What Are sulfites in Wine

Sulfites are often blamed for many of the frustrating symptoms associated with drinking wine, but what are sulfites and are they to blame?

Originally published on faciallounge.com

Studies indicate that up to 75% of wine drinkers report adverse reactions to drinking wine. Despite these significantly high numbers there still seems to be a fair amount of confusion behind the cause of these negative reactions. Sulfites are often blamed for many of the frustrating symptoms , but what are they and are they the real culprit?

Let’s take a closer look at this compound and several other factors that may be causing or contributing to symptoms like headaches, redness in the face, skin rashes, chest tightness, etc…

WHAT ARE SULFITES?

Sulfites are naturally present in wines and many other foods and can be added as preservatives. Dried fruits, canned foods and chips are just a few of the many foods that it can be found in. In wine, naturally occurring sulfites are created during the fermentation process when sulphur dioxide and water mix. More are then added to maintain freshness and prevent bacteria growth. What does that all mean?

Basically, NO wine is completely sulfite-free. If you see bottles of wine with this label what this actually means is that no additional sulfites have been added to the wine. Now, here is where the issue gets a little more complex. Because they play such a critical role in preservation, wines that do not have added sulfites tend to have a harsher taste and a shelf-life of about a year maximum. They definitely do not age well and most people report that they don’t taste all that great either.

Back to the big question: Are they actually bad for you? While scouring the internet for reliable sources on this topic it was hard to find anything truly concrete and grounded in trustworthy studies….BUT here is what I was able to find so far…