Is Your Favorite Wine Laced with Toxins?

December 17, 2019

If you love wine, you probably heard about the multi-million-dollar class-action lawsuit about elevated arsenic levels found in wines from 28 California wineries.

So, before you pick up a bottle of wine on your way to a holiday party or indulge in a glass at your host’s home, it’s a good idea to know which brands are on the list!

The list of offending wineries is long, and it includes classic, budget-friendly favorites like Charles Shaw “Two Buck Chuck,” Menage a Trois, Cupcake, Sutter Home, Beringer, and more. For a complete list, ViralServe discloses all of the wineries and the varieties with high amounts of arsenic.

In the lawsuit, none of the wineries denied that their arsenic levels were high. In some instances, they were 500% higher than what the EPA calls a safe and acceptable concentration in drinking water.¹The arsenic found in these wines is inorganic, as opposed to organic arsenic, which is an environmental toxin. Ingesting it can lead to unpleasant symptoms like nausea, headaches, diarrhea. Long-term exposure is linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer.²

So, why the high levels of such a toxic compound?

Even though California tends to have naturally higher arsenic levels in the soil (which is why this case included California wines only), these brands also purposely used inorganic arsenic to improve the flavor and odor of the wines, while also making the color more appealing.³

Spoiler Alert: The Case Got Dismissed

Despite solid proof that the arsenic levels are unsafe, the court dismissed the case. The judge sided with the defending wineries, saying that their products and labeling complied with the existing Prop. 65 warnings. These labels are required on products and buildings in California to warn customers that they are being exposed to chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.⁴

Further, the judge agreed that the plaintiffs did not have any physical ailments attributed to arsenic poisoning or exposure, so he could not rule in their favor.

How to Pick Healthy Wine

Labeling requirements for alcoholic products are light, so you’re not likely to see an arsenic or pesticide warning on the bottle.

Our best advice is to avoid all of the wines on the list posted by ViralServe.

It’s also a good idea to choose wines that are known for their heart-healthy benefits. As a whole red wine, and particularly Pinot Noir, is the best choice for a healthy heart due to its high concentration of resveratrol. Resveratrol is an antioxidant that helps reduce blood clotting and decrease pain and inflammation. It’s used in a variety of medications, and it’s a popular supplement to fight aging skin and acne.⁵

Because resveratrol is an antioxidant found in the skin of red grapes, you’ll need to drink red wine to get the benefits. Pinot noir, specifically, has the highest concentration of resveratrol, so if you’re a fan of this wine, now you have an excuse to indulge. This wine variety also has the lowest sugar content and the least number of calories.⁶

If you’re not a pinot noir fan, merlot is also a relatively healthy choice. In fact, any dry red wine is considered acceptable. Just avoid California wines. Arsenic isn’t the only danger in wines grown in this region.

It turns out that 100% of the wines sampled in California tested positive for glyphosate, a human carcinogen used in the pesticide Roundup. Even though this chemical isn’t sprayed directly onto the grapes, it’s sprayed on the surrounding soil. As a result, the roots soak up this toxic chemical, and it ends up in the wine.⁷

Bottom Line: Avoid California wines whenever possible, no matter what the variety. Though wines from this region can be delicious, you could be ingesting more toxins than you bargained for.

If you can’t stomach red wine, then the occasional Rosé is acceptable, especially during the warm summer months. Pinot grigio is also relatively low in sugar compared to other white wines. The least healthy wines are sweet wines like Moscato and Rieslings. If these are your favorites, then we recommend indulging only once in a while.