No alcohol takeover: a bastion of resistance

Alcohol negationism and dealing with alcohol fatigue

Prowein and no alcohol wines

Some time ago, wine and spirits producers gathered in the annual wine kermesse in Germany called Prowein. Wine and gastronomy journalist Nereo Pederzolli commented on Il Dolomiti (my all-time favorite newspaper, home of my beloved l’Altramontagna):

The world of wine is genuinely in turmoil. Tastes have changed, and companies are mobilising to bottle musts without alcohol for a "drink" with practically no connection with wine culture.

Wine-no-alcohol is a contradiction.

Because decaffeinated coffee or beer without alcohol content is understandable, the arabica “blonde, light or dark" maintains its flavour in its changed identity.

Wine without alcohol is, unfortunately, an indigestible concoction of banal fruit juice and a cloying and massive dose of sugar. It's a guaranteed diabetic drink.

Just think of wine proposals added with pineapple and other tropical fruit. Also available for tasting are some "gin-wines". This is to reiterate how everything is evolving. And ProWein has certified it.

I was amused by reading this piece, as it conveys the same feelings my friend and incredible writer and gastronomer

Albert Molins Renter

have towards non-alcoholic alternatives.

I like Nereo and Albert, two incredible gastronomic writers from two different territories. However, on the subject of alcohol, I vehemently - and lovingly - disagree with both.

Alcohol Fatigue

The equation is simple. The more I train, the less I drink. The more I move my body, the more this same body asks me not to drink alcohol.

I have always tried my best to listen to my body. I only eat when I am hungry and drink when I am thirsty. I do not indulge in mindless eating, but I give my body what it craves.

And more and more, my body asks me to avoid alcohol. I was at an event some time ago, and the host poured red, heavy wine into my glass. I did not touch it. I had a glass of the mild white wine served later in the afternoon, and I enjoyed it. But it was one glass, and the wine was a light, breezy Pinot Grigio from Foradori.

I am over any “manly-man wine”, as big, hearty red wines are sometimes called. But my happiness lies elsewhere.

In kombucha, actually. Even the slightly alcoholic one, whose alcohol content never goes beyond 5-5%, is more appealing than a wine.

Beer without alcohol is also a drink I started to appreciate: a bitter drink without sugars and alcohol. It's just a refreshing sip. I sometimes opt for it even if white wine is available.

And as the time progresses, I cannot be thankful enough with myself. I started my professional career working in a winery. I’d be unemployed by now, with my mounting unease around alcohol.

I am more than grateful that to be a gastronomer, one does not necessarily need to be a drinker. Alcohol, like restaurants, is just a tiny speckle of the incredible kaleidoscopic world of gastronomy. No matter what chefs and sommeliers may say, gastronomy is not () theirs to decide.

Alcohol Negationism is a Problem

The wine industry and sommeliers have a huge issue coming quickly, like a speed train, in their direction. I wrote about it. I even have a section completely dedicated to non-alcohol alternatives to traditional drinks on this blog. I am seriously concerned by the alcohol issue - the same as I am concerned by meat and cured meats, overfishing and heavy metals in fish.

I am aghast when I read:

Alcohol use is among the leading risk factors for premature mortality and disability because of its causal relationship with multiple health conditions, which also include non-intentional injuries and suicides.

If it is true that alcohol not only changes the gut environment but also modulates the composition of gut microbiota and is associated with the development of alcohol-associated diseases, it is also true that alcohol-induced intestinal inflammation may be at the root of multiple organ dysfunctions and chronic disorders associated with alcohol consumption, including chronic liver disease, neurological disease, GI cancers, and inflammatory bowel syndrome.

I spend hundreds of euros every week caring for my gut microbiota. I eat a healthy diet composed mainly of seasonal, locally sourced vegetables and fruits; I eat primarily cereals and vegetable proteins; I try to eat locally sourced, sustainable fish and not exceed with larger species - hosting more heavy metals.

I avoid industrial sodas, sweets, baked goods, and refined sugars other than bread, pasta, and rice.

I drink kombucha, eat buttermilk and yoghurt, and fermented beverages like kefir. I take supplements that are nice to my bowels, such as once per month, I take a week of Biocollabs drinks, and in the other weeks, I drink the marvellous Microbiome Complex by Lanserhof. I regularly take supplements by Bromatech to support my gut.

I spend more time, money, and effort in my gut than on frivolous things like hair, skin, and nails - so much so that I cut my hairdresser visits twice yearly just for a cut. I keep my nails filed in shorts, and my skin regime is simple: sunscreen and pure Moroccan Argan Oil (or similar).

But for the gut, I’d run a mile. And I do: I move more to massage my gut and use this beautiful body as it should be: a moving vessel for my dreams.

Increasingly, I stop in front of every bottle of wine that is being opened in front of me.

“Do I want to drink a glass"?” I ask myself. In most cases, the answer is “No”, but as it is such a socially reprehensible faux pas the act of refusing a glass, I oblige “Just one glass”.

I was recently out with a group. Two of the parties were wine producers, and one was a sommelier. Wine was at the table, and a lot of it.

Yet, I managed to drink less than a glass - nobody cares if you DRINK the wine, as everyone is much more interested in the POURING of said wine and its intellectual circle.

The best trick is to insist on having various glasses before you: I had three plus one Champagne glass. They were all taken away almost intact at the end of the meal, but I blended in as I twirled them in front of me, smelling them and taking one sip here and there from time to time.