Sulfites Revisited

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. This topic comes up every few months in my conversations about wine – so I have to address it at a couple of times a year, and that topic is the confusion about sulfites in wine, and what they are.

The topic of sulfites and wine confuses most consumers. I think the passage of federal legislation requiring wineries indicate on the labels that sulfites are present in wine, seems to be what surrounds the confusion. Sulfites are not some weird artificial chemical that is a by-product of modern chemistry. They are found in the vineyard, they are an anti-oxidant acting as a natural preservative. They are an expected bi-product of fermentation. Unfortunately, not enough sulfites are produced during fermentation to keep the wine fresh tasting and stable for very long, so additional sulfites are added. Although, you may see labels that read, no added sulfites. Meaning that there are no sulfites added by the winery and only those that occur during the fermentation process are in the wine. I assure you that no winemaker worth their credentials ever adds more sulfites than are necessary to preserve the wine. To the average person sulfites are not an issue. However, there are individuals who have severe allergic reactions, not only in wine, but in dried fruits, nuts and vegetables. All of which, may use sulfite as a preservative.  By the time you are drinking age you most likely know if you have sulfite allergies and you will stay away from wine. And, by the way, sulfites are not likely what gave you a headache that time you drank too much wine. Thanks for joining me on today’s Vine to Wine.