Wines & Pesticides/Insectisides

[Capocheny]

Greeting WOW,

In regards to those various organic forms of life (other than the needed yeast) the process of fermentation would eliminate them to a degree. There are some bacteria that thrive in hot temperatures while others don't fare so well. On the other hand, there are some that thrive in an acidic environment while others thrive in a basic culture. So, your point is well taken.

However, what my friend was alluding to was not so much about the organic entities in the wine... he was talking about the chemicals used in the process of eliminating the harmful bugs that can cause damage to the grape crops. One would surmise that the skin of the grape would act as a filter but the chemicals also get into the soils from which the grapes would derive their nutrients. I'm not so sure that the absorption process of getting nutrients into the plant are able to eliminate these chemicals.

Perhaps, there are some plant physiologists on this forum that will/can provide some input?

It's an interesting question that I've not really thought about since most of the wines I consume are from countries such as France, Germany, US, and other similar "modern" regions. Different nations allow differing levels of pesticide/insecticide usage on their crops.

I appreciate that there are wineries out there that adhere to "organic" means of growing their crops but, in the overall scheme of things, those producers are still few and far between. I know that Marcel Deiss is one one those organic growers and he produces a gorgeous glass of wine. I suspect that, in the future, there will be more wineries going in that direction as folks become more and more health conscious. Time will tell. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

Cheers