sulfite question

billdini · 11-17-2011, 11:49 PM

I know that some comercial wine labels mention sulfites. I was wondering how that happens. Like in the case of may banana wine, I used campden to stop the ferment cause I liked where it was and its the only one of 3 batches that I did that to and it gives me headaches. I've heard of sulfites giving people headaches. Did I ad sulfites to my wine with the campden?
Thanks for the input

ACbrewer · 11-18-2011, 12:19 AM

I've heard that the sulfites with wine and headaches is a bit of a myth. It is actually the fusels that give the headaches I've heard. There are sulfites in a lot of non wine products - Lemon juice for instance. HOWEVER, since the link has been suggested, and I'm unaware of any study that disproves it, I say drinker beware and go with your own instincts.

Anyhow yes the campden tables did add sulfites to your wine. I'm skeptical about them being the cause of your issue. But if you are thinking that they are, one thing you could do is try alternate methods of stopping fermentation, but the might affect flavor.

The obvious one is to either make dry wines, or really strong wine that are sweeter. In this manner you just let the yeast go to exhaustion, but be warned, some yeast go 18% - hence to be sweet, they will be strong, and have more associated alcohol flavor.

Also you can use preservative, to prevent fermentaion, but they really just stop yeast reproduction. Any live yeast will continue to ferment. Many have said with cold crashing (chilling your wine down to about 35F), racking and Potasium Sorbate that they've effectivly stopped fermentation.

Another would be to look into heat pasturization, but I'm sure someone beside me will chime in that that risks changing the flavor of the wine because you might end up 'cooking' it after fermentation. The temp doesn't need to be above boiling to kill the yeast, but some of the flavor compounds have evaporation or denaturing points below 150F. So tough call on doing that one. And of course type of wine and such will change how effective that one is.

SteveHoward · 11-18-2011, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billdini

I know that some comercial wine labels mention sulfites. I was wondering how that happens. Like in the case of may banana wine, I used campden to stop the ferment cause I liked where it was and its the only one of 3 batches that I did that to and it gives me headaches. I've heard of sulfites giving people headaches. Did I ad sulfites to my wine with the campden?
Thanks for the input

You have several questions in there.

1. My understanding is that most commercial wines add sulfites to stabilize and to help prevent oxidation. However; even if they do not add sulfites, there will be sulfites in the wine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wikipedia([url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfite)

[/url]
Sulfites occur naturally in all wines to some extent.[1] Sulfites are commonly introduced to arrest fermentation at a desired time, and may also be added to wine as preservatives to prevent spoilage and oxidation at several stages of the winemaking. Sulfur dioxide (SO2, sulfur with two atoms of oxygen) protects wine from not only oxidation, but also bacteria. Without sulfur, grape juice would turn to vinegar.[2]

Organic wines are not necessarily sulfite-free.[3] In general, sweet (dessert) wines contain more sulfites than dry wines, and white wines contain more sulfites than red wines.[4]

In the United States, wines bottled after mid-1987 must have a label stating that they contain sulfites if they contain more than 10 parts per million.[3]

In the European Union an equivalent regulation came into force in November 2005.[5]

ref: Sulfite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2. Campden tables contain potassium metabisulfite - a sulfite. You can actually use the potassium metabisulfite by itself instead of the campden tablets, but it is convenient to measure in the tablets.

3. I hear about sulfites causing headaches, but I don't know of anything that definitively says that (or if it is just another excuse for the hangover

). I can say that it doesn't seem to effect me that way - no noticeable difference in the effect it has with or without sulfites added. However; I don't suppose anybody else can tell you what you feel, or how you react to it. All I can say is that I've heard from other people that they are affected, so I'll tell someone I added sulfites if I did, and let them make up their own mind.

(In the article I linked to, there is some information on sulfite allergies, but the symptoms of those allergies do not sound like headaches)

billdini · 11-19-2011, 02:39 PM

Thanks guys you both gave me some great info. I was going to try other types of purafication in my next batch, see if that makes a difference.

**Yooper** · 11-19-2011, 07:50 PM

Incidentally, sulfites don't kill yeast or stop fermentation. That's why winemakers use them!

Watch out for bottle bombs as if the wine wasn't done, it will keep fermenting.

Sulfites don't cause headaches. There are more sulfites in bologna than in wine. The reason the wine gives headaches is because it could very well be 17-18% ABV.