Sulfites

Sulfites are all bad, right? If they weren't, why would the government require bottles to say, "Contains Sulfites." The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that anything containing more than 10 parts per million, which by the way includes pretty much ALL wines, sport a nice warning label.

Don.t take this the wrong way. Unless you have been diagnosed by a physician as sulfite-sensitive... fuhgeddaboudit! A small number of people have a dangerous and potentially fatal allergy, and these folks are typically asthmatics. It's not just a headache thing. A stuffy nose or headache may be caused by histamines in some red wines, but it ain't the sulfites, folks.

All wines contain sulfites as a natural byproduct of fermentation. There's no such thing as a wine with NO sulfites. Many winemakers do add sulfites as a natural preservative. Sulfur dioxide acts as an antibacterial preventing wine from turning to vinegar and inhibits yeasts to keep sweeter wines from refermenting in the bottle.

A few wine producers make wines with no added sulfites. These wines are often preserved with carbon dioxide. Wines made with no added sulfites can often by idiosyncratic and unpredictable. I love to play with these wines, but you do have to be open to tasting some atypical flavors present from time to time.