Are There Pesticides In Your Wine?

When we think of all the delicious things we'd like to come with our glass of wine, we'd never want to add a side of pesticides. But now, a French study warns that at least 90 percent of wines from France come with pesticide residues. 

The study, reports Decanter.com, looked at more than 300 French wines; those were "2009 and 2010 vintages of Bordeaux, the Rhone, and the wider Aquitaine region, including appellations such as Madiran and Gaillac." Specifically, the researchers tested for 50 molecules found in vine treatments to look for pesticides and fungicides. The most commonly found molecule in the wines is from an anti-rot treatment, which is usually applied to the vines late in the growing season. In some cases, as many as nine molecules were found in wines. 

The silver lining in the study? Of the molecules found, none of them were at the threshold for toxicity levels. But, as researcher Pascal Chatonnet explained to Decanter.com, it's still not great news — it's the accumulation and interaction of these molecules that has them worried. And seeing as 80 percent of France's vineyards use fungicides, it's cause for concern. While France's Ecophyto national plan is trying to cut back on pesticide use across the board by 50 percent by 2018, pesticide use actually increased from 2010 to 2011.