The pesticides in your Pinot Grigio: Study reveals more than HALF of wines sold on the British high street contain toxic chemicals – so, is your favourite bottle affected?
- Wine containing pesticides is sold by Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer and Aldi
- READ MORE: Top food manufacturers have pesticides in their products
Unsuspecting members of the public could be sipping down toxic chemicals as they enjoy their favorite tipple this Christmas.
That’s because wines sold on the British high street by the likes of Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer and Asda contain cancer-causing pesticides, a study shows.
In a government lab analysis of 72 wines, researchers found the majority (49) contained traces of at least one pesticide, while one – a white called Feteasca Regala from Romanian company Cramele Recaș – contained six different pesticides.
Overall, 19 pesticides were discovered, including six linked to the development of cancers.
So, is your favourite bottle affected? Scroll down to see the full list.
Shockingly, one wine – a white called Feteasca Regala from Romanian company Cramele Recaș – had six different pesticides
READ MORE Top food manufacturers have pesticides in their products
None of the companies scored better than C
The results of the government residue testing program have been collated and analysed by Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK), a non-profit organisation based in Brighton.
‘Wine lovers shouldn’t have to risk exposure to an array of hazardous pesticides when they fancy a tipple,’ said PAN UK researcher Nick Mole.
‘The organic wine sector is flourishing, proving that it is 100 per cent possible to produce wine without relying on toxic chemicals.’
Due to a huge demand for wine, pesticides are sprayed on grape vines by growers to help keep away pests that damage crops, such as insects and fungi.
However, the toxic chemicals can contaminate the soil, remain on the grapes and end up in the finished product.
‘The real issue is that you simply can’t tell by sight, taste or smell whether there are pesticide residues in your wine,’ Mole told MailOnline.
According to Mole, the safest way to ensure you’re not sipping down pesticides with your wine is to ‘drink organic’.
Organic wine, which is labelled as such with a logo from the Soil Association or a similar body, is made with no pesticides or synthetic chemicals.
Due to a huge demand for wine, pesticides are sprayed on grape vines by growers to help keep away pests that damage crops. However, the toxic chemicals can contaminate the soil, remain on the grapes and end up in the finished product (file photo)
Pesticides in British-sold wine
– Boscalid – persistent in soil and water; evidence of carcinogenicity
– Tebuconazole – may lead to developmental neurotoxicity
– Captan – exposure may cause dermatitis, conjunctivitis, vomiting and diarrhea
– Iprovalicarb – protectant fungicide that can leach to groundwater; likely to be carcinogenic to humans
– Pyrimethanil – often applied to seeds; affects protein formation
The 72 wines tested were all taken from British supermarket shelves and from a range of countries and growers.
‘The sampling is supposed to reflect consumer buying choices, but of course the actual amount sampled is very limited in scope,’ Mole said.
Three wines contained traces of five pesticides – Red Blend from a Portuguese winery called Mimo Moutinho, a Malbec from France made for Marks & Spencer, and an Italian Gavi for Sainsbury’s.
Wines containing four pesticides were a Pinot Grigio from Myton Hill in Moldova and a pink prosecco from Rose Valdo in Italy, bought from Asda.
Ten of the wines had three pesticides in them, while 20 of the wines contained two pesticides and 13 had one pesticide.
Among the 23 wines with no pesticides were Graham Norton’s Argentinian Malbec sold in Morrisons, Black Label Merlot from McGuigan in Australia, and Silver Bay Rose, the only British-made wine in the sample.
Moles said that wines with multiple pesticides in them are a particular worry because this ‘is the most problematic and least understood area in terms of possible effects on human health’.
The results show a dramatic increase in the proportion of wine that contains more than one pesticide residues – from 14 per cent in 2016 (the last time that wine was tested) to 50 per cent.
According to Pesticide Action Network UK, the safest way to ensure you’re not sipping down pesticides with your wine is to ‘drink organic’
Mole said the government should expand their testing for pesticide residues, not just for wine but also for all produce that the UK public consumes.
‘On a practical level the government should be supporting and encouraging more organic production in the UK whether that is UK vineyards, fruit and vegetables or anything else,’ he told MailOnline.
‘More organic would mean a huge reduction in the number of pesticide residues the public consumes and also help meet objectives on climate and biodiversity that are desperately in need of achieving.’
PAN UK also revealed the 12 fruit and vegetables most likely to be contaminated with multiple pesticides – with peaches and nectarines tied at the very top.
