Microplastics in my wine!?
Ultraprocessed foods! Forever chemicals! Microplastics! What’s your favorite high-tech worry? Could there be microplastics in our wine!? Well, maybe.
I got quite a bit of response to last week’s column about metal screw caps, most of you agreeing that the increasing adoption of screw-caps and fungus-free “technical” corks has all but eliminated the scourge of cork taint from commercial wine.
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A few readers, though, raised a question about screw caps that hadn’t occurred to me: Does the tiny plastic liner that secures a seal between the closure and the bottle afflict our wine with invisible yet scary microplastics?
First, the bad news: It does appear that metal screw caps shed microplastics into water, soda, beer, and yes, wine in glass bottles. In a study published last summer, the French food-safety agency ANSES reported that glass bottles, counterintuitively, contain more microplastics than those in plastic bottles. The culprit, ANSES found, appeared to be the bottle caps more than the bottles themselves.
“On average, in glass bottles of cola, lemonade, iced tea, and beer, there were around 100 microplastic particles per litre. This number was five to 50 times lower in plastic bottles and cans.”
Who knew? “We were expecting the opposite result,” the report went on. “The scientists hypothesised that these plastic particles could come from the paint used on bottle caps.”
The Portuguese firm Amorim, a leading producer of natural cork, wasn’t slow to step forward with its own analysis of the microplastics study.
The (relatively) good news? For reasons not entirely clear, water and wine bottled under screw caps are less affected by microplastics than other beverages.
Microplastics are just about everywhere in our modern, technological world. They have been found in the land, sea, and air, across the food chain, and throughout the human body, The World Economic Forum wrote in a report last year.
If you’re a natural optimist, it may reassure you to know that the full extent of the health impacts of microplastics is not yet known. There is no direct evidence that these tiny plastic fragments filling up our bodies are harmful to human health.
If you’re a pessimist or even just a realist, though, you might want to be aware that some studies implicate microplastics in an increased likelihood of heart attack, stroke, and even Alzheimer’s.
“It is estimated that people inhale 68,000 microplastic particles every day, and some experts believe we are in the midst of a plastic health crisis,” the World Economic Forum concluded. “Microplastics have now been detected throughout the human body – including the blood, lungs, liver, and even lower limb joints. Scientists have found evidence of microplastics in our brains, and further studies have revealed how these microplastics are accumulating and rapidly rising.”
In a world that sometimes seems full of potential threats, microplastics may not rank as highly in our spectrum of fears as some more immediate dangers, ranging from war and plague to rising authoritarianism.
Still, the Portuguese firm Amorim, a leading producer of natural cork, wasn’t slow to step forward with its own analysis. “Wine bottles sealed with cork stoppers free of microplastics,” Amorim headlined its quick media response to the French study. “The results showed that glass containers were more contaminated than other types of packaging in all drinks, except for wine, a difference attributed to the use of cork stoppers instead of screw caps.”
You pay your money and take your choice. I didn’t let fear of microplastics keep me from enjoying this week’s featured wine, the delicious and tightly screw-capped Nortico 2023 Alvarinho from Portugal’s Minho region.
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Today’s Tasting Report
Nortico 2023 Minho Alvarinho ($15.99)
Made entirely from Portugal’s Alvarinho grape and made without oak, clear copper-gold Nortico 2023 Minho Alvarinho breathes appetizing scents of tangerine-dominant mixed citrus and honeydew melon. Citrus and melon carry over in the long-lasting flavor with fresh, bright acidity that serves well at the dinner table. 13% alcohol. U.S. importer: Ole & Obrigado, New Rochelle, N.Y. (Feb. 16, 2026)
FOOD MATCH: It’s made to go with Portugal’s world famous seafood and fish, and the importer also suggests matching it with creamy and tangy cheeses.
WHEN TO DRINK: Best enjoyed over the next year or two while it’s still young and fresh.
VALUE:
Wine-Searcher.com’s $16 average U.S. retail price places this appealing white wine appropriately in the middle teens. It’s a good value.
WEB LINK:
Here is importer Ole & Obrigado’s Nortico fact sheet. For more information on their Carbon Neutral Certified status, see this page.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Nortico 2023 Minho Alvarinho on Wine-Searcher.com.
Go to this Wine-Searcher link for information about Portugal’s Minho wine region.
Read about the Alvarinho grape (known as Albarino in Spain) at this Wine-Searcher link.
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Previous Issue: « Screw cap? So what?
I've been reading your column for several years (I checked my outlook inbox - while I delete most of the stuff there, I still have the excellent article you wrote in December 2023 about the Noval Black Reserve! What can I say? I like port.)
But I digress.
What I wanted to do was thank you for promoting about the wine-searcher.com link. Most of what you recommend sounds amazing, but c'mon, Spec's and Total Wine don't typically carry these more esoteric choices you tell us about. Now I can finally order some of these choices that you tantalize me with each week.