Wine guides

Wine without extra sulphites

Bottiglie di vino senza solfiti aggiunti - efw
Written by EFW Staff

Wine without sulphite: characteristics and qualities

Sulphites, widely used in the modern oenology, are sulphurous dioxide added during the treatment of the wine to check the oxidation of the must, to keep the microbial level within the limits, to enhance the bright colour of the drink and to avoid alterations of the organoleptic properties, all with low costs.
It is popular the fact that a great quantity of sulphurous dioxide can be dangerous for the health of the human beings and for this reason, in the recent years, the wine makers were pushed to use biological production to make wine with low percentages of sulphites and, in some cases, without using sulphurous dioxide (SO2).

Wine without extra sulphites: some details

Quando si parla di vino senza solfiti si commette un’imprecisione.

When we talk about sulphites there is a common mistake: it is better if you say “extra sulphites” with reference to the additive introduced during production, leaving aside the one contained in the raw materials of the soil.

In fact, there isn’t a law, yet, for this type “free form”. What is certain is that the label has to say the truth and it has to be easily demonstrable and it has to be in compliance with the UE regulation 1169/2011 (in force from the grape harvest of 2012) at the cost of being subjected to civil, penal and administrative penalities.

To talk about wine without sulphites, it is necessary that this element should not be used in the different phases of the vineyard, neither in the other treatment that will be carried out in the winery.

Thus, to be certain of drinking a bottle of wine without sulphites, it is necessary to choose a green winery; it means that the winery should produce wine without using chemical substances and without the help of the technology, just taking advantage of the characteristics of the plants and of the soil.

Advantages of wine without extra sulphites

It is always easier to find advertisement of biotechnological companies or places where the usual sulphites are substituted by oenological adjuvants not dangerous and with natural origin.

This niche wines are addressed to the most demanding clients, that care of their own health. Generally, wines without sulphites have to have a concentration of these substances within 10 mg per litre.

Wines without sulphites, despite the traditional wines, succeed because of the grapes and the inner properties of the land of cultivation. Sulphurous dioxide, moreover, is also dangerous for the upper gastro-intestinal tract and for the respiratory system as it can cause allergic reactions pretty sensitive, digestive disturbs, alteration of the metabolism of the sugars and the typical headache.

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EFW Staff