STEP #16

Buy Organic Wine

We’ve come to believe that a glass of wine each night is good for your health—a true anti-aging elixir. However, did you know that most nonorganic wines are filled with harmful pesticides made from oil? Results from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Total Diet Study showed 44 pesticide residues in 15 wine samples, representing four pesticide formulations or metabolites: carbaryl, dimethoate, omethoate and dicloran. The concentrations of pesticides in wine were extremely elevated and should send a clear signal to the consumer and to the wine industry that the product needs to be cleaned up! When consumers find out their favorite wines are loaded with pesticides, they will not want to drink them any longer! Would you? Nobody wants to feel like a victim because they drank wine that was laced with acute neurotoxins such as carbaryl, dimethoate and omethoate.

Furthermore, working in vineyards that use pesticides is dangerous for farm workers. Many have died from their exposure to acutely neurotoxic pesticides used in growing grapes, including dinoseb, malathion, methomyl, methyl bromide, parathion, paraquat, phosdrin and phostoxin.

Fortunately for wine lovers, organic wines are easily obtained. They will become more prevalent as increasing numbers of wineries make the switch to organic methods. Fetzer, www.fetzer.com, one of California’s major wineries, converted its 155-acre home vineyard in Mendocino County to organic cultivation in 1987. Another excellent, nonsulfite organic wine is produced by Frey vineyards of California, www.freywine.com, and in New York State, Four Chimneys Farm also makes great organic wines. In France, there are some 250 certified organic wine producers, many of whom export to the United States. In the United States at present, the number of organic wine producers is steadily increasing.

You can find an abundance of organic wines on our favorite website www.theorganicwinecompany.com, or call them at 1-888-ECOWINE (326-9463).

Wherever you find your organic wine or beer, remember, moderation is the key. A glass of organic wine is a responsible way to enrich your life and health and help fight America’s oil addictions. Cheers to Energy Independence!