Why wine contains sulfites

Bacteria that can cause wine to smell like nail-polish remover or vinegar want to feed on the sugar, too. Yeast releases sulfites to thwart the bacteria. If all goes well, the yeast wins, and the wine ferments as expected. Other times, if a bacteria is taking over, a winemaker might add a little sulfur dioxide to help the yeast. Each bottled wine has 20 ppm to 30 ppm sulfites. Helena winery, he notes. Sulfur dioxide is present in a lot of packaged foods.

For some, sulfur allergies may be associated with headaches and stuffy sinuses after a glass or two of wine. Sulfur dioxide SO2 , or sulfites as they are best known in the wine world, is a chemical compound that occurs naturally at low levels during the process of wine fermentation.

It is also added by many winemakers during the fermentation stage of winemaking to protect and preserve the wine's character, flavor, and color.

Sulfur dioxide is both antimicrobial and antioxidant -- making it one of the top allies available to vintners, as it impedes the oxidation of the wine and prevents it from fermenting its way to vinegar. Sulfur dioxide is also utilized in most wineries as part of the housekeeping regime — harsh chemicals think bleach would be a tough sell as a cleaning option for fermentation tanks, equipment, hoses, valves, and other process hardware so sulfur dioxide is often the cleaner of choice.

Signs of sulfite sensitivities include nasal congestion, headaches, skin flush, broncho-constriction, nausea, abdominal pain, and dizziness. Ironically, because of the technology available to today's winemakers, the amount of sulfur dioxide needed to inhibit oxidation, prevent further fermentation and stabilize the wine is at an all-time low.

The legal maximum sulfite level for U. Naturally occurring levels of sulfur dioxide in a glass of wine, without chemical additives, would weigh in at around ppm. Keeping in mind that all wines contain some naturally occurring sulfites, if you are looking for wines with the lowest level of sulfites, then organic wines are your best bet, because by label definition " Organic Wines" are produced from organically grown grapes without the addition of chemicals including sulfur dioxide during the winemaking process.

What are sulphites? All wines contain sulphur dioxide at around 10 milligrams per litre. BUT c ommercially-made wines contain from ten to twenty times that amount.

Understanding sulphites in alcohol What you need to know? Sulphites in red wine Sulphites are lowest in dry red wines which do not usually need added sulphur dioxide because they naturally contain anti-oxidants, acquired from their skins and stems during the fermentation process. Sulphites in orange wine Similar to red wine which contain less sulphites than white wine, orange wine is made using skin contact methods which allow them to stay protected and the reason they are called skin contact wines and do not require additional sulphur dioxide to be added.

The biggest health risk is an allergic reaction Are sulphites bad for you? Do sulphites in wine cause headaches? Watch out for the tannins though!! What is sulphite sensitivity?

How do I tell how much sulphur is in a bottle of wine? A Christmas Thank You! And you cannot escape them. Sulfite-free wines do not exist. It is literally literally impossible. No way. Added sulfites preserve freshness and protect wine from oxidation, and unwanted bacteria and yeasts. Without added sulfites, a Bordeaux would be considered trash vinegar rather than a treasure.

It's a terrific aid to winemakers—and ultimately wine drinkers, because it destroys bad microbes.