A startling new lawsuit has caught the eye of wine lovers across the country. It’s been revealed that many California winemakers have failed to disclose the high amounts of arsenic in wines from their region.
The wines named in the lawsuit are mostly blush or whites, and include Sutter Home, Wine Cube, Franzia, Menage a Trois, Charles Shaw, Glen Ellen, Trader Joe's Two Buck Chuck White Zinfandel, Cupcake, Beringer and Vendage among those with high arsenic levels.
CBS News reports these wines in question have up to four or five times over the maximum allowed amounts the Environmental Protection Agency allows for drinking water.
This was uncovered by Kevin Hicks, who launched his company BeverageGrades in Denver, Colorado, to find out what was really in wine. There are no requirements on labeling, so it’s been a mystery up until now.
Hicks filed a class action lawsuit in California on Thursday against the wineries.
"The lower the price of wine on a per-liter basis, the higher the amount of arsenic,” he concluded after testing 1,300 bottles of wine.
California’s KTUV reports the study concludes that over time, if a glass or two of these wines are consumed every day, it could pose a threat to your health.
Next time you sit down and relax with a White Zinfandel, Moscato, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, check to see if the winery is named in this lawsuit.