The Political Tug-of-War The title of this post reflects the actions the Surgeon General is promoting. It's part of a long-term, well-thought-out, and well-funded campaign against consuming alcohol - any amount of alcohol. The campaign runs circles around anyone wanting to point out the other positive health science behind moderate consumption. But this report shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.  In a  September 2019 blog post titled "Get Ready For Cancer Warnings on Wine Labels," I discussed the developing impact of the Cumulative Negative Health Message spread by neo-prohibitionists. Even then, there was a growing push to add enhanced cancer warning labels. By now, you've undoubtedly heard the latest iteration of this skirmish, but if not, let me get you up to speed. On January 3rd, when many were resetting their circadian clocks back to work time after an extended holiday break, the outgoing Surgeon General released an advisory about alcohol consumpti

When it comes to the cork industry’s challenge to win the closures battle, one enormous boost has come in the findings of a Lifecycle Assessment study by Ernst & Young, which shows as scientific fact how cork stoppers can reduce by a quarter the total carbon footprint of an average bottle of still table wine and by almost half that of a bottle of sparkling wine.  Mike Turner talks to world-leading cork supplier Amorim, which commissioned the study, and suggests that for an industry that has often been forced into owning a narrative, the carbon footprint argument sits neatly with an already impressive record of sustainability and biodiversity.  By Mike TurnerApril 29, 2020 “Amorim has always advocated that science can highlight the problem as well as the solutions, whether that realm is TCA taints or carbon emissions,” writes Turner. For the last 30 years, the cork industry has been under attack. Wine producers that didn’t have easy geograph