We owe many things in our society to the ancient Greeks. Drama is one – the theatrical art form itself as well as such masterpieces as The Bacchae by Euripides, in which king Pentheus is torn limb from limb by a frenzied horde of women, which includes his own mother, who then carries her son’s decapitated head back to the city in a triumphal Bacchic trance.

The custom of watering down wine is another. This was very much the done thing in ancient Greece, especially at the more respectable get-togethers, because drinking the stuff undiluted was considered uncivilized. It risked unleashing the baser elements of human nature, as depicted in The Bacchae, and it was for barbarians.

Evidence suggests the normal dilution ratio in ancient Greece was between one and two parts wine to three parts water, resulting in a final alcoholic content of around three to six per cent. Fast forward in time and it’s a different story. Thirty years ago, most wine was being drunk at about 12 per cent. Today, that ABV is more likely to be nearer 14 per cent.

So does this make us a society of barbarians? Hardly. But the subject of alcohol is increasingly high profile, not to mention contentious, and it warrants attention.

First off, a quick recap on the basics. Alcohol in wine is produced by the fermentation of natural sugars found in grapes. Though it is technically a toxin and works as a depressant on the central nervous system, repeated studies have suggested that, when taken in moderate amounts as part of a healthy lifestyle, alcohol can have a range of health-giving effects, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and generally increasing longevity.

The first question that springs to mind is: why the rise in wine’s alcohol, most especially over the last few decades? One major factor has been the rise of the New World as a significant force on the modern wine scene. In the wine regions of Australia, California, South Africa and Chile, it is significantly warmer than many classic European regions. More warmth means riper grapes, hence higher sugar content and thus greater potential alcohol.

Other factors have exacerbated this trend. One is ever-more efficient yeasts, designed to avoid problematic fermentations in large-scale winemaking but now mass-cultured and widely used.

Then there’s the fashion, driven by certain sectors of the market and press (the USA and its über-critic Robert Parker being the most commonly cited culprits) for ever softer, fuller styles of wine. To make soft, full wines, you need ripe skins, which means leaving the grapes to hang on the vine longer, giving higher alcohol. And as alcohol also has the effect of making wine taste – you guessed it – softer and fuller, that little percentage on the bottle has been steadily rising, and not just in the New World.

However, in tandem with this trend, it is also clear that there is a growing demand for wines with lower alcohol levels, the result of a mounting awareness of the health and social issues surrounding excessive alcohol consumption. The announcement by Marks & Spencer earlier this year that it would be actively sourcing more wines “at 12 per cent rather than 14 per cent” is part of an incipient industry-wide trend.

So what are the options for those seeking out wines with lower alcohols? Firstly, always read the label – and remember, there is leeway allowed in EU law for a variance of up to 0.5 per cent either way (so a wine that says 13.5 per cent may in fact be nearer 14 per cent). Hunt out those wines that have naturally low alcohol levels, such as German Riesling, Hunter Valley Semillon, Muscadet, Prosecco, Vinho Verde, Beaujolais or Valpolicella. These tend to be lighter-bodied than the more alcoholic wines, given that alcohol gives mouth-weight to a wine, but that in itself can be an attractive feature.

Technology is another option. Complicated-sounding procedures such as reverse osmosis and spinning cones can reduce alcohol levels in wine significantly and are already popular in the winemaking community. The downside is that they can alter the aromatic and flavour profile of the wines slightly (i.e. making red wines tougher). What is more, the EU currently legislates against this technology, as two separate wine brands being lined up for sale in the UK, Sovio from Spain and Plume from France, have found to their cost in recent months. (It seems likely that this law will be amended before too long.)

Alcohol is an essential part of wine, however low or high its content. Providing disinterested and comprehensive information for consumers is essential if people are to make informed judgements about this issue, and not only with regard to wine. As long as quality wines are available in all styles, which is increasingly the case, and we appreciate them responsibly, then there is no reason why the ancient Greeks would have any reason to label us barbaric.