Wine Sulfites-Are You Allergic?

After mentioning the fact that I have a slight allergy to the sulfites in red wine and that it has affected our wine choices and our participation as wine enthusiasts to a certain degree.  This post is an attempt to help people understand what sulfites are and how they may be able to either substitute or seek out alternatives to their wine drinking so that they are not discouraged.  I simply decided that a slight allergy would not hold me back from learning about something that was both intriguing and interesting.

If you suspect that you have any allergies, I strongly advise you to seek the advice of a doctor – A simple allergy test in the office that consists of a light prick of a pin head that has a dot of that substance (you may be allergic to) on it to your forearm which will show whether you have an allergy.  The complete allergy test takes about 45 minutes.  Better to know than to guess.  That's what we did to find out.

According to the Wikipedia definition  – "Sulfites occur naturally in all wines to some extent. Sulfites are commonly introduced to arrest fermentation at a desired time, and may also be added to wine as preservatives to prevent spoilage and oxidation at several stages of the winemaking.  Organic wines are not necessarily sulfite-free. In general, sweet (dessert) wines contain more sulfites than dry wines, and white wines contain more sulfites than red wines.   In the United States, wines bottled after mid-1987 must have a label stating that they contain sulfites if they contain more than 10 parts per million.  The government entity that monitors  wineries in the United States is called the ATF.  The ATF  has determined that the wine classified as sulfite free is when the levels of sulfites are under 10 parts per million, or ppm.

In the European Union an equivalent regulation came into force in November 2005."  Sulfites can be found on garlic, onions (Yummy), growing plants and grapes.  There really is no such thing as sulfite free.

Sulfites have been added to wine for a thousand years or so.  Sulfur candles were used by the Romans and by the Greeks  so that their two handled, narrow necked ancient jars, that were used to hold wine or oil, and their wine barrels were sterilized.

Oxygen can damage wine, so sulfur protects and assists in the prevention of organisms growing in wine.  In this way, wine lasts longer-is preserved and allowed to age so that the flavors can develop.  Wine without sulfates equals vinegar in just a few short months.  Eighteen months – and unfortunately, that includes the time from being bottled.

Some factors that you may be allergic to the sulfites are if you get headaches after you drink wine – especially red wine.  Not just a slight headache, but a more severe one.  Red wine routinely has a higher sulfite level than white wine.  You can also tell if you have a poor wine by the smell.  The wine may possess an odor that resembles rotten eggs.  This is an indicator that the sulfites were not used correctly in the wine.   There is little agreement as to this theory, but it still remains valid in our opinion.  If you have an allergy this would make you very suspect of the wine.

If you are careful you will notice whether your wine choice has, natural sulfites, or has added in sulfites.  Added in sulfites have a higher level of sulfites and can cause an allergic reaction, but you may not experience a reaction with wine that has natural sulfites.  You'll want to also remember that a natural sulfites will not last as long as a wine with added in sulfites, so don't wait to drink it.

If you buy a wine that has natural sulfites in it you should have been warned to drink it quickly and not store it by the label warning or by the winery itself.  Pay attention to labels or special instructions or information.  In order to produce the natural sulfites, a winery must maintain a meticulous level of cleanliness and sterility, so that the organisms that normally grow and will turn a wine to vinegar are kept to a minimum and to help prevent contamination from harming their wine.

Unless you actually go into the winery, it would be difficult at best to know what procedures any one winery used.  So you may ask, if you are at the winery, what process is used.  If you are given the information that they use a layer of carbon dioxide on the wine to kill off the bad microbes that depend on oxygen.  Or that, Nitrogen gas is used for Bottling.  Also if they talk about the sterile filtration methods they have in place, then you can feel fairly confident that they are taking every step available to them to create the best atmosphere for their natural sulfites wine.  Take note, too that the bottle of wine is stored on its side – especially important when you get it home – and chilled.