This is not a story about the evils of alcohol; about how you should forgo margaritas, martinis and champagne in case excess tippling ruins your life. Rather it's about drinking any or all of those and enjoying them, guilt-free, even if you're paleo, gluten-free, biodynamic or any other shade of pure/organic or pleasure averse.

Of course, we're in no way encouraging excessive drinking. For the sake of your health and longevity, alcohol consumption should always be moderate – no more than one drink a day for women and two for men (a drink being 100ml of wine or one mid-strength bottle of beer).

But, that said, there's a transformation going on at distilleries and wineries that is good news for health-conscious drinkers who still want to enjoy the trickle of a cool chardonnay over their tongues or the bubble of a gin and tonic with a lemon twist after a long day.

Organic, biodynamic and even botanical wines and spirits with fewer chemicals and sulphites are on the rise. Australia's third fastest-growing organic sector, according to The Australian Organic Market Report 2014, is wine grape production. The sector expanded 120 per cent between 2011 and 2014, when Australian-grown and made organic wine and beverages were worth $117 million.

"I do believe this is a step forward as these wines probably reflect better viticulture practices," says Chris Ingall, a paediatrician and wine columnist. He is a fan in particular of biodynamic wines, which are based on farming methods that include using preparations such as composted cow manure to stimulate soil and vine health.

"Winemakers using biodynamic methods maintain the plant is in better harmony with the soil and this is reflected in the balance achieved between the sugars, acids and tannins in the grape," he says.

Biodynamic and organic wines are made without the use of pesticides and fertilisers. But unless the bottles state they are preservative free, they may contain sulphur dioxide – a preservative widely used in conventional wines that can cause reactions ranging from a mild itch to asthma in a small percentage of the population. That said, says Ingall, all wine contains a range of ingredients, from crushed bees to amines, that may cause allergic reactions in some unlucky people.

Drinking older wines and decanting younger wines before drinking may be helpful for those who don't tolerate sulphites well, he says, while those who suffer from a "red wine headache" can try taking an aspirin before drinking to moderate the effect.

Drops called SO2GO available at health food shops and pharmacies are claimed to counteract the preservatives in wine, champagne, beer and cider.

Wines

Stewart White, national chair of judges for Restaurant & Catering Association's Savour and Wine List awards, suggests sensitive drinkers try the organic, preservative-free Dub Style No.1 from Inkwell in McLaren Vale and the low-sulphur, biodynamic CRFT Shiraz from the Little Hill Vineyard in the Barossa. Moon Marsanne and Moon Chardonnay from the Goulburn Terrace Winery in Nagambie Lakes, Victoria, is also biodynamic, organic and low sulphur.

Beyond that, if you are after wine with fewer chemicals, look for offerings accredited by the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA) and Australian Certified Organic (ACO).

Lark Hill, in the Canberra district has "certified biodynamic" labelling based on farming methods that include using biodynamic preparations, partial replacement of organic approved fungicides with milk sprays and a maximum of 20ppm (parts-per-million) of free sulphur at bottling.

Says Ingall: "I also love the Cullen reds from Western Australia, which are beautifully made, fresh and lively in the mouth and live for decades."

Spirits

The process of distilling spirits produces "clean" alcohol anyway, says White, but there's been a rise in pure and organic options in spirits too.

Naturopath Janella Purcell's spirit of choice is Ink Gin, made with 14 botanicals that include a mix of traditional and Australian natives, Hungarian juniper berries, locally grown lemon myrtle leaf, coriander seed, Tasmanian pepperberry, freshly peeled sun-dried sweet orange peel, elderflower, cinnamon, cardamom, angelica, oris, licorice root, lemon peel and bois bande.

While creator Paul Messenger, from Husk Distillers in northern NSW, agrees you cannot call gin health food, he says the product is about as pure as a gin can get, with the extra kick of antioxidant-rich herbs.

Other clean spirit drops: Absolut Vodka boasts no sulphites or preservatives and Blind Tiger Organic Gin is preservative free.

Of course the challenge with making spirit-based drinks healthier is the sugar-laden mixers. Fever Tree tonic has half the calories of Schweppes – and if you want "natural" stevia to sweeten your tonic, Ledgers tonic has less than half that of Fever Tree.

Health benefits

Once you have your biodynamic chardonnay or pure spirit to hand, get ready to bore your teetotal friends not only with words like botanical or organic but with some of the benefits of moderate tippling.

Three to five drinks a week are part of a heart-healthy lifestyle, scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm have concluded. Their heart attack study, of 58,827 participants, showed that these drinkers were 33 per cent less prone to heart failure than those who abstained or drank infrequently.

Researchers say moderate drinking may also protect against type 2 diabetes and gallstones. And while it is well known that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of breast cancer it has been suggested that this may be mitigated by folate intake of at least 600mcg a day, according to the Harvard School of Health.

Finally there's the French Paradox – the theory that the presence of resveratrol and other antioxidant flavonoids may explain the relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease in the French despite their high-fat diet. General practitioner Philip Norrie, a PhD wine health research fellow, released the world's first REW (resveratrol-enhanced wine) through his Wine Doctor website and is working on enhancing both red and white wines.

Ultimately, says Ingall, while a little light drinking can potentially be a panacea for our ills and a psychological balm, there are two words in drink even for those with no intolerances: moderation and quality.