An international alliance of wineries, merchants, and wine experts is calling for a boycott of wines whose vine rows have been treated with herbicides such as glyphosate. The campaign is initiated by the American winemaker, author, podcaster, and activist Adam L. Huss, who advocates for a consistently ecological viticulture. The goal is to increase pressure on the wine industry and gradually end the use of chemical herbicides in viticulture.

Huss justifies the initiative with what he sees as the negative consequences of herbicides for soils, biodiversity, and wine quality. Among other things, he cites the fate of Australian winemaker Nick Dugmore, who is suffering from cancer, as a trigger for the call to boycott, as well as the current political developments in the USA. There, President Donald Trump supports the production of glyphosate-containing herbicides due to their "important contribution" to the country's food safety. Additionally, the Supreme Court ruled in June that glyphosate producer Bayer cannot be sued for lacking cancer warning labels on packaging.

The boycott is not only directed against glyphosate but generally against chemical herbicides in viticulture. Huss draws a comparison to the debate about heavy wine bottles: After wine critics like Jancis Robinson and Oz Clarke have already spoken out against their high CO₂ footprint, a cross-industry movement against the use of herbicides should now emerge.

Huss recommends consumers to prefer wines from organically or biodynamically certified operations. Other sustainability programs often still allow the use of glyphosate. If there is no certification, wine lovers should specifically inquire with the producers or pay attention to detailed information about viticulture. Even images of the vineyards could provide insights. Furthermore, the initiative addresses merchants, restaurateurs, sommeliers, wine journalists, and tasters. They should neither sell nor recommend wines from herbicide cultivation and publicly discuss the issue.

(cs – Image: Uwe Kauss)

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