Sulfites in wine

[Thomas]

The reason for sulfite use is so that wine does not oxidize during winemaking and storage. Any winemaker using it for another purpose is suspect. It truly takes little sulfite additions to do the job (range of about 20 to 40 parts per million in its unbound form, depending on ph, acid, etc.) Reds usually contain less than whites.

The levels in wine are so low that allergic reactions are not common (except for dessert wines). If you find you sneeze or get clogged up or get headaches when you drink red wine, it may not be the fault of sulfites -- could be histamine build-up from other chemical reactions to red wine components or to the wood in which it was aged or even molds.

Difficult problem to determine which gives the headache, but as I said the levels of sulfites are so low you have to be super allergic for it to give you a reaction, and if you are, sorry to say you aren't going to find many wines to suit your need. Some, but ever so few, wines on the market claim to be made without sulfites, and the ones I have tasted that claim no sulfites I did not like.