image by: Javier Balseiro on Unsplash

HWN Suggests

Uncovering The Truth About Sulfites in Wine

With the ominous contains sulfites label that accompanies most wine bottles, consumers have grown wary of sulfur in wine…

Sulfur dioxide, or SO2, is one of these approved additives that is heavily critiqued, despite its benefice to the freshness and flavor of wine. Sulfur prevents the wine from reacting with oxygen, which can cause browning and unpleasant odors, and inhibits the growth of bacteria and undesirable, wild yeast in the grape juice or wine. In fact, due to its antimicrobial properties, vintners are allowed to add small amounts of SO2 to wines that are labeled as natural. Historians believe the use of sulfur dioxide in wine dates back centuries, to the Romans who used…

read full article

Featured

 How Sulfites Affect a Wine’s Chemistry

Traditionally, sulfur dioxide (also known as SO2 or sulfite) has been thought of as a relatively innocuous preservative agent, acting mainly as a barrier against oxidation and undesirable bacteria. While SO2 is effective in that manner, it also does quite a lot more, especially in the early stages of vinification, when it becomes part of numerous reactions and transformations.

 Sulphur, so good? What it really means when wine 'contains sulphites'

The debate around sulphur dioxide in wine is made up of, mainly well intended, half truths, hotly held opinions, often tedious technicalities, and some very thoughtful insights and approaches to the craft of making great wine.

 The Use of Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) in Wine

The year 1487 marked a turning point in the history of good winemaking. In that year, a Prussian royal decree officially permitted the use of the wine additive sulfur dioxide (or SO2) for the first time. Not that it hadn't been used before then. To help preserve their wines during transport, Dutch and English wine traders regularly burnt sulfur candles inside barrels before filling them. It was a trick that they learned from the Romans who conducted the same practice over a millennia before.

Articles of Interest

If alcohol is a preservative, why do winemakers add sulfur dioxide?

Wine comes with a few natural preservatives, including tannins, acidity, alcohol and sulfites. These all act together to give wine a long life, and help keep it from turning to vinegar—especially as long as the bottle is sealed and the wine is protected from oxygen. You’re right that there aren’t any human pathogens that could stay alive in wine, but there are other concerns of spoilage bacterias and yeasts that—while they can’t make you sick—can make a wine seem off, or become fizzy.

Managing Sulfites in Wine

Sulfur Dioxide, also known as "sulfite" or SO2 is a commonly misrepresented, yet critical component of wine. In the United States, wineries are required to use the statement "Contains Sulfites" on the label which has caused somewhat of a hysteria over the substance. SO2 occurs as a natural bi-product of alcoholic fermentation by yeast, whether in nature or in the winery.

Sulfites in wine: friend or foe?

Many winemakers consider S02 essential for consistency and quality in wine, but there have been contentious moves to abandon its use.

Sulfur Dioxide in Winemaking

Sulfur dioxide is used in winemaking for its antioxidant and antiseptic actions. The maximum quantities allowed in winemaking are established by specific laws in force in each country. In the European Union, the maximum allowed limits are 160 mg/l for red wines and 210 mg/l for white and rosé wines.

Sulfur Dioxide: Science behind this anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, wine additive

Used as both an antimicrobial agent and antioxidant, winemakers find it indispensable to preserve wine quality and freshness. However, if used improperly, the effect can be just as adverse as they can be beneficial.

The Truth About Sulfites in Wine & the Myths of Red Wine Headaches

Consumption of sulfites is generally harmless, unless you suffer from severe asthma or do not have the particular enzymes necessary to break down sulfites in your body. The FDA estimates that less than 1% of the U.S. population is sulfite-sensitive, so it is relatively rare. And if you do have a sulfite allergy (which can develop over the course of your life) it is more likely to reveal itself through something other than wine.

What Are Sulphites? Are Sulphites In Wine Dangerous?

All wines contain sulphur dioxide at around 10 milligrams per litre. BUT commercially-made wines contain from ten to twenty times that amount.