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in collaboration with
Alexandra Murcier (Liberal dietician-nutritionist)
Châteauneuf du Pape, Pouilly-Fuissé, Graves, Chablis… France is full of magnificent terroirs and great wines. However, no offense to purists, viticulture is heavy on pesticides (fungicides and herbicides). In this context, how do you know if a wine is contaminated? Experts from 60 Million Consumers conducted the survey.
The magazine 60 Millions de consommateurs has struck again. In a new essay, experts reveal which wines are most contaminated with pesticides.
“Carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic” molecules
For this dossier, the magazine chose to analyze 40 red and white wines, “belonging to four of the most consumed appellations: Chablis, Muscadet, Bordeaux and Côte-du-Rhône”. The selection focused on inexpensive bottles, from classic, organic or HVE (High Environmental Value) viticulture.
On each bottle, two types of analyzes were then carried out: the search for pesticide residues (performed “by gas and liquid chromatography coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer“) and measures the sulfur dioxide.
Result, after analysis? Nearly a third of the bottles tested contained pesticides.
“Of the 742 molecules and metabolites of pesticides sought, our analyzes resulted in 20 detections out of 14 references, or a third of the wines tested. In total, six different molecules were detected in the four families. More problematic: three of them are suspected of having a CMR action, that is to say “carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic”. Not to mention that we lack perspective on their health impacts and, even more, on the cocktail effects between all these molecules”, further details the magazine.
Wines: which ones to avoid?
On this point, the experts are unanimous: of the four families of wines analyzed, it is the Chablis which obtain the lowest marks.
In fact, the lowest rated bottle is the Chablis Lamblin et fils 2022sold at Monoprix, which receives a score of 8.6/20. A bad rating, due to the presence of two molecules suspected of being CMR and of harming fetuses, folpet and fluopicolide. They are also found in the Chablis Laroche 2022which nevertheless achieves the average (11.1/20).
On the Bordeaux side, it is the composition of the Citran 2022 and of the Expert club 2022 which alerted the experts. If the first displays, in fact, a fungicide without proven toxicity, the second presents two fungicides classified CMR, fluopicolide and dimethomorphe. However, class 1 CMR molecules – such as dimethomorph – have been banned in HVE wines since 2024.
Another interesting detail, noted by the consumer association: “White wines contain fewer tannins – which have antioxidant properties – than red wines. It is therefore often necessary to add more sulphites (in other words, preservatives). Result: we are around 82 mg/l, which remains 2.5 times below the regulatory threshold for whites (200 mg/l)“, she notes.
Contaminated wines: what does our expert think?
Faced with these results, Alexandra Murcier is not surprised.
“The experts’ findings are not surprising. However, given the fact that alcohol must be consumed in reasonable quantities, the intake of pesticides is not very significant if you consume little alcohol (1 glass or 2 per week)”, assures -elle. “On the other hand, in the event of greater consumption, the carcinogenic effects of pesticides are added to the carcinogenic effects of alcohol and create a cocktail effect which is harmful to our health. We can therefore favor organic wines to limit our pesticide intake, while prioritizing the reduction of general alcohol consumption which increases cardiovascular risk and the risk of cancer,” she concludes.