Both had the highest percentage of samples with multiple pesticide residues present – 85 per cent.
They were followed by grapes (84 per cent), strawberries (83 per cent), cherries (81 per cent), spinach (73 per cent) and apples (72 per cent).
Is your favourite bottle of plonk contaminated with pesticides? The full list of all 72 wines tested
SIX PESTICIDES
– Feteasca Regala (Romania)
FIVE PESTICIDES
– Mimo Moutinho Red Blend (Portugal)
– Marks & Spencer Malbec (France)
– Sainsbury’s Gavi White Wine (Italy)
FOUR PESTICIDES
– Valdo Prosecco Rose (Italy)
– Myton Hill Pinot Grigio White Wine (Moldova)
THREE PESTICIDES
– La Vieille Ferme Red Wine (France)
– Sainsbury’s Pinot Grigio Trentino (Italy)
– Nice Drop Pinor Noir (Chile)
– Valpolicella Ripasso (Italy)
– Kumala Shiraz (South Africa)
– Calvet Prestige Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon (France)
– Cambalala Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa)
– Le Manoir Du Baron Chardonnay (France)
– Le Froglet Sauvignon Blanc (France)
– Morrisons Pinot Grigio White Wine (Italy)
TWO PESTICIDES
– Cambalala Pinotage (South Africa)
– Campo Viejo Rioja Tempranillo (Spain)
– Louis Raynald Cotes du Rhone (France)
– La Vieille Ferme Rose Wine (France)
– Freixenet Italian Rose Sparkling Wine (Italy)
– Cambalala Chardonnay (South Africa)
– Chapmans Bay Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa)
– Beachfront California Merlot (USA)
– Comte Tolosan Malbec (France)
– Marques Los Rios Rioja (Spain)
– Comte Tolosan Cave Des Roches Malbec (France)
– Moillard Bourgogne Gamay (France)
– Chevalier De Fauvert Chardonnay (France)
– Brouilly Red Wine (France)
– Des Tourelles Claret Bordeaux Red Wine (France)
– Comte Tolosan Malbec Red Wine (France)
– Des Tourelles Claret Red Wine (France)
– Asda Extra Special Soave Superiore Classico White Wine (Italy)
– Gavi Dry White White (Italy)
– Cape Kyala Chenin Blanc White Wine (South Africa)
ONE PESTICIDE
– Cotes Du Rhone Villages Red Wine (France)
– Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet (Australia)
– Macon Villages White Wine (France)
– Mad Fish Sauvignon Blanc (Australia)
– Lidl Chateau St Eutrope Corbieres (France)
– Corte Aurelio Nero D’avola Sicilia (Italy)
– Wolf Blass Shiraz (Australia)
– Penguin Sands Cabernet Sauvignon (South Africa)
– Aldi’s Specially Selected Sauvignon Blanc White Wine (Chile)
– Castellore Orvieto D.O.C. Classico White Wine (Italy)
– Southern Ocean Sauvignon Blanc White Wine (South Africa)
– Lateral Sauvignon Blanc White Wine (Chile)
– Private Bin Riesling White Wine (New Zealand)
NO PESTICIDES
– Buenas Vides Merlot (Argentina)
– McGuigan Estates Black Label Merlot (Australia)
– Blossom Hill Soft & Fruity Red (Spain)
– Waitrose Chilean Red Wine (Chile)
– Beachfront White Grenache (USA)
– McGuigan Reserve Chardonnay (Australia)
– Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)
– Waitrose Chilean White Wine (Chile)
– Marks & Spencer Merlot (Australia)
– Casa Mana Tempranillo (Spain)
– Silver Bay Rose Wine (UK)
– Isla Negra Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)
– Jam Shed Shiraz (Australia)
– Good Company Sauvignon Blanc Blush (New Zealand)
– Aldi’s Specially Selected Lebanese Red Wine (Lebanon)
– 19 Crimes Chardonnay (Australia)
– Aldi’s Shiraz Red Wine (Spain)
– Valle Central Malbec Red Wine (Chile)
– Graham Norton Malbec Red Wine (Argentina)
– Pepper Box Shiraz Red Wine (Australia)
– Fresh & Juicy Rose Wine (Spain)
– McGuigan Estates Rose Wine (Australia)
– Marks & Spencer Organic Verdejo White Wine (Spain)
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