The EI Podcast The civilising wonders of wine
May 5, 2026
A reflection on falling alcohol consumption and how it reshapes social life. A look at historical temperance and religious praise of wine. An argument that brewing helped forge cities, agriculture and sociability. A critique of smartphones, passive entertainment and new weight-loss drugs eroding shared convivial spaces. Concerns about cultural dullness, politics and changing intimacy.
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Personal Industry Snapshot Of Decline
- Jeffreys subscribes to a drinks industry mailing list that reports vineyards ripping up vines and industry pain.
- He mentions a wine writer denied hospital treatment for alcohol use and Diageo's plunging stock price.
Alcohol Is Being Medicalised Like Smoking
- Public health messaging increasingly treats alcohol like tobacco, claiming no safe level of consumption.
- Jeffreys notes WHO guidance, press repetition and proposals for cigarette-style bottle warnings in Ireland.
Wine As A Foundation Of Western Civilisation
- Alcohol is deeply entwined with Western civilisation and social institutions.
- Jeffreys cites biblical miracles, Proverbs, Jewish Purim and Dionysian traditions to show drink shaped ritual, law and cultural bonds.
