Sulfites in wine

[Jerry D Mead]

No wine is sulfite free...sulfite is a by-product of fermentation...so any product that involves fermentation contains some sulfite...like beer, bread, soy sauce, etc.

A doctor friend of mine says he never encountered in all his years of practice, someone truly allergic to the sulfites in wine. He suspects the histamines as well.

Another reason your reaction is probably not to sulfite is that you inquired about RED wine, which most people do, because that's where they get the reaction. Alas! There is generally speaking higher sulfite content in white wine than red, but few ever complain about reactions to white wine.

As pointed out, modern winemaking employs sulphur dioxide at levels measured in parts per million...the lowest in the history of winemaking, due to other technical improvements. When I started drinking wine 35 years ago, the sulphur levels were much higher and could actually be smelled in most wines.

So...there are NO sulfite-free wines, though there are wines with no sulfite added.

PS If you are truly senstive to sulfite, you should have much greater concern over restaurant and grocery store produce and salad bars, where sulfite is frequently added to preserve freshness with no way of measuring quantities...same goes for fresh seafood on display.

JDM