Surely, when you hold a bottle of wine in your hands, you have read that ‘Contains sulphites and you have wondered what sulphites are and why this mention appears on the bottles. Well, let’s go by parts, but we are going to explain what sulphites are and their origins, since they can come from two different sides: on the one hand those that are added and on the other hand, those that are generated naturally in them.
Let’s start with sulphites ‘added’ to wine. Sulphites are safe additives, widely used as preservatives, and can be found in sausages, mustards or jams, among other products. In the case of wine, there is evidence that they were already used in ancient Greece, where sulfur wicks were burned near the barrels and musts to protect and preserve them. In today’s winemaking, sulphites are added because they have a series of antioxidant properties that make the wine more resistant to oxidation, as well as being powerful antiseptics that help the wine to remain stable and free of alterations caused by bacteria and yeasts, such as vinegrowth. Thus, the winemaker who resorts to the use of this product, ensures to control the stability of the wine against the negative effects of oxygen and the altering effect of microorganisms, extending the life cycle of the wine and ensuring that these always reach the consumer with optimum quality.
But as we have already mentioned, in wine we can not only find sulphites added to avoid alterations of the wine, but we can also find them in a natural form. Well, during alcoholic fermentation, the yeasts in charge of fermentation will generate sulfur dioxide, a chemical compound that belongs to the sulfite family, even in very small quantities. Thus, the presence of sulphites in wine is also the result of a natural process, although they are not only produced and can be found in wine, since other foods that have undergone fermentation, such as cheese, beer or bread, are likely to contain them in their composition.
And if it is natural, why does a mention of this additive appear on wine labeling? For some time, it has been known that a high consumption of sulphites can cause discomfort and in some people sensitive to them, allergies, due to which, these substances were included in the list of allergenic ingredients, which made that foods containing them must indicate it, although unlike the rest of allergens, it is only mandatory to indicate on the label of the product the presence of sulphites if they exceed 10 mg per liter.
And at this point you are probably wondering how it is possible to produce wines without sulphites, since according to what we have told you previously, all wines contain sulphites, as these compounds are formed naturally during alcoholic fermentation. Well, when a wine indicates ‘without sulphites, it means that it has been made without added sulphites, taking care from the beginning of the process the health and quality of the grapes and performing intensive cleaning operations in the plant to ensure the hygiene and disinfection of the tanks where the winemaking will take place, among other processes. This is what we do at Bodegas Luzón, to produce our Finca Luzón No Added Sulphites.
Our Finca Luzón No Added Sulphites is a vegan and organic wine, 100% Monastrell, honest, fresh, fruity and tasty, with a beautiful ruby color with violet reflections, showing notes of red fruits, spicy and balsamic on the nose and balanced, juicy, with very good tannic sensations and long on the palate.
Did you already know what sulphites are? Did you already know our Finca Luzón No Added Sulphites?