🍷 Opinion: Glyphosate in American Wines – A Hard Truth

Conventional wineries claim that Roundup is sprayed primarily on the soil and between vine rows.

Glyphosate—the active ingredient in Roundup and a flagship product of Monsanto (now owned by Bayer)—is pervasively used in American agriculture, including conventional and even so-called "Organic" vineyards across the United States.

While conventional wineries claim spraying glyphosate primarily on the soil and between vine rows (which is a total lie), its residues always end up in the final product: the wine we drink.

Independent testings by the Texas Organic Rearch Center, the Detox Project and specifically the 2016 study by Moms Across America, found glyphosate in 100% of California wines sampled—including those labeled organic. And while these were relatively small sample sizes, the result was not surprising to anyone paying attention to how modern industrial farming operates.

Glyphosate is not just common—it’s foundational to how most conventional vineyards manage weeds.

The truth is this:

It’s likely that over 90%—and very possibly closer to 100%—of conventional American wines contain glyphosate residues.

Even organic wines aren't always safe. Due to pesticide drift, contaminated water supplies, or prior land use, many organic wines also test positive for glyphosate, albeit usually in smaller amounts. This illustrates just how deeply glyphosate has saturated the agricultural ecosystem.

Glyphosate has been classified as a probable human carcinogen !!!

Let’s be clear: glyphosate is not a benign chemical. It has been classified as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization’s IARC (which we are cautious about WHO due to the worldwide mRNA mismanagement), and growing independent research raises serious concerns about its potential links to

• cancer,

• endocrine disruption,

• microbiome damage, and

• reproductive toxicity.

Regardless of what Monsanto/Bayer or captured regulatory agencies claim, like many consumers, we have lost trust in the safety of glyphosate, especially when it's showing up in everyday staples like bread, cereal, wine, and even baby formula.

Regulators in the U.S. continue to permit its use, but that does not mean it is safe—it means that it is "only" legal. There is a vast difference.

Where Do We Go From Here?

If you’re trying to avoid glyphosate, the only reliable options are:

• Regenerative farms and wineries that explicitly reject all chemical herbicides

• Biodynamic vineyards (but confirm their actual practices)

• Glyphosate Residue Free–certified products from independent labs

But even then, due to how polluted the environment has become, no wine is guaranteed clean unless tested.

Situation in wines from Chile, Argentina, and Europe

Here's a direct and well-researched breakdown of the glyphosate situation in wines from Chile, Argentina, and Europe—without corporate whitewashing:

🔍 Chile and Argentina

• Glyphosate is used in South American agriculture, including vineyards—but less aggressively than in U.S. industrial-scale farming.

• Some Argentinian wine regions, especially in Mendoza, use glyphosate in vineyard soil management. However, several boutique and export-focused producers—particularly organic or biodynamic ones—intentionally avoid it.

• Chile has a strong international reputation for clean farming practices, especially in cooler coastal or high-altitude regions. Chilean wines that are certified organic or biodynamic tend to be lower-risk for glyphosate, though not immune.

• No national ban exists in Chile or Argentina—but consumer demand, especially from Europe, has pressured many South American producers to minimize chemical use in wines bound for export.

➡️ Bottom Line:

Glyphosate is present in many conventional Chilean and Argentinian wines, but it's less ubiquitous than in the U.S. Seek out producers who are certified organic, biodynamic, or who specifically disclose chemical-free growing practices.

🇪🇺 Europe (especially France, Italy, Spain, Germany)

• Glyphosate is still used in parts of Europe, especially in conventional vineyards, though use is declining fast due to consumer pressure, stricter EU rules, and growing regional bans.

• The European Union has voted to restrict glyphosate, and some countries (like Austria and parts of France) have proposed or enacted bans in specific agricultural sectors.

• France, Italy, and Spain have large numbers of biodynamic, organic, and natural wine producers—many of whom are vocal opponents of glyphosate and chemical farming in general.

• Biodynamic certification (Demeter) and EU Organic certification are generally more reliable in Europe than in the U.S. when it comes to avoiding glyphosate.

➡️ Bottom Line:

Glyphosate exists in some conventional European wines, but clean, chemical-free options are far more accessible, and Europe leads the world in low-intervention, natural wine production.

✅ Safe Bets to Avoid Glyphosate

• Look for:

  • Demeter-certified biodynamic wines

  • "Glyphosate Residue Free" or lab-tested claims

  • EU Organic Certification with transparent farming practices

  • Dry-farmed, low-intervention, or natural wines

    
    

• Avoid:

  • Mass-produced export wines from any country (especially at ultra-low prices)

  • Vague "greenwashed" branding without clear chemical-free claims

🔥 Final Take

This is not fear-mongering. It is the fallout of decades of corporate chemical dominance in our food supply. If nearly every bottle of wine on the shelf—regardless of price or prestige—is tainted with residues of this well known toxic herbicide, then the problem isn’t just about labels. It’s about the entire system that made this acceptable. Consumers deserve better. And the first step is knowing the truth.

While American wines are the worst offenders, glyphosate is a global contaminant—and unless vineyards are actively avoiding it, it's most likely in the bottle.

Europe and parts of South America offer better chances of finding clean wines, but the key is not geography—it’s farming philosophy.

And to RFK Jr. and His USDA:

We fully support your leadership and your deep commitment to public health and environmental truth. But this crisis cannot wait. Glyphosate contamination in our food and drink is poisoning the American people quietly and steadily.

We urge you—Mr. Kennedy and your FDA and USDA teams—to use your authority, your platform, and your moral courage to PUT AN END TO THIS BULLSHIT NOW.

Ban glyphosate. Purge it from our wine, our wheat, our soil, and our bodies. Let this be the generation that ends chemical farming and restores integrity to the American food system.

We’re ready. So are millions of others. Let’s clean house—starting with the vineyard.