🍷 Sulfite-free wine
Wine with no sulphur added as a preservative.
Sulfite-free wine is wine to which no sulfur was added for preservation. Winemakers usually add small doses of sulfur dioxide. It protects the drink from spoilage and oxidation.
In sulfite-free wine this step is skipped. But wine is never completely free of sulfur: a little, up to 10 mg per litre, forms on its own during fermentation. So the label "no sulfites" really means "no added sulfites", not "none at all".
Such wine is most often made in the natural or organic style. It is more delicate. It needs clean grapes, careful work and cool storage. Otherwise it loses freshness faster.
Sulfites in wine cause debate, but for most people they are safe. The exception is people who are sensitive to them, for example some asthmatics. In Europe the label must say "contains sulfites" if there are more than 10 mg per litre.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Sulfite-free wine ← similar ← 🍷 Natural wine → kind of → 🍷 Types of wine → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Natural wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Natural wine, 🍷 Organic wine
Frequently asked questions
Can wine be completely free of sulfites?
No. A little, up to 10 mg per litre, appears on its own during fermentation. "Sulfite-free" means none were added.
Why are sulfites added to wine?
To protect it from oxidation and from spoilage by bacteria. This keeps the wine fresh for longer.
Is sulfite-free wine the same as natural wine?
Not always. Natural wine is often made without added sulfur, but it can have other features too, while sulfite-free wine is only about sulfur.
Similar
🍷 Low-intervention wine · 🍷 Biodynamic wine · 🍷 Organic wine · 🍷 Pét-nat · 🍷 Natural wine · 🍷 Vegan wine
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.