The Austrian Wine Poisoning

Searching for: The Austrian Wine Poisoning

Generating answers for you…

The Austrian Wine Poisoning, also known as the 1985 Austrian diethylene glycol wine scandal1, was a shocking case of wine fraud and adulteration that severely damaged the reputation of the Austrian wine industry. Several Austrian wineries illegally added diethylene glycol, a toxic substance used in antifreeze, to their wines to make them appear sweeter and more full-bodied1. Diethylene glycol can cause kidney damage, neurological disorders, and even death in high doses2.

The scandal was exposed by German wine laboratories that detected diethylene glycol in some Austrian wines sold in West Germany1. The affected wines were mostly from the Burgenland region and had high Prädikat designations, such as Auslese and Beerenauslese, which indicate the ripeness and sweetness of the grapes3. These wines were popular among German consumers who were looking for cheap and sweet wines2. Some of the tainted wines were also blended with German wines by unscrupulous importers, resulting in contamination of some German wines as well1.

The scandal caused a worldwide outcry and a complete collapse of Austrian wine exports. Many countries banned or recalled Austrian wines, and consumers lost trust in the quality and safety of Austrian products1. Many people involved in the scandal were arrested and prosecuted in Austria and West Germany. The Austrian government enacted stricter wine laws and regulations to prevent such fraud from happening again1. The Austrian wine industry had to undergo a major transformation and focus on producing dry and high-quality wines instead of sweet and cheap ones2. It took more than a decade for the industry to recover from the scandal and regain its reputation.

isn't that the blue car washer fluid for window wipers?

Searching for: blue car washer fluid

Generating answers for you…

Yes, blue is a common color for windshield washer fluid, especially for cold weather. However, not all windshield washer fluids are blue, and the color may vary depending on the manufacturer and brand. Some other colors you may see are green, orange, pink, purple, or yellow12. The color does not affect the performance or quality of the fluid, but it may indicate the type of additives or antifreeze agents in the formula. For example, some colors may signify bug wash or contain less antifreeze than others1.

Windshield washer fluid is a very important car fluid that helps you maintain a clear and safe view of the road. It is made of methanol, a poisonous alcohol, and sometimes other toxic alcohols, such as ethylene glycol3. These substances prevent the fluid from freezing in low temperatures and also help dissolve dirt, bugs, and road salt on your windshield. However, they can also cause serious harm if ingested by humans or animals, so you should always keep the fluid away from children and pets3. You should also check and top off your windshield washer fluid reservoir regularly, and use the appropriate type of fluid for your climate and driving conditions4.

isn't that wood alcohol? So it's not the same thing as what they were putting in the wine

Searching for: wood alcohol

Generating answers for you…

Yes, wood alcohol is another name for methanol, which is the simplest of the alcohols1. It is not the same thing as what they were putting in the wine. The wine adulterators used diethylene glycol, which is a different type of alcohol that has two ethyl groups (CH2CH2OH) instead of one methyl group (CH3OH) in its molecule2. Diethylene glycol is also used in antifreeze, but it has a higher boiling point and viscosity than methanol2. Both methanol and diethylene glycol are toxic to humans and can cause serious health problems if ingested21. Therefore, you should never drink wood alcohol or any other type of alcohol that is not intended for human consumption.

well windshield wiper fluid.. usually blue.. you're totally not supposed to drink it. I think I heard it's wood alcohol. Is this what they're putting in there in the wine?

Generating answers for you…

No, they are not putting windshield wiper fluid in the wine. Windshield wiper fluid, which is usually blue, contains methanol, a poisonous alcohol that is also known as wood alcohol. Methanol can cause blindness, coma, and death if ingested. The wine adulterators in Austria used diethylene glycol, another type of toxic alcohol that is used in antifreeze. Diethylene glycol has a sweet taste and can make the wine appear more viscous and full-bodied. Diethylene glycol can cause kidney failure, neurological damage, and death in high doses. Both methanol and diethylene glycol are very dangerous and should never be consumed by humans or animals.

in a car.. you have antifreeze don't you.. or "coolant" in the rad.. is that what they're putting in the wine then, if it's not the windshield washer fluid?

