“Contains sulfites”: what does this phrase mean? You often see it printed on a wine bottle’s label. Yet it is hard to know exactly what it refers to. If you want to know what “contains sulfites” means, you are in the right place!
Why add sulfur to wine?
Naturally, wine does not get along well with oxygen. In the presence of oxygen, wine gradually turns into vinegar. Adding sulfur prevents the wine from oxidizing when it comes into contact with oxygen. But sulfur has other uses too. It is used to control alcoholic fermentation, to disinfect barrels, or to speed up the breakdown of the grape. So sulfur plays an important role in winemaking. A wine that contains sulfites is therefore perfectly normal. Sulfites are present at a level of a few dozen milligrams per liter in red wines (around 150 mg per liter for a red wine, and potentially close to 400 mg per liter in sweet white wines). That is well below the limit allowed by law. There are other names for sulfites. The most common are: sulfur dioxide (SO2), sodium bisulfite, sodium sulfite, sulfiting agents, and so on. The words sulfites and sulfur are still the most common in everyday language.
Are sulfites dangerous for your health?
Consuming sulfites is generally safe. That said, some people can be allergic to sulfites. In that case, they need to avoid anything that contains sulfites. People also often think sulfites cause headaches. But headaches after drinking wine usually come from drinking too much. To avoid headaches, remember to stay hydrated by drinking glasses of water throughout your wine tastings. You can also spit the wine and you will no longer have headaches or sulfite-related issues! The “contains sulfites” statement on wine bottles became mandatory in 2005, after sulfites were classified as allergens.
Organic wine contains fewer sulfites
Organic wine naturally contains fewer sulfites. The use of sulfur is regulated when making organic wine. First, organic farming regulates and limits the use of fertilizers and plant-protection products. In that sense, the use of sulfur-containing products when growing the grapes is limited. As a result, grapes from organic farming contain far fewer sulfites. On the other hand, during the other stages of organic winemaking, sulfites can be added. But this is limited, and the amounts added are regulated. The permitted sulfite limits in organic wine and the production methods were defined in the organic farming standards of 8 February 2012. These standards apply from the 2012 harvest onward. So sulfite levels in wine are lower in the case of organic wines. Organic red wine contains sulfites at a level of 70 to 100 mg per liter (versus 160 mg per liter for a conventional red wine). Dry organic white wines have a sulfite content of around 120 mg per liter (versus more than 200 mg per liter in conventional dry whites). Sweet organic wines also contain fewer sulfites: 80 mg per liter versus around 200 mg per liter in conventional production. Finally, medium-sweet organic wine contains sulfites at a level of 150 mg per liter (versus 400 mg per liter for its conventional equivalent).
Sulfite-free wine
There are wines that contain no added sulfites. It is worth pointing out that the fermentation of grapes naturally produces sulfites. So even when no inputs are used, wine contains sulfites that are naturally produced during winemaking. To find a wine with no added sulfites, you need to turn to natural wine. When making natural wine, no plant-protection products are used in the vines. The harvested grapes therefore contain no sulfur. And nothing is added during the various stages of winemaking. So natural wine contains sulfites only because of their natural development. The sulfite level in a natural wine is around 30 mg per liter, a dose well below that of other wines.
A range of foods contain sulfites
Besides wine, some foods also contain sulfites. That is the case for canned or frozen fruits and vegetables, for example, as well as fruit syrups, jams, dried fruit, certain cereals, pasta and various condiments. So sulfites are not limited to wine.
