Low Sulphur Wine

Low sulphur wine, less chemicals

Low sulphur wine simply has less of the chemicals that cannot be good for you. In our minds, if a grower is happy to use excess sulphur you have to wonder what else is being added to the wine. Since 2005 all wine labels must declare, ‘This wine contains Sulphites’. It is sad that they do not have to specify how much nor do they have to declare the other chemicals and additives used.

A lot of organic wines are vegan wines and will use significantly less sulphur or sulphites than the mass market wines. In most countries the norm is for organic wine to use, at most half the sulphur permitted in conventional wines. That is a start but to go for a truly low sulphur wine you will need to look more closely.

Allergies

If it seems that some of the cheaper white wines make you sneeze, you may have an allergy or intolerance to sulphur: have you ever wondered why better wines do not? The allergy is not to cheap wines, just the less well made wines. Because of their comparably low sulphur levels, organic wines are likely to be more suitable for those of us who suffer from allergic and intolerant reactions. These reactions might include asthma, migraine, respiratory and skin disorders etc.

Even in low sulphur wine, sulphur does occur naturally on grapes in the form of sulphur dioxide or sulphite as part of the fermentation process. Additional sulphur has been added to wine since Roman times as a preservative. It is used at the grape-crushing stage as a cleansing agent to kill unwanted bacteria and wild yeasts. Sulphur is also used to prevent oxidation of the wine. Allowable levels, measured in mg/ litre vary according to the type of wine but typically the maximum permitted in organic wines is about 50% of the non-organic wine limits. Most wines offered by Vegan Wines Online have significantly less sulphur than the organic wine limits.

Hangovers

Sulphur Dioxide, or E220 as on so many food packets, is permitted under all winemaking standards: it is a preservative and disinfectant. It is added to wine as Potassium Metabisulphate or PMS and is blamed as one of the major causes of hangovers and headaches following wine consumption.

If you have a low threshold to sulphur then organic wines are definitely recommended: the governing bodies permit far less sulphur than in other wines. The best vegan wine producers are also organic wine producers. They try to use much less sulphur than permitted: these are the type of wine producers and growers we represent.

Low Sulphur Wines from Vegan Wines Online

We have chosen a selection to feature as our low sulphur wine range. All the low sulphur wines have no added sulphur or a very low sulphur content. We do not usually detail sulphur levels in the wine listings as they are liable to fluctuate naturally from one batch of wine to the next.

Additives in Wine

Bio-Dynamic Wine

Organic Wine

Vegan Wine in Supermarkets

 

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