#60: Natural Wine, Wine Industry Lies, Todd White of Dry Farm Wines

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“The wine industry has some dirty dark secrets, and they’ve been very effective at keeping these secrets”

Our guest today is someone doing big things in the world of wine...yup you heard me, wine. After 15 years in the wine business Todd White is dedicating his life to educating and helping people make better choices about food, nutrition, and how they think about consuming alcohol. He is the founder of Dry Farm Wines; he’s also a writer, speaker, and a leading authority on healthy organic/natural wines.

Dry Farm Wines is the only lab tested, all natural health quantified wine merchant in the world, and they work with small family farms that are committed to producing pure natural wines.


Points of Discussion:
U.S. winemaking industry has dirty secrets
- 52% of all wines manufactured in the U.S. are made by just 3 giant conglomerates, and the top 30 companies make over 70% of US wines.
- They hide behind thousands of different labels
Wild yeast fermentation vs genetically modified lab-grown yeast
There are 76 approved additives for wine-making in the U.S.
- many are considered safe, but 4 are proven to be toxic to humans
How much sugar is in wine?
Dimethyldicarbonate - toxic additive used in wine manufacturing
Commercial wine reaches 15% alcohol or higher and the labels are typically wrong and not required to be accurate
- manufacturers want the number on the bottle lower so they pay less taxes, but they want the actual amount higher in the wine because it makes us drink more
Wild yeast vs lab-grown yeast explored further
- lab-frown yeast helps the producers have a more predictable outcome, make huge batches, and less risk with the yield. Also helps give wines a particular flavor
Robert Mondavi winery is a marketing facade since it’s been purchased by the second largest wine company in the world
California wine manufacturing facilities called “tank farms”
99.9% of all US vineyards are now all irrigated, prior to 1973 all wine was dry farmed (grown without irrigation)
- irrigation is bad for the planet
- it’s allowing glyphosate (roundup weed killer) into the wine because it’s water soluble
- creates a “lazy plant”, short root structure
- leads to lower nutrients and antioxidants
- cheaper to farm and gets higher yield
Biodiversity on a natural vineyard
Monocropping industrial farming
It’s a crime in most of Europe to irrigate wine grapevines
Dry Farm Wines sells “Natural Wine”, a specific category of wine
- Natural Wine represents less than 1/10 of 1% of wines in the world
Is Organic also Natural?
- all Natural Wines are Organic (not typically certified), but not all Organic wines are Natural Wines
- sold in a store like Whole Foods almost guarantees it’s not a natural wine because natural wine producers can’t make enough volume
Is Biodynamic also Natural?
Ever get purple teeth from red wine?
- likely from a color agent called “Mega Purple”
Red wine naturally gets it’s color from the skins of the grapes and the seeds, and the seeds give it tannin structure
- histamines and tyromine in the red wine skins can be problematic for some people especially women
White wine contains just over 200 polyphenols
Red wine contains just over 800 polyphenols
- resveratrol is the most studied and highly regarded
Many women have negative reactions to commercial wine because they go for a darker color and it yields higher histamines and tyromine
- most of these women do not have reactions to Dry Farm Wines
Are your reactions to wine from Sulfites or Tannins?
How much Sulfur Dioxide is in your wine?
- used 3 or 4 times in the commercial winemaking process
Sugar + Alcohol is a bad combination
Is low sugar wine higher in alcohol?
“Bricks” is an international measurement of the ripeness and sugar of the grapes
- 26 Bricks average in California
- 15-17 Bricks in Italy where he visited
Natural wines are picked at lower ripeness which is lower sugar
Wine as a part of social bonding and health
Causes of headaches and reactions could be from so many things
Dry Farm Wines tests every wine for mold toxins called mycotoxins
- It’s a legal requirement in the EU but not in the US
Dry Farm Wines tests for Sugar, Alcohol, Mold Toxins, Pesticides
Looking for Natural Wine near you?
- look for “Natural Wine retailers” who don’t sell anything else but natural wine
- try the smartphone app called “Raisin”
Try a vacuum cork to re-seal your natural wines
Todd closes out describing his plan for Extended Fasting
- Todd does not drink any wine/alcohol during fasting


References:
- 1 extra bottle for 1 penny: dryfarmwines.com/fowpodcast
- Smartphone app called “Raisin” to search for Natural Wine available in your area.
- Online healthy habits summit and Marisa’s Intermittent Fasting presentation: bit.ly/habitstothrive

Marisa's site: https://www.marisamoon.com
Learn about *Intermittent Fasting Freedom* at marisamoon.com/iffreedom
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Intro/Exit Music  - "Ukulele Whistle" by Scott Holmes