An increasing number of people are showing interest and inquiring about the addition of sulfites to their wines. Although none of them have said so, I suspect that much of this interest has come about because of reports in the American press to the effect that sulfites in wine may be dangerous to the health.

There is no great secret to why sulfites have been added to wines for more than 150 years. When they are harvested, all grapes have wild yeasts on their skins. Although these yeasts will ferment the grape juice and convert it into wine, it is almost impossible, especially in warm climates, to know precisely what effect those yeasts will have. Some will turn even the best grapes into unspeakably bad wine and others are so weak that they fail to turn all of the sugar in the grapes to alcohol, thus leaving unwanted sugar in the finished wine.

The addition of small amounts of sulfites to the must (the freshly crushed grape juice) kills wild yeasts. Today, only the bravest of winemakers rely on wild yeasts to make their wines. Instead, they kill the wild yeasts with sulfites and then add laboratory produced yeasts that are especially designed for making wine. Some winemakers also add sulfites to the wine immediately before bottling to prevent further fermentation in the bottle.

The United States and several other countries now requires wineries to indicate on their labels if their wines contain sulfites but many medical specialists agree that this is a response to the American over-reaction to absolutely anything that they perceive as being potentially harmful to their health. A study recently published by the prestigious National Institutes of Public Health in Bethesda, Maryland says that while it is true that sulfites can cause migraine headaches in people who are allergic to them, only 0.1% of the general population suffers from such an allergy. Of that small percentage, the vast majority who suffer from sulfite allergy have asthma. Other studies indicate that because sulfites are added in such small amounts (between 20 and 150 parts per million), that if drunk in moderation only the most sensitive of those who suffer such an allergy will have any negative reaction due to the sulfites added to wine.

© Daniel Rogov