Because wine contains alcohol and alcohol is a poison, it is wise to monitor personal wine consumption. Alcohol’s contribution to liver damage, dementia and accidents is well known. Less well known is that the incidence of cancer of the mouth and larynx,nerve and muscle wasting,blood disorders,strokes, raised blood pressure,skin infections,psoriasis and infertility increases with alcohol intake, and the babies of mothers who drink excessively during pregnancy may have abnormal facial features and low intelligence. The Oxford Companion to Wine 1994.