Do we HAVE to add sulphites to wine?

[tom12345]

Im thinking of making my own wine/cider via fermenting some apples.
Im brewing it at about 10% alcohol.
Ive heard quite a lot about how sulphites can cause astma and as i drink about 500 - 600 ml of wine per night and have done for about 10 years now im wondering if we can make wines WITHOUT adding a presevatives such as sulphites?
In other words if i drink the wine quite early ie within a few months, will the alcohol itself preserve the wine?

 

[BigKahuna]

U don't 1/2 2 add anything.

Sulfite add an extra layer of protection against oxygenation and spoilage. Wine was made and aged for lots of years before we figured out how to add sulfite as a preservative.

 

[Yooper]

Sulfite add an extra layer of protection against oxygenation and spoilage. Wine was made and aged for lots of years before we figured out how to add sulfite as a preservative.

That's true. You certainly don't have to add anything.

That said, though, I always use sulfites. Oxidized wine would be a real spoiler (pun intended!) for me. Think of sherry- that's what an oxidized wine tastes like. Racking, bottling, etc, all cause some aeration and if you use sulfites, it "binds" to the wine temporarily, so that oxygen can't. It doesn't last, though- sulfite disapates relatively quickly. So, if you don't want to use sulfites in the rate of 50 ppm all the time, you could at least do that when you rack.

If you're fermenting with wild yeast, no need to add sulfites at the beginning. If you're planning on using wine or cider yeast, you'll need to add some sulfites at the beginning to kill the wild yeast and bacteria. Otherwise, you'll be fermenting with whatever wild yeast and bacteria are on your apples.

Incidently, if you do some research online, you'll find that sulfites don't cause asthma. What they CAN do, though, is trigger some symptoms in people who have asthma and who are sensitive to sulfites. I have asthma, and I make (and drink) tons of wine. I use sulfites, in a much lower dose than any commercial wine. I have never had a problem, and I've never had a spoiled wine.

 

[summersolstice]

There's actually no such thing as a "sulfite-free" wine since sulfites are naturally occurring and are found in all wines. As was previously stated, you don't have to add any extra sulfites to anything. However, if you plan to keep it in the bottle much past 18 months, you'd better add sulfites or risk losing your wine. Added sulfites also protect color in wines and, especially in light colored wines like apple, off colors may develop without their use.

 

[KiRbY29869]

I were you I wouldn't worry about the sulfites because if you drink that much commercial wine (I'm guessing its commercial) since you said you were just thinking about doing this. Anyway I know that commercial wineries all add sulfites because they aren't going to take the chance at losing wine (i.e. money). So if you don't have a reaction to that stuff you should be good.:rockin:

 

[Austinhomebrew]

You should add Potassium Metabisulphite to your wine. I am talking only a 1/4 teaspoon for 6 gallons. Every wine has sulphites in it even if you don't add any.

A lot of people get headaches and get a stuffy head when they drink red wine. People blame this on the sulfites and this is not the cause. If people were actually allergic to sulfites they would be in the hospital at worst and have oxygen on their face at best. Your liver produces sulphites.

What is happening is that many (almost all) wineries do a Malolactic fermentation. This is a bacteria added to young wine that changes malic acid into lactic acid. This will make the wine smoother and they can take it to market quicker.

It is this Malolactic fermentation that causes histamines. Histamines cause sinus headaches in most people. Sudaphed is a anti-histamine.
Making wine from scratch or from wine kits that have a trace amount of sulphites will not cause you problems.

I have Malolactic bacteria for sale if you want it but I don't recommend it. I do recommend a small smidgen of Potassium Metabisuphite. This will maintain the quality of your wine for at least 3 years instead of 3 months.

There is a large myth about sulphites and it is a hard myth to break. But, I assure you that it is the Malolactic fermentation that is causing the problems not sulphites.

You cannot buy sulfite free wine. Some winemakers claim "no added sulphites" on their wine bottles to play into the fears people have about sulphites. Just because they didn't add any sulphite does not mean that there are no sulphites in the wine.

Forrest

 

[EvilTOJ]

So that explains why I get red wine headaches, its the histamines. Well, that and the Carlo Rossi altercations from my previous avatar.

Another reason you want to stabilize the wine is so you don't get corks blowing off when fermentation starts up again after you'd thought it was over. I was almost shot with a cork once as it fired across the garage, spilling its liquid all over the place.