A little wine might be good for you but don’t advertise the fact

“Use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities,” St Paul advised his friend Timothy, who may have been a hypochondriac.

However, the apostle should keep his advice to himself, according to legal advice from the European Court of Justice.

A German wine-producing co-op took a leaf from the Bible and boasted that their wine was “wholesome, easily digestible” — just the sort of thing Timothy might have needed for his stomach ailments.

The growers of the Dornfleder and Pinot Gris grapes boast that their unique wines are very well suited to people “with an intolerance to acid”.

The producers specially treat their award winning “Edition Mild” to make it less acid and so that in their view it can be described as having “gentle acidity” and be “wholesome”.

The authorities in the German region of Rhineland-Palatinate warned the Deutsches Weintor co-operative that it could not use claims that wine could be good for you on the bottle labels.

If it were a food or a medicine, it might have got away with it, provided it could prove their claims scientifically according to the latest EU legislation.

However, once it contains more than 1.2% alcohol, the normal rules no longer apply. Even if the beneficial effects are proven, they can not be used to sell alcohol.

“Given the dangers of addiction and abuse connected with the consumption of alcohol, the more far-reaching aim here is to avoid any positive health-related connotation which could generally encourage alcohol consumption”, said the court’s advocate general, Ján Mazák.

Wine, and red wine in particular, does contain antioxidants that may help prevent heart disease and cancer — and those from the more northern regions, such as the Rhineland, have higher levels of antioxidants than those from hotter regions.

Danish research suggests that moderate wine drinkers have fewer heart-related diseases and cancers than those who prefer other tipples.

But moderation is the watchword with doctors, and those who indulge a little too often and too much can end up with higher blood pressure, strokes and heart problems.

The final judgment of the court may differ, but in 80% of cases, however, the judges agree with the opinion of their senior lawyers.