| The Truth About Sulfur in Wine |
Have you ever met someone or you yourself been lucky enough to
travel to Europe? If so, did you or that someone bring back a wine
from Italy or France, etc… that was sold to you as a wine made
without the addition of sulfur. In fact, these people will tell you that
they only add sulfur to the wines that are destined for import to
America. How about that! America must be a great big sulfur loving
nation. Why would this make sense to anyone. Why do winemakers
add sulfur to begin with if so many people are opposed to it? Can you
make wines without sulfur? Actually, you can and it comes in a wide
variety of flavors. Maybe you’ve heard of them. Let’s see, there’s
white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, champagne vinegar and don’t
forget balsamic vinegar.
The real truth of the matter is that these European countries are not
as uptight about their dietary needs and their laws do not require
them to mention the fact that their wines contain sulfur. The only
reason the European wines destined for import to America have the
sulfur warning on the back label is because the United States
Government requires them to have it listed on the bottle. If you are
going to Europe in the near future, please do not be scammed into
thinking that their wines do not contain sulfur! Augh! This notion
really chaps my you know what!
Adding sulfur to wine has been a common practice that dates all the
way back to the ancient Greeks and it is necessary for preserving
wine. Without the addition of the sulfur to the wine, it would quickly
oxidize and turn to vinegar. It’s amazing to think with all of the fast-
paced developments that are being made daily in the wine-industry
that we have yet to find a better way of preserving wine, but that is
precisely the case. Sulfur still remains the best way to preserve wine
and there is currently no effective substitute.
A chemical called acetaldehyde is formed in wine when the alcohol
reacts with oxygen. This reaction causes wines to taste weak and
turn brown in color. When you add sulfur to the wine, it acts to
neutralize this reaction and control the amount acetaldehyde
produced in the wine. Sulfur is added to the wine in primarily two
different stages. It is always added after fermentation when alcohol
has been created in the wine, thus kicking off the oxidation process.
The other stage that winemakers are likely to add sulfur to the wine
is during the bottling phase. One last dosage to preserve the wine in
the bottle for a bit of extra aging potential. Speaking of aging, the
whole process of aging a wine is directly related to the amount of
oxygen left in the bottle. Over time, that oxygen breaks down the
wine and adds layers of complexity. If wine says that it was made
without sulfur, you’d better drink it in a hurry.
Red wines require the least amount of sulfur, which is usually
between 20 to 35 milligrams, while white wine, being more prone to
oxidation, requires between 34 to 45 milligrams. Wines made from
healthy grapes require a lot less sulfur in the must and that could
explain why dessert wines need between 60 to 80 milligrams of
sulfur. Dessert wines are frequently made from grapes that have
over ripened or been affected with noble rot. Great red wines need
the least amount of sulfur because they contain so many tannins.
These tannins eat up oxygen, giving the wines the ability to age
longer in the bottle.
So now you know the truth about sulfur in wine. The good news is
that these dosages are so low that they are not harmful to either the
wine or the consumer. They also cannot be tasted or smelled either.
So the next time someone offers you their wine made without the
addition of sulfur, just tell them, “No thanks, I prefer my vinegar on
fish in chips, not in my wine glass.”
travel to Europe? If so, did you or that someone bring back a wine
from Italy or France, etc… that was sold to you as a wine made
without the addition of sulfur. In fact, these people will tell you that
they only add sulfur to the wines that are destined for import to
America. How about that! America must be a great big sulfur loving
nation. Why would this make sense to anyone. Why do winemakers
add sulfur to begin with if so many people are opposed to it? Can you
make wines without sulfur? Actually, you can and it comes in a wide
variety of flavors. Maybe you’ve heard of them. Let’s see, there’s
white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, champagne vinegar and don’t
forget balsamic vinegar.
The real truth of the matter is that these European countries are not
as uptight about their dietary needs and their laws do not require
them to mention the fact that their wines contain sulfur. The only
reason the European wines destined for import to America have the
sulfur warning on the back label is because the United States
Government requires them to have it listed on the bottle. If you are
going to Europe in the near future, please do not be scammed into
thinking that their wines do not contain sulfur! Augh! This notion
really chaps my you know what!
Adding sulfur to wine has been a common practice that dates all the
way back to the ancient Greeks and it is necessary for preserving
wine. Without the addition of the sulfur to the wine, it would quickly
oxidize and turn to vinegar. It’s amazing to think with all of the fast-
paced developments that are being made daily in the wine-industry
that we have yet to find a better way of preserving wine, but that is
precisely the case. Sulfur still remains the best way to preserve wine
and there is currently no effective substitute.
A chemical called acetaldehyde is formed in wine when the alcohol
reacts with oxygen. This reaction causes wines to taste weak and
turn brown in color. When you add sulfur to the wine, it acts to
neutralize this reaction and control the amount acetaldehyde
produced in the wine. Sulfur is added to the wine in primarily two
different stages. It is always added after fermentation when alcohol
has been created in the wine, thus kicking off the oxidation process.
The other stage that winemakers are likely to add sulfur to the wine
is during the bottling phase. One last dosage to preserve the wine in
the bottle for a bit of extra aging potential. Speaking of aging, the
whole process of aging a wine is directly related to the amount of
oxygen left in the bottle. Over time, that oxygen breaks down the
wine and adds layers of complexity. If wine says that it was made
without sulfur, you’d better drink it in a hurry.
Red wines require the least amount of sulfur, which is usually
between 20 to 35 milligrams, while white wine, being more prone to
oxidation, requires between 34 to 45 milligrams. Wines made from
healthy grapes require a lot less sulfur in the must and that could
explain why dessert wines need between 60 to 80 milligrams of
sulfur. Dessert wines are frequently made from grapes that have
over ripened or been affected with noble rot. Great red wines need
the least amount of sulfur because they contain so many tannins.
These tannins eat up oxygen, giving the wines the ability to age
longer in the bottle.
So now you know the truth about sulfur in wine. The good news is
that these dosages are so low that they are not harmful to either the
wine or the consumer. They also cannot be tasted or smelled either.
So the next time someone offers you their wine made without the
addition of sulfur, just tell them, “No thanks, I prefer my vinegar on
fish in chips, not in my wine glass.”
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