What's Really Good With The Wine?

What on earth is going on? That was my reaction this morning while I watched the CBS Morning Show. There was a segment with Kevin Hicks who founded Beverage Grades his own laboratory and began a process to test wine.

According to his findings, there were very high levels of arsenic. What he discovered shocked him.

Now here is where I am sitting up and paying close attention. Not that I'm a wine connoisseur but I have had many conversations/questions pertaining to wine and it's benefits. The benefits vary from heart health to the prevention of cancer. Yes I've heard it all. On a personal note, there are times when we would sip on a glass of wine in celebration for a celebration or with an occasional meal. It all seems healthy and harmless. Needless to say, this news report was not good.

The segment continues as Mr. Hicks stated that he analyzed more than 1,300 bottles of wine.
Here's the kicker --> Almost twenty-five percent had levels higher than the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum allowable amount of arsenic in drinking water: 10 parts per billion.



Interestingly, there was a pattern. Sadly, it has to do with the price. Yes indeed - the lower the cost per liter basis, the higher the amount of arsenic. What's even more alarming, is that you could have purchased it at your local Trader Joe's Two-Buck Chuck White Zinfandel - with flying marks at three times the limit. For the fun, feisty and seductive bunch who purchases a bottle of Ménage à Trois Moscato for the giggles, well that was four times the limit. The arsenic winner here is the Franzia Blush, this had five times the EPA limit for drinking water. Whew, let's take a moment to let that sink in, give thanks that we are still alive to read this and proceed with caution from hereon in.


Get this, naturally these findings must surely be something that the wine companies would be interested in knowing. After all, their goal is to sell wine not poison its consumers. Mr. Hicks shared the test results to some of those wine companies and as you'll see here's the outcome.



Before you panic, please note that wine is still good for you, the adventure is to know which one can you really trust.