September Wine Club Musings...

SULFITES

Sulfites naturally occur in all fermented foods so it is impossible for any wine to be ‘sulfite free’ entirely.  However, winemakers add sulfur dioxide during fermentation and bottling to protect the wine from harmful bacteria and prevent oxidation.  In natural wine production, wine makers prefer to minimize the use of sulfur in wine - sulfite use is measured in PPM (parts per million) and most of the winemakers I work with are using them in the very low range of 15-25ppm, compared to 100pp+ in commercial wine production.  Sulfites have become something of an unjustified indicator because winemakers are required to indicate usage on the bottle, due to people suffering from sulfur allergies.  However, it is worth bearing in mind that the real nasties in commercial wine production that give us that unpleasant hangover feeling are all the other additives… more on that next month!