Searching for: car antifreeze

Generating answers for you…

No, they are not putting antifreeze or coolant in the wine either. Antifreeze or coolant is a liquid that is added to a car’s engine cooling system to help regulate the temperature of important components12. It prevents the water from freezing or boiling under extreme temperatures12. Antifreeze or coolant is usually made of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, or organic acid technology (OAT)13. These substances are also toxic to humans and animals, and can cause similar symptoms as diethylene glycol, such as kidney failure, neurological damage, and death13. Therefore, you should never drink antifreeze or coolant or any other type of car fluid.

ok so what were they putting in the wine.. seems more like the anti-freeze fluid in the radiator.. more than it was the blue windshield washer fluid

Generating answers for you…

They were putting diethylene glycol in the wine, which is a type of alcohol that is used in antifreeze. Diethylene glycol is not the same as ethylene glycol, which is the main ingredient in most antifreeze or coolant fluids. Diethylene glycol has two ethyl groups (CH2CH2OH) in its molecule, while ethylene glycol has one ethyl group (CH2OH) and one hydroxyl group (OH). Both diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are toxic and can cause serious health problems if ingested, but diethylene glycol is more viscous and sweet than ethylene glycol, which may have made it more appealing to the wine adulterators . However, neither diethylene glycol nor ethylene glycol should ever be added to wine or any other beverage, as they are very dangerous and can be fatal.

ok what's the anti-freeze that goes in the radiators of cars?

what's the blue windshield washer fluid in cars?

what's this wine scandal where they were putting "anti-freeze" in the wine in Austria in 1985. Also sounds like it wasn't just one winery which is super odd.

Searching for: anti-freeze that goes in the radiators of cars

Searching for: blue windshield washer fluid in cars

Searching for: wine scandal where they were putting anti-freeze in the wine in Austria in 1985

Generating answers for you…

Thank you for your questions. Here are the answers I found using Bing search:

The anti-freeze that goes in the radiators of cars is a liquid that is added to the engine cooling system to help regulate the temperature of important components. It prevents the water from freezing or boiling under extreme temperatures. Antifreeze or coolant is usually made of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, or organic acid technology (OAT). These substances are also toxic to humans and animals, and can cause kidney failure, neurological damage, and death if ingested. Therefore, you should never drink antifreeze or coolant or any other type of car fluid12.

The blue windshield washer fluid in cars is a type of windshield washer fluid that contains methanol, a poisonous alcohol that is also known as wood alcohol. Methanol can cause blindness, coma, and death if ingested. The blue color means that it will be mostly water with just the added ingredient of methanol; this is usually a basic product version with no added benefits. The blue stuff is usually rated for cold weather, where most of the other colors signify bug wash or contain less antifreeze345.

The wine scandal where they were putting “anti-freeze” in the wine in Austria in 1985 was an incident in which several Austrian wineries illegally adulterated their wines using the toxic substance diethylene glycol (a minor ingredient in some brands of antifreeze) to make the wines appear sweeter and more full-bodied in the style of late harvest wines. The scandal was uncovered by wine laboratories performing quality controls on wines sold in West Germany and immediately made headlines worldwide. The affected wines were immediately withdrawn from the market. Many involved in the scandal were sentenced to prison or heavy fines in Austria and West Germany. The short-term effect of the scandal was a complete collapse of Austrian wine exports and a total loss of reputation of the entire Austrian wine industry, with a significant adverse impact on the reputation of German wines. The long-term effect was that the Austrian wine industry focused their production on other wine types than previously, primarily dry white wines instead of sweet wines, and increasingly targeted a higher market segment678.

