It’s becoming more and more common for us to question what’s in our food and drink. With mass-produced wine being filled with artificial sulphites and dangerous chemicals, it’s important to take a good look at what we consume and the way it can affect our health. Conventional wines have on average over 80 chemical additives which is astounding, especially for someone who isn’t aware of it. The EU permits wines to be labelled as certified organic whilst still containing up to 44 different chemical additives and not to mention the sulphite levels! This is why many are turning to free from ranges which allow you to buy French, Australian, Chilean, Spanish Wines and more without nasty added sulphites.
It’s crazy to think that instead of sitting down and drinking a quality wine, you are actually consuming what is essentially a chemical cocktail. But fear not, sulphite free wines have come to the rescue, free from chemicals and actually offering positive health benefits. Sulphite free wines contain a range of naturally occurring antioxidants which help your body to neutralize those nasty free radicals and in turn, reduce risks of dementia, cancer, heart disease, dementia, parkinson's disease and more!
So you may be thinking, don’t all wines contain sulphites? And you’re right, however, it’s not that simple. Natural sulphites which are completely harmless are present in all wines, however, mass produced factory wines add in extra artificial sulphites in the form of preservatives. The aim of adding artificial sulphites is to reduce the rogue oxygen in the wine so that it doesn’t spoil.
The sulphur that is effective as an antioxidant is called free sulphur and is active in the wine. However, the rest of the sulphur combines with other elements in the wine such as sugar, this is called bound sulphur. Bound sulphur is inactive and will not trigger an allergic reaction, however, it will cause hangovers and headaches. Mass produced wine will continue to add free sulphur as a large amount of it will become bound and un-useful, they need to keep a large ratio free to hunt for oxygen and any impurities.
Allergic reactions are caused by the free sulphur in wine which unfortunately, is very common in conventional high-street wines. These poor quality wines have increasing levels of artifical preservatives and additives which many of us are unaware of. It is difficult with mass produced wine to tell the level of free sulphites so when buying your wine, make sure it’s from a quality wine merchant who know what to look for.
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