28 wineries accused of using arsenic in wine

RedRajah

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28 wineries accused of using arsenic in wine

(CBS SF) — There may be a reason to think twice before you sip – a lawsuit filed in California Thursday contends some top-selling wines contain high levels of arsenic.



Kevin Hicks is the man behind BeverageGrades, a Denver lab that analyzes wine. Before launching the lab, Hicks spent 15 years in the wine business.


Because there are very few federal labeling requirements telling you what’s in the wine you drink, Hicks decided to test some brands himself. His results are shocking.


He tested more than 1,300 bottles of wine and found almost a quarter contained levels of arsenic higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum limit for drinking water of 10 parts per billion. In some cases he says the wines contained up to four and five times that amount.


So far there is no theory on why this might be happening but Hicks’ tests showed an interesting pattern. “The lower the price of wine on a per-liter basis, the higher the amount of arsenic,” he said.


Hicks’ list of low-priced, high-arsenic wines includes Trader Joe’s famous Two-Buck Chuck White Zinfandel which tested at three times the limit. A bottle of Menage a Trois Moscato was four times the limit and a Franzia Blush had five time the EPA limit for drinking water.


Not surprisingly, Hicks said the wine companies he approached were not happy with him or the tests. Then he took the results to a law firm. Attorney Brian Kabateck says they took Hicks’ original test results to two separate labs and they “absolutely” stand up. And that’s what they argue in the class action lawsuit. They’re accusing more than 24 California winemakers and sellers of misrepresenting their wines as safe.
 

veinglory

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I very much doubt the are "using" or adding arsenic on purpose. I assume it is coming from soil or some chemical used along the way that is not meant to get into the product.

Edited to add, the clay used to filter wines seems to be the most likely source, or possibly caterpillar sprays.
 
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mirandashell

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I don't really care where it's coming from. Obviously the checks aren't being done before the wine goes on sale. So I'm not drinking it!

Thankfully I don't drink much Cali wine anyway. Mostly European or Aus/NZ
 

amergina

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Maaaaaaybe it's not as true as all that.

It may be a sales ploy to increase testing of beverages. Thankfully, the very company that uncovered this...is the company that would do the testing. Funny, that...

Here's the Snopes roundup:

http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/arsenicwine.asp

Immediately some skeptics (including winemakers affected by the news) pointed out that whether or not Hicks' claims had merit, his company stood to gain financially should consumers develop an interest in lab testing of alcohol. And, in fact, BeverageGrades sent out a press release timed to the announcement of the lawsuit that offered services to provide "retailers reassurance from arsenic in wine."
CBS News also spot-checked and tested the four wines listed in the lawsuit. They were not the same vintages, but the arsenic levels were all considerably lower than BeverageGrades' results.
...while the United States indeed had no established acceptable levels of arsenic in wine, California wines were routinely tested by other countries (including the EU) and deemed to be below those countries' established limits.
 

frimble3

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Maaaaaaybe it's not as true as all that.

It may be a sales ploy to increase testing of beverages. Thankfully, the very company that uncovered this...is the company that would do the testing. Funny, that...

Here's the Snopes roundup:

http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/arsenicwine.asp
Yes, this, precisely - who goes around spontaneously testing wine for random chemicals? "Just checkin'!"? Who sets up an entire business based on the random testing of wine, and why?
I think that for all the claim of Bevergrades testing being for retailers, the actual market is for panicky consumers. If the retailers were worried, they'd have push to have government testing of vintners.
'Arsenic' was probably chosen because it's simple, understandable, and a well-known poison. There are probably a lot of other chemicals from pesticides and fertilizers that are in wine, but don't have the shock value of 'Arsenic'.
Besides, if his results were accurate, and meaningful, (how high does the arsenic level have to get before it harms you?) the real money is in taking payoffs to keep quiet. :evil
 

Alessandra Kelley

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And yet, what would be the problem with testing wines and other alcohols?

I've long been boggled that all of the regulation of alcohol in the US seems geared towards controlling who can sell it where and how, and none towards testing, quality assurance, or even listing ingredients.

Non-alcoholic egg nog sold in the dairy case is required to have a label on it listing every ingredient, wholesome-sounding or not, as well as the amounts of common nutrients, the fat content, the sodium content, the sugar content, the calories and other vital information.

Add just a bit of alcohol to it and sell it over in the liquor department and all of this information is missing. One is drinking mysterious concoctions that may as well be medieval alchemists' potions.

Somehow American alcohol producers have been exempted from over a century of laws regarding food wholesomeness, labeling, and vital consumer information.
 

frimble3

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Somehow American alcohol producers have been exempted from over a century of laws regarding food wholesomeness, labeling, and vital consumer information.
The government felt guilty about Prohibition? Or, after repeal, just threw their hands up in the air and gave up?
Or, maybe the alcohol producers have even more money to throw at the problem than the other agricultural interests. If they can outspend the corn and pork producers, the sky's the limit as far as special exemptions.
 
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blacbird

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I very much doubt the are "using" or adding arsenic on purpose. I assume it is coming from soil or some chemical used along the way that is not meant to get into the product.

Edited to add, the clay used to filter wines seems to be the most likely source, or possibly caterpillar sprays.

Yup. Seems to me the most likely reason, too. There's a pretty good chance the winemakers have been unaware of this issue. Certainly there's no reason for any artificial induction of arsenic into wine. Which does nothing to excuse the lack of product testing.

Oh, except that there are huge pressures in this country to "keep the gubmit off our backs" regards any form of regulatory scrutiny. But that's for another thread.

I might note that elsewhere in California there have been significant problems with the concentrations of selenium, from natural occurrence in soils, contaminating agricultural products.

caw
 
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RedRajah

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Any chance CA's drought might have anything to do with the arsenic levels?
 

veinglory

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There is no problem with testing it--except no one will mandate the testing, and no one will pay for it.

Wine and beer is a routine risk for arsenic just as fish is for mercury. Another good reason to show moderation in all things.