Did you know that consumer made wine comes with an added benefit? It has less sulfite than commercial wine. What are sulfites, you ask? Since this is a question I often get asked at the store, I thought I would dedicate a blog post to this topic. I hope this answers any questions you may have.
What are sulfites?
Sulfites are naturally occurring in grapes, so there is no way to get away from sulfites entirely. Wine in the liquor store has to have enough sulfite (preservative) to last years (about 250 ppm), in case the bottle is to be cellared. Consumer made wine comes with only a year or two’s supply of sulfite (about 50 ppm), unless you know you’ll be storing it longer and want to add a little more.
Are they detrimental?
Sulfites are found in several foods, and they occur naturally in:
- Maple syrup
- Pectin
- Salmon
- Dried cod
- Corn starch
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Soy products
- Eggs
- Onions
- Garlic
- Chives
- Leeks
- Asparagus
They are also used as a preservative in juices, jams, sausages and soft drinks. As well as pickled fruits and vegetables. And many of these contain far more sulfite than wine.
In wine, sulfites can have a slight possible side effect of causing an allergic reaction. The FDA estimates that less than 1% of the population has a sulfite sensitivity. However, if you do have a slight reaction, consumer made wine may be a better option than commercial wine and red wine has lower levels of sulfite than white. The “red wine headache” is not the result of sulfite, but rather histamines, which may be present in some wines. Wines that have undergone a secondary malo-lactic fermentation to soften the acidity to make them easier to drink, will have histamines. Unfortunately, there’s no way to know which wines have histamines, except that malo-lactic fermentation is not on option in consumer made wine, as it takes 6 months.
The bottom line
To put sulfites in wine in perspective. Dried fruit has 3500 parts per million of sulfites. Sulfites do not affect most people but If you are looking to reduce the amount of sulfites in your diet, or you have had an adverse reaction, consumer made wine is a great option. Have more questions, get in touch with us today!