You’ve likely browsed through the wine selection at Trader Joe’s (among other stores) and thought – wow, I could drink wine that’s cheaper than bottled water! Many Trader Joe’s customers have flocked to the store for years to get their hands on some cheap vino, but there are some nasty, carcinogenic toxins in that wine which may cause you to think again before picking up a bottle for your next dinner party.
How About Some Inorganic Arsenic with That Cheese?
It turns out that among hundreds of wineries (many of which supply stores like Trader Joe’s), vintages both old and young contain dangerous levels of arsenic.
Wine industry spokespersons among the 28 wineries that are defendants in a current lawsuit point out that the wine industry in Europe, Canada, and the USA has its own arsenic level standards for wine, amounting to 100 parts per billion. Despite this, approximately half of the wine recently tested had higher arsenic levels than even the EPA’s standards allow.
Though the class action suit has yet to appear before a judge or jury, consumers can make their own informed decisions now, about what kind of wine they are willing to drink.
The lawsuit stems from Kevin Hicks, a former wine distributor who started BeverageGrades, a Denver-based lab that tested 1,300 bottles of California wine. The lab found that about a quarter of them had higher levels of arsenic than the maximum limit allowed in water.
The most alarming fact – the cheaper the wine, the higher the levels of arsenic. So, that trip to Trader Joe’s means you are drinking poison for pennies.
Specific labels of Trader Joes’ named Charles Shaw or “Two-Buck Chuck,” Sutter Home, Franzia, Beringer, and Cupcake were among the cheap wines with the highest levels of arsenic.
The lawsuit alleges that the contaminated wines are cheaper in part because their producers don’t “implement the proper methods and processes to reduce inorganic arsenic.”
Whether this is done at the winery, by the bottler, or by the wine grower – it doesn’t matter. No one should be drinking wine that has such high levels of toxicity.
The lawsuit seeks measures to attain arsenic levels which are closer to the EPA’s 10 parts per billion (arsenic to water)standard, and not boast of 50 parts to billion, which is highly alarming.
The following wines are the subjects of the class action lawsuit. You can also check this site to see the wines which turned up the lowest amounts of heavy metals.
Acronym GR8RW Red Blend 2011
Almaden Heritage White Zinfandel
Almaden Heritage Moscato
Almaden Heritage White Zinfandel
Almaden Heritage Chardonnay
Almaden Mountain Burgundy
Almaden Mountain Rhine
Almaden Mountain Chablis
Arrow Creek Coastal Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Bandit Pinot Grigio
Bandit Chardonnay
Bandit Cabernet Sauvignon
Bay Bridge Chardonnay
Beringer White Merlot 2011
Beringer White Zinfandel 2011
Beringer Red Moscato
Beringer Refreshingly Sweet Moscato
Charles Shaw White Zinfandel 2012
Colores del Sol Malbec 2010
Glen Ellen by Concannon’s Glen Ellen Reserve Pinot Grigio 2012
Concannon Selected Vineyards Pinot Noir 2011
Glen Ellen by Concannon’s Glen Ellen Reserve Merlot 2010
Cook Spumante
Corbett Canyon Pinot Grigio
Corbett Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon
Cupcake Malbec 2011
Fetzer Moscato 2010
Fetzer Pinot Grigio 2011
Fisheye Pinot Grigio 2012
Flipflop Pinot Grigio 2012
Flipflop Moscato
Flipflop Cabernet Sauvignon
Foxhorn White Zinfandel
Franzia Vintner Select White Grenache
Franzia Vintner Select White Zinfandel
Franzia Vintner Select White Merlot
Franzia Vintner Select Burgundy
Hawkstone Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
HRM Rex Goliath’s Moscato
Korbel Sweet Rose Sparkling Wine
Korbel Extra Dry Sparkling Wine
Menage a Trois Pinot Grigio 2011
Menage a Trois Moscato 2010
Menage a Trois White Blend 2011
Menage a Trois Chardonnay 2011
Menage a Trois Rose 2011
Menage a Trois Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Menage a Trois California Red Wine 2011
Mogen David Concord
Mogen David Blackberry Wine
Oak Leaf White Zinfandel
Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc 2011
R Collection by Raymond’s Chardonnay 2012
Richards Wild Irish Rose Red Wine
Seaglass Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Simply Naked Moscato 2011
Smoking Loon Viognier 2011
Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Sutter Home Gewurztraminer 2011
Sutter Home Pink Moscato
Sutter Home Pinot Grigio 2011
Sutter Home Moscato
Sutter Home Chenin Blanc 2011
Sutter Home Sweet Red 2010
Sutter Home Riesling 2011
Sutter Home White Merlot 2011
Sutter Home Merlot 2011
Sutter Home White Zinfandel 2011
Sutter Home White Zinfandel 2012
Sutter Home Zinfandel 2010
Trapiche Malbec 2012
Tribuno Sweet Vermouth
Vendange Merlot
Vendange White Zinfandel
Wine Cube Moscato
Wine Cube Pink Moscato 2011
Wine Cube Pinot Grigio 2011
Wine Cube Pinot Grigio
Wine Cube Chardonnay 2011
Wine Cube Chardonnay
Wine Cube Red Sangria
Wine Cube Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Wine Cube Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz 2011
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