Sulfites in wine

[Thomas]

Sulfites are added to wine to protect from oxidation.

Sulfites are also produced, albeit in small quantities, as a by-product of fermentation; they occur in cheese, bread and other fermented products. Your body ferments a little each day--guess what it produces.

The real question is: why do you ask?

Asthmatics must be concerned about sulfites, but even they will not normally react unless the levels are quite high--much higher than is found in the average wine, which ranges in the 20 parts per million area.

Some people think they get headaches from sulfites in wine; there is no evidence that this is true.