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Comment by ptah | Hacker News Reader

>Meanwhile, the pathogens that prey on grapes have continued to evolve, leading to major pesticide use

warning bells went off when reading this: it looks like wine industry as it is now is unsustainable

It is a pity to see you being voted down, since the use of pesticides in the wine industry (in volumes which exceed some of the other agricultural industries that give consumers pause) has been a matter of fairly broad public concern for a few years now, see e.g. [0][1][2]

I feel fortunate that in my country, wines in the production of which pesticides were not used, are readily available and for comparable prices to the other wines. In many markets, however, consumers do not have that choice.

[0] https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/03/opinion/pesticides-in-fre... [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/04/dining/in-france-pesticid... [2] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/wine/whic...

Same here in Montenegro. I don't know whether pesticides are used by commercial wineries, but grapes just grows naturally here with very little maintenance, not requiring any pesticides.

If you're worried about the wine industry you'd better brace yourself: the entire planet as it is now is unsustainable.

Most varieties of plants used for crops, fruits, flowers, etc. have been so heavily selected by us over thousands of years that they are completely artificial and would not survive long in the wild.

It does not mean that it isn't sustainable. Just that we are required.

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