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The biggest drawbacks of drinking wine come from drinking too much of it.
How much is too much depends on who you ask, since guidelines for low-risk alcohol consumption vary between countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends no more than two standard drinks a day, five days a week.
Many individual countries, including the US, recommend limiting alcohol to less than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women. Some countries’ upper limits are even less than that.
A standard drink is defined as a 5-ounce (148-ml) glass of 12% alcohol wine.
Note that a lot of “big” reds, such as those from California, are often higher in alcohol, in the range of 13–15% by volume.
The health benefits of red wine can easily be negated by drinking too much. In excess amounts, it can cause organ damage, dependency and brain damage.
Drinking too much may also increase your risk of contracting infectious diseases, because it may weaken your immune system.
Furthermore, drinking alcohol seems to raise the risk of developing multiple types of cancer.
These serious risks are the main reasons health experts urge people not to start drinking for the sake of health. *
