Lawsuit claims arsenic levels 'unsafe' in low-cost wines

A class action lawsuit claims dozens of California wineries produced wine with dangerously high levels of arsenic.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in California Superior Court. It claims the 28 wineries knowingly violated California law by producing wine contaminated with arsenic and failing to inform consumers about the potential dangers.

Testing was done at BeverageGrades in Denver. The lab tested 1,306 different types of wine and found 83 showed dangerously elevated levels of inorganic arsenic. Two additional labs confirmed the results. BeverageGrades listed the wines with the lowest levels of arsenic on its website. According to the lawsuit, some wines contained arsenic levels that exceeded the safe daily intake limit by 500%.

Most of the wines listed in the lawsuit are low-cost white or blush varieties, including Moscato, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. Popular brands named in the lawsuit include Franzia, Sutter Home, Wine Cube, Cupcake, Beringer and Vendage.

A dollar amount isn't specified in the lawsuit. Instead the lawsuit seeks "injunctive relief, civic penalties, disgorgement and damages."

The attorneys who filed the lawsuit also created a website for consumers at TaintedWine.com.

The Wine Institute, an association of 1,000 California wineries, spoke out against the lawsuit and testing calling it "false and misleading" in a statement.

"Arsenic is prevalent in the natural environment in air, soil and water, and in food," the statement said. "There is no research that shows that the amounts found in wine pose a health risk to consumers."