Sulphite in Wine: What’s the Story?
Has there ever been a time when you or someone you know may have wanted to enjoy a glass of wine but thought no, I can’t drink wine (more common in red but also with white) because it gives me a headache? While it’s true that some people may be intolerant to the tannins in red wines, more often it is the amount of sulphites in the wine that causes headaches.
Sulfur Dioxide (CO2), also known as sulphites, is commonly used in the preservation of almost all processed foods. In the wine-making industry, sulphites are used for two purposes: to stop fermentation once a specific point of fermentation has been reached, and as a preservative to prevent spoiling and oxidation over extended periods of time.
There is little debate on the first purpose, however the practice of adding sulphites as a preservative is the subject of long and heated debates. Some winemakers believe that it is necessary, while others emphatically state that it is not, and not worth the health risks it may present. They state that wines can be safely preserved for years without the use of sulphites.
According to WineFolly.Com, the post-fermentation sulphites content in wines varies from approximately 5 – 200 mg/litre. Therefore, at the high end of the range, a standard 187.5 ml glass, based on four glasses/750ml bottle, can contain as much as 37.5 mgs of Sulphites.
According to the European Food Safety Authority, the daily acceptable consumption of sulphites is 0.7 mg/kg of body weight. So, for a 70kg person, the daily acceptable consumption of sulphites is 49 mg. Therefore, just one standard glass of wine can contain almost as much as the normal acceptable daily consumption limit of sulphites. This is in addition to the sulphites that you may already be consuming from processed foods.
Why is this important? Almost every bottle of wine sold commercially contains sulphites. It is so prevalent that the words “contains sulphites” is included on the back label of the bottle. It is used so commercially-sold wines are preserved during their sometimes-long journeys (maybe years) from the winery to your table.
At The Fermented Grape, we add a 3.6 gm package of Sulphites to 23 litres of wine only for the purposes of stopping fermentation; no other sulphites are added for preservation. Many of our customers agree that our wines with no additional sulphites added for preservation are superior in taste to commercially-sold wines and do not result in headaches. Proper storage (cool, dark, relatively low humidity) of our wines eliminates preservation issues, with some of our customers having wines aged as long as five years.
In conclusion, why not come to The Fermented Grape, where we can make you a very high-quality red or white wine that’s virtually free of sulphites to enjoy. What have you got to lose except a headache?
