Hello all

I emailed you 2 weeks ago to warn you that there was a risk that some Argentinean wines contained traces of an anti-biotic called Natamycin, E235.

I also said that it may well turn out to be a storm in a teacup and it has rather!

Since then...
- We have had 100% of our Argentinean and South African wines (88 in all) tested Natamycin by http://www.fera.defra.gov.uk/.
- 87/88 wines were clear of natamycin
- The Food Standards Agency has issued guidance saying “Analysis results to date reveal that this is present in small quantities, less than 0.5 mg/kg, and a risk assessment conducted by the FSA has concluded that this presents negligible risk to health”

The one wine that did have traces was a Torrontes from Mauricio Lorca, which was measured as containing 1/180th of the allowable daily intake. Having discussed this with Mauricio (who by the way is a very straight guy) and Wines of Argentina, the Argentine trade body, I am comfortable that these traces are from a cleaning agent used to clean the winery rather than an additive. I have not tried drinking 180 bottles of his wines a day, but I feel very confident that if you did, Natamycin would be the least of your concerns! But, if you are concerned and would like a refund, please do call us and we will be pleased to do so.

From now on we will be testing all wines for natamycin before they are imported. In the meantime we will label all Argentinean wines either “tested nm free” or “contains E235” so that you can see which is which.

If you have any further questions please come back to me

Regards

Rowan

Rowan (Staff) 15:56 11/12/2009

Dear Rowan
Having worked in the food industry for a lifetime I was very impressed with your precautionary approach to the German discovery of Natamycin in some Argentinian wines.

Albeit I probably consume lots of Natamycin in other ways, I liked the scrupulous way you have questioned, tested and concluded on this issue.

Very well done - a lot of effort almost certainly needlessly as regards the offending product, but you applied the correct principles - and quickly.

Keep up the good work.

Best regards

Stuart

Stuart 19:21 11/12/2009

This was my first purchase from Naked wine and now feel stranded? Told about an issue then no futher updates? Is this how this company works? ie create a panic and then say no more?

ROBERT 19:17 08/12/2009

Rowan,
I am due to be using 2 Argentinian wines in the tasting on Saturday. I will not use them unless I get an OK from you. Please can you let me know what the state of play is when possible? I will check here tomorrow and Friday and Saturday in the hope that something positive may be forthcoming.

Ben 17:06 25/11/2009

Product warning – Argentinean Wines

There have been reports in the German wine press that a substance called Natamycin has been found in some Argentinean wines. Following these reports, we extended our normal quality control to test for Natamycin at very low levels of concentration, and have identified some wines that contain traces of it.

Based on the information we have so far THERE IS NO RISK TO HEALTH.
- Natamycin IS APPROVED IN THE EU FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION in products like cheese, and some sausages but it is NOT approved in wine.
- Where it has been found in any of our wines, we have been advised by the Food Standards Agency that the concentration detected is lower than the allowable daily intake.

You can read more about Natamycin at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natamycin

As well as comprehensively testing all Argentinean wines, we have also;
1. Asked all other suppliers to confirm whether or not they have used Natamycin in any part of the wine making process.
2. Broadened our normal quality control testing programme to search for Natamycin in other regions, and at low concentrations.
3. Stopped selling all Argentinean wines until they have been tested to be free of Natamycin.
We don’t have all the facts yet, and this may turn out to be a storm in a teacup, but we decided that it was better to be safe than sorry.
While we are waiting for the results of these actions...
1. Do not drink Argentinean wines until we come back to you.
2. If you want to send any Argentinean wines back, please contact us on 01603 281 800. Needless to say we will refund you in full.
3. And as we say, please do not panic.

As soon as we have definitive instructions from the Wine Standards Agency based on the analysis results we will get back to you with further guidance .

Rowan (Staff) 12:43 24/11/2009