What’s behind organic and biodynamic wines

Published June 22, 2011 4:00am ET



If you really want to know what’s in your wine, take a moment to consider a study done last year by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization focused on public health. The report shows that certain fruits and vegetables — dubbed the “Dirty Dozen” — contain higher levels of pesticides, even after washing, than others because of absorption through soft skins. One of the members of the Dirty Dozen? You guessed it: grapes. Does this mean that pesticides can find their way into wine? Maybe. Several studies have shown that trace amounts of pesticides have been detected in some wines from Europe and South America. But before you give up drinking your favorite bordeaux or malbec, it is important to note that the levels found in all of the wines tested were miniscule and not deemed harmful.

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