Many wine consumers seem to worry about sulfites. Perhaps it’s because of the mysterious warning on the wine label. But this is one thing most people can relax about: Sulfites are dangerous if you are asthmatic and/or have a sulfite allergy (sulfites cause breathing difficulties in about 5% of asthmatics). Unless you’re a member of the small group who need to be aware of sulfites, that “Contains sulfites” statement is just like the one on a chocolate wrapper that says it may have been processed in a facility that processes nuts. You need to know this only if you have trouble with nuts; the package tells everyone just to be safe.
Almost all wine makers use sulfur dioxide as an antioxidant (preservative), although most try to minimize its use. What most people don’t know is that the yeast that cause the all-important fermentation in wine making also produce sulfites naturally during that process—some 6 to 40 parts per million (ppm). The FDA requires the “Contains sulfites” statement on the wine label starting at 10 parts per million. Another little-known fact is that any food or beverage containing 10 ppm or more of a sulfite must declare its presence on the label (with the ingredients). And many, many foods contain sulfites, including deli meats, condiments, processed potato products, frozen doughs, fruit juices, and fruit products such as dessert toppings and dried fruit.
Many people believe that organic wines do not contain sulfites. Aside from the natural sulfite contributions of the yeast, organic wine makers are allowed to and often do use sulfites—up to 100 ppm. Wines that are marketed as “sulfite-free” may be organic, but organic wines are not necessarily sulfite free. “Sulfite-free” wines may simply contain fewer than 10 ppm, thereby avoiding the labeling requirement.
Here are the numbers.
Maximum sulfite level allowed in wine in U.S.: 350 ppm (parts per million)
Maximum sulfite level allowed in organic wine in U.S.: 100 ppm
Sulfites produced by yeast during fermentation: 6 to 40 ppm
Minimum sulfite level requiring sulfite statement on wine label: 10 ppm
Minimum sulfite level requiring sulfite declaration on any label:
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