Wine Blog
The information age; like it or despise it – you have the world at your fingertips. But do you ever find that an overabundance of information leads to complete and utter confusion, especially when conflicting facts are advocated by equally qualified experts on both sides? How can we sift through the sky-high piles of data to find the precious stone or nugget of truth buried under all of the blabla?
The information age has completely transformed our understanding of wine. We understand its chemical makeup, the processes that lead to its creation, how it is affected by heat and light and which grapes make up a blend. Most of these advances have translated into increased authenticity and an effort towards transparency in the marketplace. So what is the truth regarding wine and pesticides? Can we truly understand as consumers the impact of a given winery’s vineyard practices on what we are drinking?
I read a fascinating article from France’s Le Figaro this week that addressed certain journalists’ misconception of the effects of pesticides, sulfur and additives on wine. The beauty of this article lies in the no-nonsense, succinct, scientific approach to explaining the true impact of chemicals on what you end up pouring into your glass. Simple and surprising, what follows is a little breakdown of the articles’ main arguments.
‘La vérité sur le pesticides et les additifs’ was a response to a much-disputed comment made by a journalist in the television program ‘Envoyé Spécial’: "In most bottles (of wine), even the grand crus, chemical substances are added that the consumer is completely unaware of. Dozens of chemical additives are used in the vinification of certain wines. What is the purpose of these additives? Why are they not mentioned on the wine labels? We have also discovered that in order to sell their products at more expensive price points, and to confuse the consumer, winemakers add even more chemicals, beyond the legal limit. And that’s not all……"
The article responds to this onslaught of accusations calmly and rationally:
First of all, wine is not a natural product. If grape juice were left on its own in a bucket, it would not turn into wine on its own, abracadabra style, but would rather be transformed into a rather rustic version of vinegar. The author of the article adds that this is a well-known fact that has been documented for centuries; wine must be protected from oxidation, just as ham and homemade jams must be cared for in order to avoid contamination. Since the 17th century, vintners have used sulfur to prevent the undesirable effects of oxidation. Sulfur was first chosen because it occurs naturally in grapes (many consumers are very surprised to learn this), is a byproduct of alcoholic fermentation, and has antiseptic qualities. The quantity of sulfur used must be regulated and monitored, of course, but according to this article, the maximum quantities authorized since the mid-1900s have been proven safe (unless, that is, you decide to drink 100 liters -133 bottles - of wine in one sitting, which we do not recommend!).
Now the truth on pesticides. France has always had a heavy hand when it comes to using chemicals to intervene in the fields and vineyards. However, unlike with fruits and vegetables, which can be completely tainted by whatever treatments were used at the farm, wine undergoes the magic of fermentation. How does this modify the chemicals used to treat grapes? According to this article, alcoholic fermentation is an incredibly violent chemical process that ends up completely eliminating heavy molecules, including pesticides. Even the most sophisticated modern analyses are rarely able to find the slightest trace of pesticides in the post-fermentation product which ends up on your table.
And last but not least - the truth on alcohol? It is a powerful antiseptic. Though chemical additives can be dangerous in aqueous environments, the same molecules seem to lose their effects in alcohol. This article argues that eating a green salad is thus "incomparably more dangerous" than drinking one glass of wine. Good news? Perhaps not if you are an avid vegetarian but then again, you can spend the big bucks on the organic salads and continue to drink your favorite wine without a second thought!
(I have to add, however, that though pesticides would seem to have little or no effect on the healthiness of the wine you drink, we still must consider their environmental impact, especially on ground water and soils….good subject matter for another blog entry).
A safe conclusion to draw, if we agree with the author of this article, is that wine is one of the rare products that is hardly affected by man’s reckless treatment of the earth, since vinification acts as a sort of alchemistic cleansing fire.
We would like to hear your thoughts on the truth of wine and pesticides. What have you read on the subject? How does the environmental aspect influence your wine buying?
