The dangers of drinking wine

No, not the usual dangers about liver, there's more to worry about now. According to this article, Is it OK ... to drink wine? in The Guardian:

The debate about the social and health impact of alcohol consumption, including wine, is well rehearsed elsewhere, but the production of wine also throws up a number of concerns, with the reality often far from the bucolic idyll of lore.

Many of the world's vineyards are now highly industrialised. Of most concern, perhaps, is the increasing reliance on pesticides. Several recent studies have discovered pesticide residues in wines, including some labelled as organic. This suggests that vines could be particularly vulnerable to contamination from airbound pollutants. One study of Bulgarian wine found that wine from a vineyard in a heavily polluted region contained more than double the legal limit of lead.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised to discover that we've poisoned our food supply as we poisoned our planet, but still, it's a bummer. The article also raises the issue of the sustainability of shipping bottles of wine around the world. Some times the more I think about food production and sustainability, the more depressed I get.

Posted on May 11, 2006

copyright © 1999-2007 Megnut LLC      archives | about | contact | home