The Pleasure Pyramid…

Drink Real!

Our benevolent overlords released yet another food pyramid, gently instructing us to “eat real food” while also suggesting more red meat and less alcohol. Which is… interesting. I’m fully on board with real food, especially when it’s conscientiously farmed, humanely raised, and grown with some humility toward the land. But I’m equally committed to something else: guilt-free, conscientious hedonism. Quite simply – Enjoy yourself. On purpose. Without apology. Because if you are drinking RSVnapa wines, enhanced pleasure is derived from a natural beverage that does no harm to the farm and planet.

It’s not exactly news that happy people tend to be happier. I don’t have a white paper to cite, but I bet they’re also healthier. What we do know is that stress is a killer. Loneliness doesn’t help either. Which makes me wonder if what we really need isn’t another nutritional diagram, but a Pleasure Pyramid. One that includes long meals, shared bottles, laughter, and the profound act of sitting down with people you actually like.

I recently saw Scott Galloway make the case that one of the most damaging trends of modern life is the collapse of everyday socializing, especially among younger people. His advice was refreshingly analog: stop isolating, get out of the house, and have drinks with friends and coworkers. He argued that the benefits of social drinking far outweigh the risks. I’m inclined to agree.

Wine, after all, isn’t just calories or chemistry—it’s culture. It’s agriculture with a social life. It’s how humans have gathered, celebrated, argued, reconciled, and relaxed for thousands of years. Remove the joy, and you’re left with rules. Add the joy back in, and suddenly things start to make sense again.

Rob Sinskey