THE SULPHITE FIGHT – ARE SULPHITES IN WINE REALLY THE PROBLEM?

We hear it all the time…

"I can't drink wine because I'm allergic to sulphites."

"Red wine gives me a headache – it must be the sulphites."

"Natural wine doesn't contain sulphites."

But how much of this is actually true?

Sulphites have probably become one of the most misunderstood ingredients in wine. The words "CONTAINS SULPHITES" printed on the back of a bottle certainly don't help their reputation.

So, let's have another look at the sulphite fight.

FIRST THINGS FIRST – SULPHITES ARE NATURAL

Sulphites are sulphur-based compounds, including sulphur dioxide (SO₂), and they aren't something invented by the modern wine industry.

Small quantities are produced naturally during fermentation.

This means that even a wine where the winemaker has added no sulphur can still contain naturally occurring sulphites. This is why "no added sulphites" and "sulphite-free" are not necessarily the same thing.

Winemakers may add additional SO₂ because it is remarkably useful. It helps protect wine against oxidation, unwanted bacteria and spoilage, allowing the wine you open in Nairobi to taste the way the winemaker intended it to taste.

BUT ARE PEOPLE ACTUALLY ALLERGIC TO SULPHITES?

Some people genuinely are sensitive to sulphites, and reactions can be serious for particularly susceptible individuals.

But this is quite different from simply developing a headache after drinking wine.

One of the interesting points raised in The Sulfite Fight is that blaming sulphites for every uncomfortable reaction to wine doesn't necessarily make sense when we compare wine with everyday foods.

And here's where things get interesting...

THERE CAN BE FAR MORE SULPHITES IN FOOD THAN IN WINE

Wine is certainly not alone.

Depending on how they're produced and preserved, foods such as dried fruit, bottled lemon or lime juice, preserved meats and some prepared foods can contain substantial quantities of sulphites.

The article gives some striking examples:

So if someone can happily eat dried apricots but believes the comparatively smaller amount of sulphites in a glass of wine is automatically responsible for their headache, there may be something else going on.

AND HERE'S THE RED WINE PARADOX...

"Red wine gives me a headache, so I must be reacting to the sulphites."

There's an obvious problem with that argument.

White wines generally require more sulphite protection than red wines.

Red wine receives natural antioxidant protection from compounds extracted from grape skins during fermentation. This means winemakers can often use less SO₂.

So why might somebody react particularly badly to red wine?

There are plenty of other possibilities.

MAYBE IT ISN'T THE SULPHITES?

Wine is complicated.

It contains alcohol, acids, tannins and numerous naturally occurring compounds created by grapes and fermentation.

Some people may also react differently to histamine and other biogenic amines, particularly with certain fermented products.

And then there's the most obvious culprit:

ALCOHOL.

Alcohol can contribute to dehydration, and drinking too much of it is a considerably more straightforward explanation for many next-day headaches than automatically blaming sulphites.

How quickly you drink, whether you've eaten, how much water you've consumed and simply how much alcohol you've had can all make a difference.

WHAT ABOUT NATURAL AND "NO ADDED SULPHITE" WINES?

They're interesting wines and certainly have their place.

But don't automatically assume that less sulphur = better wine.

Sulphur is one of the tools available to a winemaker. Used carefully, it can help keep wine fresh and stable and protect it during transportation and storage.

This is particularly relevant when wine is travelling thousands of kilometres before eventually reaching us here in Kenya.

Removing or dramatically reducing SO₂ can make wine more susceptible to oxidation, microbial activity and bottle variation unless the winemaking, bottling, transport and storage are exceptionally well controlled.

The objective shouldn't necessarily be zero sulphites.

It should be appropriate sulphite use and good winemaking.

HOW MUCH SULPHITE IS ACTUALLY IN SOLOVINO WINES?

We  looked at laboratory analyses from wines in the Solovino portfolio and found some surprisingly low results.

Among those previously tested were:

Krohn Port LBV 2017 – 16 mg/L

Restless River Main Road & Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon – 29 mg/L

Pasquiers Grenache Noir – 32 mg/L

Soldiers Block Shiraz – 42 mg/L

Strange Kompanjie Cinsault – 50 mg/L

Sharpham Dart Valley Madeleine Angevine – 59 mg/L

Emiliana Organic Reserve Rosé – 64 mg/L

These results demonstrate just how misleading the simple words "CONTAINS SULPHITES" can be. They tell you that sulphites are present above the relevant labelling threshold—not that the wine is somehow saturated with them. Solovino's previous sulphite article discusses these laboratory results in more detail.

SO, SHOULD WE BE WORRIED ABOUT SULPHITES?

For someone with a genuine sulphite sensitivity, absolutely—they need to take the issue seriously.

For everybody else?

Sulphites probably deserve considerably less of the blame they receive.

The next time somebody says:

"I can't drink red wine because of the sulphites..."

You might want to ask them:

"Are you sure it's the sulphites?"

Because if dried fruit, bottled lemon juice and various preserved foods don't cause the same problem, perhaps the answer lies somewhere else.

And sometimes the simplest explanation after a few glasses of wine remains the most obvious one:

the alcohol.

Drink good wine, drink water, eat something—and most importantly, drink responsibly.

Solovino – Seriously Good Wine.