alpha said:

Just to clarify; I was talking about me, not Ken...🥂

no problem. i thought it suited me as well. 

[Chas.Alpha]

Just now, Ken Gargett said:

no problem. i thought it suited me as well. 

Yeah, I’ve seen you owly before. Almost made me quit the forum, until I grew a pair! 🤣

[Ken Gargett]

Just now, Chas.Alpha said:

Yeah, I’ve seen you owly before. Almost made me quit the forum, until I grew a pair! 🤣

not the first time i have heard that. i think rob secretly uses me as a gatekeeper. 

[Chas.Alpha]

6 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

not the first time i have heard that. i think rob secretly uses me as a gatekeeper. 

I don’t believe it should be any other way.

[Kaptain Karl]

Maybe sober Europeans won’t rely on Americans for their own defense? 😆

[Chas.Alpha]

16 minutes ago, Kaptain Karl said:

Maybe sober Europeans won’t rely on Americans for their own defense? 😆

I’m still waiting for your review of the ‘18 Punch DC, KARL! 😡

😀

[Greenhorn2]

Don't worry about prohibition,  it doesn't work.  The US tried that already. As soon as your politicians figure out how to steal enough taxpayer money and buy up the alcohol industry,  you'll be just fine. 

[El Presidente]

This one is so easy. 

Take the protest to the streets. Pelt their taxpayer cars with eggs/bricks daily. The majority drink. 

The Liquor industry is a big industry. Turn their guns on politicians and beuraucrats supporting this nonsence.. They have more than enough money to pay for private investigators to dig up the dirt on all these goody two shoes. Reveal the kiddyfiddlers, the goat screwing coke snorting, hamster tapers.  Reveal their non payment of taxes, failure to pay child support, hotel and lunch liquor bills. The Media will be happy accomplices as they receive a huge amount of liquor advertising dollars.  

Destroy them individually. Make life so miserable  for these peahearts and their families that they are reduced to booking into an asylum spending day after day lying in a fetal positon.

 

[NSXCIGAR]

7 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

if we go down the movie route, those who support prohibition would have more ammunition (not sure animal house et al would turn the tide). i am the absolute last person to believe in prohibition. 

Yes, I got you. My point was that we know prohibition leads to trouble while we don't know that it leads to, let's say, net positive societal outcomes. 

You can show movies like Leaving Las Vegas all you want. Solving that is fantasy--Untouchables is reality. 

 

6 hours ago, El Presidente said:

kiddyfiddlers

Winner--word of the week!

[Chas.Alpha]

12 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

This one is so easy. 

Take the protest to the streets. Pelt their taxpayer cars with eggs/bricks daily. The majority drink. 

The Liquor industry is a big industry. Turn their guns on politicians and beuraucrats supporting this nonsence.. They have more than enough money to pay for private investigators to dig up the dirt on all these goody two shoes. Reveal the kiddyfiddlers, the goat screwing coke snorting, hamster tapers.  Reveal their non payment of taxes, failure to pay child support, hotel and lunch liquor bills. The Media will be happy accomplices as they receive a huge amount of liquor advertising dollars.  

Destroy them individually. Make life so miserable  for these peahearts and their families that they are reduced to booking into an asylum spending day after day lying in a fetal positon.

 

Wait a minute, who was talking about my hamsters? 😳

[Huckleberry]

4 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Yes, I got you. My point was that we know prohibition leads to trouble while we don't know that it leads to, let's say, net positive societal outcomes. 

You can show movies like Leaving Las Vegas all you want. Solving that is fantasy--Untouchables is reality. 

Leaving Las Vegas sort of always made me want to drink more, thinking Elizabeth Shue was waiting for me in the desert by the pool and all

This idea of extinguishing every possible negative outcome of a certain activity, that leads to any possibility of pain or harm or death, started with COVID.  We will suffer from such an outlook, on the risks that come with living life and making choices freely, for many years to come. 
 

 

[Ken Gargett]

6 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Winner--word of the week!

seriously? i used it and got suspended for a month. there is no justice. 

 

6 hours ago, El Presidente said:

This one is so easy. 

Take the protest to the streets. Pelt their taxpayer cars with eggs/bricks daily. The majority drink. 

The Liquor industry is a big industry. Turn their guns on politicians and beuraucrats supporting this nonsence.. They have more than enough money to pay for private investigators to dig up the dirt on all these goody two shoes. Reveal the kiddyfiddlers, the goat screwing coke snorting, hamster tapers.  Reveal their non payment of taxes, failure to pay child support, hotel and lunch liquor bills. The Media will be happy accomplices as they receive a huge amount of liquor advertising dollars.  

Destroy them individually. Make life so miserable  for these peahearts and their families that they are reduced to booking into an asylum spending day after day lying in a fetal positon.

 

not quite Gandhi but worth a go. 

[NSXCIGAR]

2 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

4 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Leaving Las Vegas sort of always made me want to drink more, thinking Elizabeth Shue was waiting for me in the desert by the pool and all

If 1995 Elisabeth Shue was waiting for me I would make sure I was stone cold sober. 

[djrey]

19 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

Aside from pitchforks and torches and storming the castle

You didn't hear? They are trying to ban those. But actually, most of Europe doesn't like pointy things. 

 

Many citizens continue to give the govt the power to elicit draconian laws like this. The people are reaping what they have sewn. It has been especially prevalent in the last year or so. Its for the common good after all, we should be thanking them. 

[BrightonCorgi]

France, Italy, and Portugal will fight to the end on this.

[BEVOSREVENGE]

It is almost like WWII never happened.  

Time has traded one form of fascism for another.   This version has cloaked itself under the guise of "good intentions".

Just join the Borg collective, resistance is futile.

[PigFish]

You cannot fight this without waging war on granular thinking. I just wrote a piece on it... and am deciding on whether to post it...

-the Pig