12°5: Grapes and Men - Issue 5

12°5 is the magazine of living wines, which introduces you in each issue to wines closest to nature and their committed creators for responsible viticulture. TOUGH TIMES FOR THE WINE WORLD! EDITORIAL OF 12°5 #5 In less than six months, winemakers have learned that the result of their work is just another alcohol, that the French drink too much, and that health authorities recommend a maximum of two glasses per day, plus two days of abstinence per week. It all began in February 2018 on France 2 in a debate show with the theme: "Alcohol, a French taboo?" Invited to the set after the broadcast of the TV movie "La Soif de vivre" (Lorenzo Gabriele, 2016), Agnès Buzyn, Minister of Solidarity and Health, made these statements: "Today, the wine industry leads to believe that wine is a different alcohol from others, but in terms of public health, it is exactly the same to drink wine, beer, vodka, or whisky, there is no difference. So, we make the French population believe that wine is protective, brings benefits that other alcohols do not, which is false. So scientifically, wine is just another alcohol." At that moment, we thought of all the winegrowers we have highlighted in our magazine since its launch in September 2016. Ladies and gentlemen Aubéry, Courant, Zernott, Joly, Arena, Landron, Bain, Baudouin, Monnier, Chappaz, Pacalet, Fhal, Alibrand, Grussaute, know that you are naughty wine industrialists and your alcohol is bad for health. Oh yes, because I forgot to mention that the Minister, a few minutes earlier, had said: "Moderation is a bad word. Today, the real public health message would be: alcohol is bad for health." Stop stigmatizing those who produce and those who drink, Minister. You confuse wine with strong alcohol, excessive consumption, binge drinking, and moderate consumption or pleasure consumption, and you insinuate, without providing evidence, that "scientifically, wine is just another alcohol." Are you challenging all the studies conducted in recent decades? Those that show here that red wine protects certain brain cells responsible for memory loss, and there that moderate consumption - one glass per day - of wine is beneficial for cardiovascular health. We understand that you advocate for a hygienist society. In that case, why didn't you lobby your fellow MPs to be present in large numbers during the vote on May 28, 2018, for a glyphosate exit by 2021? There were only 85 of them in the hemicycle, and 63 MPs voted against. So, to summarize, alcohol is harmful to health even in moderation, but not glyphosate! Philippe Toinard, Editor-in-Chief of 12°5.