Major Problems for Organic Wine Producers

The average wine consumer who likes his wine, in moderate daily quantities, after or during his meal, likes to think very positive about organic wine producers who try to fight against the “plague” of the pesticides sprayers used mostly by neighboring vineyards, to produce a honest, good and fair meaning competitive priced wine.Not so long ago most of us thought them as an enthusiastic kind of losers but recent statistics tell us the following:

•          The share of organically produced French wine – France still the world’s largest producer, not anymore by far, but still – rose from 2.6 percent in 2007 to 8.2 percent by the end of 2012!!

Despite this process, France is the third highest user of pesticides in the world this after the USA and, for me, at least surprisingly Japan, which appears to be a close second. To give some hard numbers France used 110,000 metric tons of pesticides per year (FYI heavily subsidized by the European Commission).To put this into layman’s perspective a large Maersk container behemoth fully loaded with usually highly concentrated pesticides.

France was recently shocked by a study revealing that residue of pesticides were found in 90 percent of wines tested. Pesticides were even found in organic produced wines, indicating contamination from neighboring vineyards or other sources.

The French Law requires treatment with pesticides  in several – important regions like Burgundy to counter bacterial and other diseases as a result breaking this law for being an organic producer means ending up in jail this recently happened in Pyrevert, Burgundy.

An local organic producer facing a six month prison term and a fine of $41,000 for NOT using pesticides! This poor man is no a criminal according to French law. This law forcing organic producers to use pre-emptive pesticides in Burgundy is not only bad policy but foremost bad publicity for the whole French wine industry.