Organic Wines Uncorked: Toxic Soup Killing Bees, Says U.C. Davis Researcher

Friday, April 19, 2013

Toxic Soup Killing Bees, Says U.C. Davis Researcher - EPA: We'll Get Back to You in Five Years

EPA says it will take FIVE YEARS to study and rule on pesticides suspected of causing bee colony collapse.

Ohio State University graphic

What? Hear from U.C. Davis's bee expert, Cooperative Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen, in this CBS News Report. He says the pesticide collision/collusion (including neonicotinoids) is what's killing bees. (So do leading experts around the world). Beekeepers point out the urgency of the issue to agriculture and business.

See Mother Jones coverage for more.

California's almond crop is at risk this year as there are not enough bees to pollinate it. In her article "Troubling Honey Bee Shortage in California Almond Orchards," U.C. Davis Entomologist Kathy Keatley Garvey says this could be the worst year yet for honey production. Almond growers should anticipate that they will have access to one third fewer bees this year, affecting almond production.

Wine grape growers across the state use neonicotinoids, one of the primary suspected culprits so far. Statewide, the California Dept. of Pesticide Regulation reports that wine grape growers applied 45,515 pounds of imidacloprid in 2010 across 194,000+ acres.

Want more details on the latest studies? See the Pesticide Action Network story here with links to the journal articles and BBC News coverage.

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Wines We Cover

We publish information about wines grown from certified organic or Biodynamic vineyards that are generally made with sulfites (which are usually added in small amounts to preserve the wine).

That includes these certification types:

ORGANIC WINE CERTIFICATIONS

• Made with Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites (i.e. a normal range)

Winery: certified organic facility

Labeling: front or back label

• Ingredients: Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: up to 350 ppm of sulfites (same as for any non organic wine)

Labeling: back label only

BIODYNAMIC® CERTIFICATIONS

• Biodynamic Wine

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; no additives of any kind

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back label; Demeter logo may appear

• Made with Biodynamic Grapes

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native or organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; limited number of additives permitted

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back

Note: unlike organically grown wines, for which there is a category called "Ingredients: Organic Grapes," wines sourced from biodynamic grapes may not make any biodynamic claim on the bottle label. Bottle labeling is reserved for Demeter certified wines only.

SULFITES IN CONTEXT

According to U.C. Davis, the average among all wines in the U.S. (as well as globally) is 80 ppm.

WHAT THE USDA CALLS ORGANIC WINES

Unlike any other nation, the U.S. oddly imposes a no sulfite restriction on wines in order for them to be called Organic Wine. These wines are also called NSA or NAS wines (which stands for "No Sulfites Added" or "No Added Sulfites.")

From the above description, one can see that there are in fact three types of organically grown wines:

1. Organic Wine (less than 15% of all organically grown wine)

2. Made with Organic Grapes

3. Ingredients: Organic Grapes

The vast majority of wines from organic grapes are labeled Made with Organic Grapes, Ingredients: Organic Grapes or are blended with nonorganic grapes and unlabeled.

Fine winemakers do not generally make wine without sulfites and a number of large wine retailers like BevMo do not sell wine in the category of "USDA Organic Wine."

With rare exceptions, this blog does not cover what the USDA calls "Organic Wine."

We are hopeful that the USDA will revise the categorization of organically grown wines and make NSA or NAS wines a category of their own.

This would put the U.S. in accord with the rest of the world, where "Organic Wine" means a wine from certified grapes made within limits on sulfites (generally under 100-150 ppm).

Organic Wines Uncorked

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Friday, April 19, 2013

Toxic Soup Killing Bees, Says U.C. Davis Researcher - EPA: We'll Get Back to You in Five Years

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