Sulfite free wine (the making of)

[Elmer]

This weekend after I was sulfating, racking & bottling My wine, I cracked open a bottle I had on the shelf.

Knowing that I follow a 3 month rack & Kmeta dose schedule, I always assume that my wines are well sulfated. There fore I air them out and swirl a lot before and during drinking.

But while drinking my wine my wife asked how wineries make wine with no sulfites.
I really had no informed information, I could only assume they bottled early an had a short self life.
I also know that comparing my operation to a commercial one is preposterous.

But how do they make wine with no sulfites?

And could I? I have family who are allergic to sulfites (or so they say) .


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[acorn]

That's interesting. I could almost swear I have never seen a commercial bottle without it saying "Contains sulfites" on the label.

 

[richmke]

I have seen a few bottles of sulfite free wine at the local wine shop. Technically it is no added sulfite.

If I were to make wine without adding k-meta:

Dose it with k-meta before fermentation. This will kill off most stuff. If using a kit, you can skip this step.

After fermentation, use clarifiers and keep the wine chilled.
After clarifying, filter down to 0.40 or smaller microns.
Keep the wine chilled.
Consume early.

 

[Fsim]

I have seen a few bottles of sulfite free wine at the local wine shop. Technically it is no added sulfite.

True no added sulfites, sulfites are a natural bi-product of fermentation. So technically speaking wines, cheese and beer produce some natural sulfites.

 

[deRicardo]

Wine naturally has sulfites in it, as the wine making process itself.

I'll assume the real issue for you is you don't want to add any sulfites. I am not an expert on this subject (or any other), but I have seen "organically" made wines that don't have added sulfites.

It can be done at home, but it is a challenge to keep things clean enough to end up bottling wine that will last a few years. (A "challenge" doesn't mean it's impossible.)

My neighbor makes several barrels of wine a year and has never ever added any sulfites to his wine. As a matter of fact he has never added anything to his wine, including commercial yeast or MLB. The key here is his wine is gone by the start of the next season's harvest. This year (last month) he actually had a barrel of wine left over and gave it to me (the wine, not the barrel). I immediately placed it in carboys and sulfited it myself. However, the wine really is on its way out and I'm not sure I will keep it. My friends, family and I have already drank about 3 gallons of it. I'll make a decision about keeping it in a couple months.

I believe his wine would have lasted many years, had he sulfited it.

I would be surprised if there aren't several people on here who don't add sulfites.

 

[cmason1957]

I talked at length with the winemaker at the only winery I know of in Missouri that puts on its labels "no added sulfites". He uses an iodine based sanitizer and raises the alcohol level a but higher than is normal for the given varietal. Oh and I had a few bottles of his wine that went bad much sooner than I would expect wine to go bad (3 years or so)

One other thing that should be mentioned, the levels of sulfites in wine are much less than those in many other products which are not required to label sulfite added.

 

[Elmer]

I talked at length with the winemaker at the only winery I know of in Missouri that puts on its labels "no added sulfites". He uses an iodine based sanitize and raises the alcohol level a but higher than is normal for the given varietal. Oh and I had a few bottles of his wine that went bad much sooner than I would expect wine to go bad (3 years or so)

One other thing that should be mentioned, the levels of sulfites in wine are much less than those in many other products which are not required to label sulfite added.

Years ago I played in a band with a guy, whose wife was alergic to sulfates.
However she liked wine. Her dilemma was to drink wine, which would swell her face and make it puffy or not drink.
She would drink wine just ever so often, until she found some organic "sulfate free" wine. The issue was it was more expensive and not nearly as good as the wine she liked.

But like I said in my OP, I just had no clue and was throwing it out for discussion and explanation.
I did find the below article, which I could not do prior to posting the OP.

http://winefolly.com/tutorial/sulfites-in-wine/

 

[JohnT]

Just to add to what deRicardo said, most organic wines are have no sulfites added.

The question is not IF you can make wine without sulfites, but SHOULD you?

It is highly unlikely that your friend is allergic to sulfites. Sulfide allergies are extremely rare. It is much more likely that your friend is allergic to tannins (a lot less uncommon occurrence).

