Comments on The Gray Report: Fungicide residue makes white wines sweeter

Hey blake. By definition RS is sweetness. Alcohol ...

2012-01-21T19:02:27.866-08:00

Hey blake. By definition RS is sweetness. Alcohol is an impression of sweetness. Regards, Dan

Dan K: Beg to differ with you on one point: Isn...

2012-01-21T15:35:59.615-08:00

Dan K: Beg to differ with you on one point: Isn't RS the main contributor to impressions of sweetness?

Attention-getting. Ah yes. I remember when I started working at newspapers, people who didn't like the tone of a story would say -- accusatorily -- "You're just trying to sell papers." Like that was a bad thing.

These wines will have to be accompanied by MSDS sh...

2012-01-21T09:12:01.625-08:00

These wines will have to be accompanied by MSDS sheets like the fungicides themselves. Great

First off, the study appears to be scientifically ...

2012-01-21T08:25:21.209-08:00

First off, the study appears to be scientifically worthless. I can tell you that fungicides protect the inherent fruitiness of white wines from fungal degradation and allows for longer hang time and increased ripeness levels. The result is fruitier wines with higher alcohol levels. Alcohol, of course, is the main contributor to impressions of sweetness in wines. To make some conclusion suggesting

Jamie: It's true, it's not a great study f...

2012-01-20T09:52:41.783-08:00

Jamie: It's true, it's not a great study for the reasons you and Becca point out. But I remember an old news editor telling me, "You can exercise your discretion on good news stories, but you can't use your political beliefs to exclude stories that don't fit." I certainly wish the study hadn't reached those conclusions, but they are worth reporting.

Anon:

Blake, I figured you'd have more insight on th...

2012-01-20T09:50:21.796-08:00

Blake, I figured you'd have more insight on the "tropical fruit aromas in Chardonnay" after that sensory analysis seminar at Tolosa last year. ;)

I am not sure all "European Palates" may have a preference for subtlety, and dryness. Have ya tasted any of the sea of off-dry Saperavis, 6 puttonyos Tokajs, or Sovetskoye Shampanskoye?....

Blake, I think it's a HUGE leap to suggest tha...

2012-01-20T09:15:56.807-08:00

Blake, I think it's a HUGE leap to suggest that growers using systemic fungicides have fruitier or more tropical-tasting wines.
This study was a poor one, IMHO - there's such a thing as exclusion periods (you can't spray 3 days before harvest) - there were just so many variables involved here with multiple fungicides and residues above legal limits, that it's really a big

White trash? Is that really what you want to write...

2012-01-20T08:59:49.400-08:00

White trash? Is that really what you want to write? What kind of people deserve to be called trash?

Mr Gray, I have enjoyed reading your blog over th...

2012-01-20T08:50:19.700-08:00

Mr Gray,

I have enjoyed reading your blog over the past year. I understand your fear over the potential abuse of fungicides by unscrupulous growers, seeking to improve their bottom line regardless of the health of consumers and the environment.

However, I am disappointed that you single out certified sustainable growers (or any responsible grower), many of whom (though not

Thanks for linking to my post, Blake! Though, I a...

2012-01-20T07:53:07.644-08:00

Thanks for linking to my post, Blake!

Though, I am sorry I've scarred your enjoyment of fruity white wines for life....

I guess one thing that we can still hold out hope for is that maybe this was just a one time result. In the study, they didn't really have any replication, so we can't be totally sure the results are replicable....one can only hope... :/