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1995 Vandarch Republic wine scandal: Difference between revisions
1995 Vandarch Republic wine scandal (view source)
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==Background== | ==Background== | ||
[[File:Weinreben_Uhudler.jpg|thumb|Wineyard in Hollona]] | [[File:Weinreben_Uhudler.jpg|thumb|Wineyard in Hollona]] | ||
Competing against famous [[Levantia|Levantine]] viticultures like the [[Burgundie Wine Region]], [[Canaery|Caenish]] wine from [[Urcea]] and [[Wine in Yonderre|Yonderian wineyards]], many wines from [[Anglei]] and [[Hollona and Diorisia]] occupied a niche as affordable, even discount, offerings, with many supermarket chains having long-term contracts with to supply large quantities of wine at a specified quality and price level. Apparently these producers ran into problems in some weak vintages in the early 1990s where much of the grape harvest did not reach sufficient ripeness levels. At the levels of ripeness that were reached, the wines would be less sweet, less full-bodied and more acidic than previous vintage. It is believed that when this led to insufficient quantities of wine being available to fulfill the contracts, some producers started to search for methods, including illegal ones, to "correct" the wines. As sweetening the wines with sugar directly was illegal and strictly controlled, enterprising chemists began experimenting with alternative sweeteners including diethylene glycol. | Competing against famous [[Levantia|Levantine]] viticultures like the [[Burgundie Wine Region]], [[Canaery|Caenish]] wine from [[Urcea]] and [[Wine in Yonderre|Yonderian wineyards]], many wines from [[Anglei]] and [[Hollona and Diorisia]] occupied a niche as affordable, even discount, offerings, with many supermarket chains having long-term contracts with Holldoner and Diorisian wineries to supply large quantities of wine at a specified quality and price level. Apparently these producers ran into problems in some weak vintages in the early 1990s where much of the grape harvest did not reach sufficient ripeness levels. At the levels of ripeness that were reached, the wines would be less sweet, less full-bodied and more acidic than previous vintage. It is believed that when this led to insufficient quantities of wine being available to fulfill the contracts, some producers started to search for methods, including illegal ones, to "correct" the wines. As sweetening the wines with sugar directly was illegal and strictly controlled, enterprising chemists began experimenting with alternative sweeteners including diethylene glycol. | ||
Most of the recalled wines contained up to a few grams of diethylene glycol per litre (and many only a fraction of a gram), which meant that dozens of bottles would have to be consumed in a limited period of time to reach the lethal dose of approximately 40 grams. However, in one record-setting wine (a 1993 St. John's from Hollona) 48 grams per litre was detected, which meant that the consumption of a single bottle could have been lethal. Also, long-term consumption of diethylene glycol is known to damage the kidney, liver and brain. In a fortuitous twist, ethanol prevents the metabolization of diethylene glycol, which further protected consumers. | Most of the recalled wines contained up to a few grams of diethylene glycol per litre (and many only a fraction of a gram), which meant that dozens of bottles would have to be consumed in a limited period of time to reach the lethal dose of approximately 40 grams. However, in one record-setting wine (a 1993 St. John's from Hollona) 48 grams per litre was detected, which meant that the consumption of a single bottle could have been lethal. Also, long-term consumption of diethylene glycol is known to damage the kidney, liver and brain. In a fortuitous twist, ethanol prevents the metabolization of diethylene glycol, which further protected consumers. | ||