The backdrop of this is the significant fall in wine consumption around the world which has created an oversupply. Pexels
In a world where reality is often stranger than fiction, the battle for the right to make and sell wine has a group of major European wine organisations launching a declaration against the WHO’s relatively recent (January 2023) stance that no amount of alcohol consumption is safe.
Wine professionals in Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic have visibly backed the campaign and the website is imploring others to join the fight as well.
As a result of investigative reporting by Felicity Carter, it has come to light since the WHO (World Health Organisation) bombshell that some of the policies were developed together with known anti-alcohol groups such as Movendi International, which started life as the Independent Order of Good Templars—an organisation which played a part in Prohibition in the US but changed its name once public opinion on Prohibition changed. But it’s not a simple story, as the EU’s Alcohol and Health Forum arguably brought this ire upon itself more than a decade ago, resulting in the 2015 resignation of numerous public health groups from the forum over concerns of interference from the alcohol producer lobbies.
But back to 2024. On the 1st October, Vitaevino was launched to combat the WHO’s stance and “defend wine culture and conviviality” as the website proudly states in a loud revolutionary font. It frames the situation as an existential threat, highlighting the
This Article was originally published on The Real Review
