MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Wine drinkers, listen up. The cheap wine you’re drinking could have an illegal and dangerous amount of arsenic in it.
A lawsuit filed in California claims more than two dozen winemakers know they’re selling contaminated wines and don’t want to tell you about it.
Several Mid-South liquor store owners told WREG they’re not concerned this will impact their business yet.
“We didn’t come to work today worried,” Lindsay Smith, who manages Wine Market in East Memphis, said. “I’m interested to see how many costumers come in and mention it.”
The lawsuit is making national headlines.
More than 80 wines are said to have a harmful amount of arsenic.
A Denver lab did the testing and claims there’s up to five times more arsenic than what’s considered the acceptable and maximum amount you can have in a day.
Two other private labs verified the results.
“These wines that they are mentioning are known as cheaper, mass-produced brands,” Smith said.
Some of the wineries listed in the suit include Menage a Trois, Franzia, and Sutter Home, and blush and white colors seem to be more dangerous.
“I don’t want to get sick now,” wine drinker Marisol Espino said.
“That means I am on notice that there may be a problem. I am going to be very careful about it,” wine drinker Pablo Davis added.
It’s unclear where all the arsenic is coming from, and some winemakers listed in the suit said they are going to look into it, while others don’t believe the claims.
Arsenic can pose major health risks. The American Heart Association reports you can get cancer, liver and kidney damage, and diabetes.
“You think you are going to be safe when you drink it, and to know you might not be, sucks,” wine drinker Candice Dormon said.
Smith said it’s best to buy better quality wines, because they will tell you where the grapes came from.
“If you’re spending that little, where it almost seems like it’s too good to be true, it’s probably not a good quality product,” Smith said.
To learn more about the lawsuit and the brands listed: http://www.taintedwine.com/
