Sulfites in wine

[RotGut76]

A friend of mine told me she doesn't drink wine because she is allergic to sulfites and wine contains sulfites.

She did state that homemade wine is OK because it does NOT contain sulfites.

Can anyone clarify this?

Do all commercial wines contain sulfites? I do see it on the label from time to time.

Does our homemade wines contain them as well?

 

[Boatboy24]

If you're using metabisulfite, your wine has sulfite - homemade or not. The only commercial wines I could imagine not having sulfite are those labeled as "organic". But a read of the fine print on most of those reveals that the wine itself isn't organic, it's just made from organically grown grapes. In other words, sulfites and other chems might be used in the wine making process, but not in the grape growing. (don't get me started on what a joke the FDA/USDA is)

I believe (though I'm not certain) that there is a small amount of naturally occurring sulfite in grapes any way. So if your friend is truly allergic to sulfites, she's not safe with any wine from grapes.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Commercial wines contain more sulfites (Potassium Metabisulfite) than what we normally use. On another note there are sulfite a used in many foods that we consume on a daily basis. Most folks do not realize that.

 

[homer]

Let me guess, she's also Gluten intolerant, has peanut allergies, and is a Vegan. Almost any processed food that she buys contains "Sulfates" for a preservative. bk

 

[4score]

I think I remember reading that even "organic" grapes have sulfites, just less than non-organic. Something like 10 ppm I believe.

 

[cmason1957]

All wines have some sulfites, they are a by-product of the yeast making alcohol. From what I understand some wineries do add a bit more than necessary, just in case someone decides to age the wine.

I know of only one commercial winery in Missouri, which puts no added sulfites on their labels, they claim to raise the alcohol level, so that added sulfites are not required. The name of that winery is Westphalia.

I have a family member (sister-in-law) who claims she has issues with sulfites also and likes the wine from there better than most commercial wineries. She also likes the homemade my wife and I make. Who knows.

 

[grapeman]

The "Contains Sulfites" is a requirement of the TTB for labeling the wine. If the label does not contain that statement it has not been approved for use by the TTB which is the regulating Federal agency for wine and alcohol. This is because like said, sulfites are a by product of the fermentation process.

 

[Calamity Cellars]

Couple of discrepancies in the posts above. Most commercial wineries that I know feel the same way about sulfites that consumers and home winemakers do which is the least amount possible to protect the wine. I disagree with the statement above that commercial wines have higher levels. As stated above ALL wines have naturally occurring sulfites as a byproduct of fermentation. The TTB requirement to label wines with 'Contains Sulfites' is a requirement if the winery adds sulfites.

I would be curious as to your friends symptoms when she has an allergic reaction to sulfites. In our tasting room we constantly hear the evils of sulfites. Most people that claim to be allergic to sulfites say they get headaches or massive hangovers from wines with added sulfites. Many say they cannot drink red wine because of sulfites but white wine is OK. These are all misguided statements. People with sulfite reactions have asthmatic symptoms and in sever cases hives develop. Nearly all people that have sulfite issues also have asthma. White wine nearly always have more sulfites than red wines. Remember 0.5 and 0.8 molecular? More often than not the naturally occurring histamines in red wine is the cause of their symptoms. However, try explaining that to a wine consumer that heard it from their cousin......We just nod and agree then try to sell them a wine they perceive has less sulfites.

This whole issue and the TTB labeling requirement came about because the anti-alcohol lobby's back in the 70's decided since they couldn't legislate more alcohol regulations they would, instead, scare the public into believing the horrific wine industry was trying to poison them with these horrific added sulfites. Funny thing is dried fruit has 10 times the amount of sulfites per serving than the maximum legal amount we are allowed in our wines but there is no sulfite warning required. Why? Nobody feels dried fruit is the cause of all sorts of evil in our country.

Dismounting from the box....

 

[grapeman]

This is the actual regulation regarding the label

§4.32 Mandatory label information.

(a) There shall be stated on the brand label:
(e) Declaration of sulfites. There shall be stated on a front label, back label, strip label or neck label, the statement “Contains sulfites” or “Contains (a) sulfiting agent(s)” or a statement identifying the specific sulfiting agent where sulfur dioxide or a sulfiting agent is detected at a level of 10 or more parts per million, measured as total sulfur dioxide. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply to:
(1) Any certificate of label approval issued on or after January 9, 1987;
(2) Any wine bottled on or after July 9, 1987, regardless of the date of issuance of the certificate of label approval; and,
(3) Any wine removed on or after January 9, 1988.
(Paragraph (e) approved by the Office of Management and Budget under Control Number 1512-0469)
[T.D. 6521, 25 FR 13835, Dec. 29, 1960]

The only exception to this rule is if you submit a lab analysis confirming less than 10 ppm of sulfites in the wine. The Food and Drug Administration has determined that products that contain less than 10 ppm of sulfites (such as sulfur dioxide) do not have to include this declaration on the label or they can label the product with the statement "contains less than 10 ppm sulfites." These wines require a sulfur dioxide waiver for such labeling.

 

[RotGut76]

Good info. Thank you. I don't really know the nature of my friends "allergy" but it seems as if wine might not be the issue.

 

[mikewatkins727]

For some more info on sulfite in wine go to:

http://winefolly.com/tutorial/sulfites-in-wine/

 

[JDC]

Histamines maybe?

For most cases of "Red Wine" headache, the actual culprit is histamines, not sulfites. Have your friend try taking a small dose of an anti-histamine before drinking wine & see if no headache occurs - if so it is the histamines, not the sulfites.