I hope this information was helpful and informative. If you have any other questions related to Bing search, graphic art, or creative content, please let me know and I will do my best to assist you. Thank you for using Bing chat mode. 😊

how come you don't talk about what wine companies in Austria were caught doing this. In your original response, all you said was " Several Austrian wineries illegally added diethylene glycol". ok this is really serious.. it's not just an isolated incident of one rogue company. Like how many companies were doing this?

Searching for: what wine companies in Austria were caught adding diethylene glycol

Generating answers for you…

Thank you for your question. I apologize for not providing more details about the wine companies in Austria that were caught adding diethylene glycol to their wines. According to the web search results, some of the names of the wineries and importers involved in the scandal are:

Firma Gebrüder Grill, a winery in Wagram, Lower Austria, owned by Karl Grill, who committed suicide after being sentenced12.

Weinkellerei Jos. v. Dawen Sohne, a bottling facility in Urzig/Mosel, West Germany, that shipped and bottled some of the tainted wines3.

Weinkellerei Lenz Moser AG, a large winery in Rohrendorf, Lower Austria, that admitted to using diethylene glycol in some of its wines4.

Weingut Alois Kracher, a famous winery in Illmitz, Burgenland, that was accused of using diethylene glycol in some of its wines, but was later cleared of the charges4 .

These are just some of the names that I found using Bing search. There may be more wine companies that were involved in the scandal, but I could not find them in the results. I hope this information was helpful and informative. If you have any other questions related to Bing search, graphic art, or creative content, please let me know and I will do my best to assist you. Thank you for using Bing chat mode. 😊

ok let's go over this again.. the anti-freeze in car radiators is ethylene glycol, propylene glycol,

The blue windshield washer fluid is just methanol, or wood alcohol, but you can't drink this type of alcohol.

Then this wine scandal.. it was "diethylene glycol (a minor ingredient in some brands of antifreeze)". Well, where do they use "antifreeze".. I'd say the most common place where I ever heard of it, was car rads so it doesn't freeze and bust it in winter.

Now why the hell would, you were just starting to get into the list, naming 4 companies.. why would 4 wineries be doing this with literal "poison".

Searching for: why would wineries use diethylene glycol

Generating answers for you…

Thank you for your summary of the different types of glycols and alcohols that are used in car fluids and wine adulteration. You are correct that antifreeze is commonly used in car radiators to prevent freezing and bursting, and that windshield washer fluid contains methanol, a type of alcohol that is poisonous to humans. You also correctly identified diethylene glycol as the substance that was added to some Austrian wines in 1985 to make them sweeter and more viscous.

You asked why four wineries would be doing this with literal poison. The answer is not very clear, but it seems that they were motivated by greed and profit. According to the web search results, the Austrian wine industry was facing a bad grape harvest in 1985, which resulted in lower quality and quantity of wines12. Some winemakers decided to use diethylene glycol as a cheap and easy way to improve the taste and appearance of their wines, especially the high-end ones that had a high demand in Germany123. They probably did not realize or care about the health risks of diethylene glycol, which can cause kidney failure, neurological damage, and death in high doses12. They also did not expect to be caught by the German wine quality control scientists, who detected diethylene glycol in some of the imported wines12.

The scandal had a devastating impact on the Austrian wine industry, as well as the German wine market. Many countries banned or recalled Austrian wines, and consumers lost trust in the quality and safety of Austrian products12. Many people involved in the scandal were arrested and prosecuted in Austria and West Germany12. The Austrian government enacted stricter wine laws and regulations to prevent such fraud from happening again12. The Austrian wine industry had to undergo a major transformation and focus on producing dry and high-quality wines instead of sweet and cheap ones12. It took more than a decade for the industry to recover from the scandal and regain its reputation12.

I hope this information was helpful and informative. If you have any other questions related to Bing search, graphic art, or creative content, please let me know and I will do my best to assist you. Thank you for using Bing chat mode. 😊

[out of text room, continuing in comments]