"The wine, produced by L'Ormarins wine estate in Franschhoek, is treated by a UV (Ultra Violet) light machine that, according to the owners, kills unwanted microbes and yeasts. This, says cellar master Neil Patterson, reduces the need to add sulphites during the winemaking process.
Some wine drinkers blame sulphites for allergic reactions as well as headaches and skin reddening following even the smallest sip of wine."
Reminder for all: sulfites are a naturally occurring by product of the winemaking process and are present in ALL wines to various degrees. The only discussion point is whether an extra big bucket is dumped in before bottling to inhibit microbial growth. Dried fruit and fruit juices are packed with sulfites.
As many of you know, sulfites or the lack thereof have been a sore point for natural wine lovers. Without any added sulfites, wine can be very unstable and have a short shelf life. Some natural wine advocates claim to like that slightly musty, off flavor that comes from microbially infected wine.
I am not one of those people.
I like my sulfite free wine to be young and preferably drunk very close to where it was made.
But this article gave me hope. Of course, it is too soon to tell what the longterm effects of UV treament will be on wine flavors, color, etc.
Here's a delicious natural wine recommendation:
Eric Texier Cotes du Rhone 2005
Red berry flavors with some earthy balance,touch of tobacco with a dry finish
I got this on deal at Domaine 547 for $13 but it is normally a few more dollars.
Made from organic grapes, minimally filtered and handled in the cellar, native yeast fermentation, minimal added sulfites.
4 comments:
We all know it's difficult to produce exceptional wine without the addition of sulfites at bottling. Had an interesting conversation with John Williams of Frog's Leap recently, who has always advocated minimal sulphuring, and has indeed played around a lot with zero sulfite bottling. But even as good and patient a winemaker as Williams is, he knows that commercially it makes little sense to attempt to qualify his wines as "Organic" (which is why I think these laws seriously need to be examined again).
That said, all know that for years some of our greatest wines -- like Domaine Tempier, some of the Morgon's by Beaujolais' "Gang of Five," Robert-Denogent in Burgundy, and more -- have been joyously sulfite-free, and wine lovers like me revel in the fresh immediacy of flavors these wines show every year.
I wish I could say I've been impressed by the overall quality of California's zero-sulfite organic producers, but I can't (except for that of Casa Barranca in Ojai, which are almost always amazingly fresh and pure).
No doubt in my mind, though: quality of sulfite wines depend more upon the skill level of the winemaker than on the issue of to-sulphur-or-not-to-sulphur. One need only look at the wines of these longtime French purists to know that.
Agreed. Minimally sulfured wines have been a mixed bag in regards to quality.
And yet, like yourself, there are many that I have thoroughly enjoyed so the possibility of success remains.
Cooper Mountain in OR is starting to play around with low to no added sulfite wines with a brand called 'Life'.
Yeah, Cooper Mountain's pretty good (re my last coverage of their Pinot Noir on http://www.examiner.com/x-2207-Denver-Wine-Examiner~y2009m1d14-Organic-wine-match-of-the-day--Cooper-Mountain-Reserve-Pinot-Noir).
3/20/09
low or no sulfites in wine do not help all sulfite sufferers. the sulfites are in the SKIN of the grape hence, in the wine. personally i would gladly drink low sulfite wines but even that sets off a crazy, scary heart beat for hours - same as eating grapes.
ELFI
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