WINE PRODUCTION
About sulfites available
In the modern world of healthy lifestyle, eco-bio-organic and yoga, the inscription on a bottle of wine contains sulfites - contains sulfites - can be a little confusing. It is customary to blame sulfites or sulfur dioxide in wine for all the m-m ... complexity of the next morning - here both a hangover and a headache as its integral part. But attention to the label is just as important as the ability to fact-check.
Based on many years research
“The principle of “wine without sulfur” cannot be the rule. Everything in life is a matter of proportion. Only excess is harmful. Making wine without sulfur dioxide is nearly impossible. Sulfur dioxide, sulfur oxide, sulfur dioxide, SO2, sulfuric anhydride, sulfites are all synonyms for the same chemical compound originally contained in wine. Sulfites are a natural product of yeasts that ferment the sugar in wine into alcohol. That is, the presence of sulfites in wine cannot be avoided. Sulfur is a natural antioxidant and antiseptic. This is an element that inhibits the growth of bacteria, slowing down the aging of wine, its premature oxidation and unnecessary fermentation. In fact, it is a natural preservative, without which the wine would turn into vinegar. But the natural content of sulfur oxide is not enough to reliably stabilize the wine. Otherwise, we would not have known the numerous stories that three hundred years ago a ship loaded with barrels of wine left Portugal, but a ship moored in the port of England with barrels of wine vinegar instead of wine.
In general, sulfur has a long chemical history. Or rather, alchemical. Mercury, sulfur and lead are the three pillars of medieval alchemy. And wine and sulfur practically did not exist without each other. Even the Romans empirically found out that fumigating the inside of the amphora with smoke from a sulfur candle perfectly preserves wine. Somewhere in the 1st century AD The Romans replaced amphoras with wooden barrels. And they were already fumigated. The wine was kept well, trade grew, what else does the empire need. The Romans also noticed that lead was good for the stability of wine. And they had a considerable number of lead vessels for wine. It was this Roman lead tradition (the Romans also made water pipes from lead) that partially defeated mass sulfur fumigation in Europe. In fact, two methods of preserving wine existed in parallel. The only difference is that sulfur did not lead to mass poisoning, while lead did. It's just that medieval alchemists added liquid lead directly to wine barrels. The wine looked excellent, but the effect on the health of Europeans was not so good. All this went down in history under the name "Wine Disease". Gradually, it became clear what was happening and sulfur again became the leader in the "preservation" of wine. Today, sulfur dioxide is the only chemical compound that keeps wine alive.
But what about security? – wine consumers continue to be interested, despite the fact that modern research has repeatedly confirmed the safety of SO2 in amounts approved by law. One glass of dry wine contains an average of 20 mg of sulfites. Here it must be said that a standard human body in the process of functioning produces about 1000 mg of sulfites daily. A bottle of wine contains as much sulfite as a bottle of Coca-Cola. It's also 50 times less than the amount of sulfites in fast food french fries. Many times more sulfites are in dried fruits - dried apricots, raisins, etc. There are more of them in orange juice from tetra-pak. That is, the presence of sulfur dioxide in wine is not dangerous, however, you need to focus on its amount. According to EU legislation, the content of sulfites in red wine should not exceed 150 mg per liter, in pink and white should not exceed 200 mg per liter. In dessert wines - 300 mg per liter. This is due to the fact that semi-sweet and dessert wines are produced by stopping fermentation - this is exactly what sulfur dioxide is needed for. The average level of sulfites in wine in the EU is 80 mg per litre. Red wines have less sulfites than white wines due to tannins. Wines with high acidity have less sulfites than wines with low acidity. There are more sulfites in bottles with a cork stopper, and less with a screw cap. We also remember that wine always contains a certain amount of natural sulfur compounds. And here the connection with the terroir is almost direct - volcanic soils, for example, contain sulfur deposits. Therefore, wines from these regions are characterized by high levels of naturally occurring sulfur. Like in Sicily.
Only 1% of healthy people on the planet and 5% of those suffering from bronchial asthma can react negatively to sulfur dioxide. 0.1% of the world's population does not tolerate sulfites in principle, both natural and added. Modern research suggests that linking headaches to sulfur dioxide in wine is a popular misconception. Ethyl alcohol plays a role here. In addition, it is customary to complain about a headache from red wines, but they contain less sulfur dioxide than white wines. One way or another, but winemaking does not know a way to chemically remove sulfur from wine. Therefore, “sulfite-free wines” still contain a certain amount of natural sulfur. These wines are very difficult to transport and store, and their aging potential is questionable. Only the most stubborn organic wine producers do this successfully.