You need to consider what sulfides bring to the party. It is used to kill (or stun) natural yeasts in must enabling cultured yeast to get a foothold. Its continued used as a antibacterial / antioxidant helps ensure that the wine is protected through aging and racking.

If you want to do a natural fermentation and feel that you do not need to take any additional steps to protect your against bacteria, then I say go for it.

 

[cpfan]

So far this thread has mention sulfates, sulfites, and sulfides. Three very different but similarly named things. As far as wine-making goes, we should be concerned with sulfites. Anybody trying to research this issue with regard to wines should concentrate on sulfites, because as far as I can tell there are NO sulfates, and NO sulfides in wine.

I really don't like to pick on people's spelling on the internet, but this is one item that can lead to misunderstanding. For example, we have a friend who is possibly allergic to something or other. She has NOT gone to an allergy specialist, just her family doctor. She thinks that she is allergic to all three, because they are probably the same thing. I've given up on trying to explain it to her.

Steve

 

[Elmer]

So far this thread has mention sulfates, sulfites, and sulfides. Three very different but similarly named things. As far as wine-making goes, we should be concerned with sulfites. Anybody trying to research this issue with regard to wines should concentrate on sulfites, because as far as I can tell there are NO sulfates, and NO sulfides in wine.

I really don't like to pick on people's spelling on the internet, but this is one item that can lead to misunderstanding. For example, we have a friend who is possibly allergic to something or other. She has NOT gone to an allergy specialist, just her family doctor. She thinks that she is allergic to all three, because they are probably the same thing. I've given up on trying to explain it to her.

Steve

I apologize for my mis-spelling, I have the beginning of head cold with a headache and I am currently seeing 3 of everything, but atleast my vision is not blurry yet!

I have a few people (relationship will remain undisclosed) who are allergic to many things, yeast, gluten, sugar, chocolate, cats not dogs, etc...etc...
I have called BS on them since they were either not diagnosed by a doctor, or their gynecologist told them they had allergies (I still cant figure that one out). I have called BS on this and I will leave it at that.

The women I knew with the allergy was severe and the first time I saw her after she drank wine with K-meta she looked like she had gone 12 rounds with a boxer.
However she could drink the organic wine and not have an issue.
But she could not eat bread or sea food or alot of other things. her condition was authentic and she kept it to her self.

For the record I do not intend to make wine and NOT add K-meta. I was just following the through process to see what was possible!

 

[richmke]

"There is no such thing as a sulphite allergy. It is not physically or physiologically possible to be allergic to elemental sulphur compounds."

http://www.winexpert.com/wine-wiki/show/Health+Question,+Sulphite+Allergy

 

[Elmer]

"There is no such thing as a sulphite allergy. It is not physically or physiologically possible to be allergic to elemental sulphur compounds."

http://www.winexpert.com/wine-wiki/show/Health+Question,+Sulphite+Allergy

I will be the 1st to say that I dont buy alot of the "allergies" people have these days.
But there are allergies, because I have seen the effects. I think we have all seen a kid puff up after eating a shelfish or treenut!

secondly, I would not use WineExpert as my goto refrence for medical information.

I see your WineExpert medical advice and raise you WebMD.

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/sulfite-sensitivity

 

[organicwineclub]

Natural wines or those made without added sulphites are produced with minimal intervention in the winery.Natural winemaking ensures that you are not getting some nasty things which are added in the winery. Hope it makes sense! I have recently been through an interesting blog talking about myths of sulphite free wine.

 

[pip]

If you keep everything clean and drink the wine within a few months of making i think its highly unlikely you'll have a problem. I made a batch of DB without additives and it was fine but also entirely consumed 6-7 weeks after pitching yeast. (1g batch) Having said that, i normally always use k-meta for the peace of mind and i like to age at least a few bottles of every batch.

But i'm a drinker not a taster - i dont have a sophisticated palette, i'm happy if its smooth and clear and tastes pleasant but i think the general consensus is that a really excellent wine requires aging and aging without sulphites can be problematic.

My 2c worth.