Sulfites in wine continues to be a topic of great interest for wine consumers.
Just as a reminder, all wines possess sulfites as they are a natural by-product of the fermentation process. So the issue lies with the level of sulfites added either during winemaking or before bottling.
And it is worth repeating that around 2% of the population actually has sulfite allergies. Sulfites are also found in fruit juices and dried fruits, not to mention scores of other packaged foods.
The histamines in wine, as well as the quality and quantity of wine consumed most likely contribute to more headaches than sulfites.
There was another article this week about one proposed solution.
In South Africa they have developed an ultra violet treatment to kill the microbes found in wine.
But that only solves part of the problem.
Sulfites act as both an antibacterial agent and a antioxidant for wine.
Wines with no added sulfites still battle with possessing an oxidized quality if they are not consumed young and fresh. Oxidized wines can be identified by flavors of old cooking sherry and often are darker than expected.
I have tasted delicious wines that were made with no added sulfites. It is true that many of those wines were consumed close to their home region and within 18 months of being bottled.
Arjun Mendiratta did an excellent post on the Saignee blog about sulfites last July.
Want to try some great no added sulfites wines?
Here are some suggestions for where to find them:
Terroir wine bar in San Francisco
Natural Process Alliance in Sonoma
The Ten Bells wine bar in New York
Thursday, September 3, 2009
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6 comments:
This one is a personal pet peeve of mine. Whenever someone tells me that they got a headache from the sulfites in wine they drank the night before, I tell them that it's about 1000 times more likely that their headache is a resulting of simply drinking too much wine and not enough water!
I always ask my customers who complain about sulfites if they use shampoo with sulfites. Then I ask them if they wash with sulfites (sodium lauryl sulfate anyone?) and then I ask them if they drink oj or eat onions... since I'm not a doctor, I cannot tell them that they are not allergic to sulfites in wine!
If I might refer to Amy's column, www.mydailywine.com/2009/02/wine-and-passion.html, try Santo Stefano Winemaking in the Hudson Valley, NY. We add no sulfites and can offer wines from up to 10 years ago which have aged beautifully. Allergy or not, why consume chemicals when you don't have to?
I'm with Joe, this is also a pet peeve of mine. I've heard this over and over again after putting in 7+ years in the tasting room environment. Even people telling me they only drink white wine because "the sulfites in red wines give them headaches." Hah! Whites typically have more sulfites. The government label has done nothing other than created hysteria, misinformation and I find it ironic when people worry about sulfites in a bottle of wine. Afterall, how many people have been killed due to driving under the influence of sulfites? The alcohol in a bottle of wine has a greater potential to make you ill or kill you than the sulfites ever will.
I sympathize with those of us in the wine industry who get frustrated by the sulfite issue.
It makes logical sense that the percentage of folks with allergies to sulfites is much, much smaller than the amount of people who want to blame sulfites for every unpleasant wine experiences.
That being said, while I understand the need for sulfites as an anti-bacterial and as an antioxidant for wines, it pleases me to see a smaller amount used.
I feel exactly the same way about MSG in my chinese food.
Hi,
I'm a small producer of wine, based in Spain, and I don't add sulfites to my wine. I've found that the young white that we release in December lasts till about June, after which it starts to lose its original aromas and flavours, and turns 'sherry-like'. No problem with the reds at all though.
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