From A Report By John Tepper Marlin
Filed From The Organic World Congress In Modena Italy July, 2008
www.Huffingtonpost.com
The wine-making track of the Organic World Congress in Modena, Italy is a serious business, with dozens of scientists reporting the results of their surveys and experiments, all for the benefit of our personal enjoyment and health and the sustainability of our planet.
One major principle for organic wine in the United States is to avoid "added" sulfite chemicals. Yet sulfites have many beneficial qualities. They occur naturally in grapes (as well as, e.g., onions and garlic) and have long been used on grapes to fight certain diseases. Sulfites are also produced naturally by yeast during fermentation and have for centuries been added to wine as a preservative or taste enhancer, to protect against oxidation and bacteria.
The sulfite compound is very interesting, with a sulfite ion loose in a molecule of sulfur dioxide, potassium bisulfite or a sodium sulfite or bisulfate. Most of the sulfite molecule bonds with other substances in the wine and the bound sulfite usually can't be tasted or smelled in normal concentrations. A smaller part of the sulfite molecule doesn't bond with the wine and looks for bubbles of air or alien substances that could cause wine to spoil. The free sulfite has a strong preservative effect in the wine, which might otherwise turn to vinegar within a year. It is also more easily detected by the nose or palate than the bound sulfite.
The problem with sulfites is twofold. First, addition of too much sulfur salts or sulfur dioxide solutions to grape juice before fermentation can mask a wine's flavor. Second and more seriously, small quantities of sulfites can trigger allergic reactions in some people who do not have the enzyme to break it down. Consuming sulfites can result in breathing difficulty within minutes. Asthmatics and people with aspirin allergies are at greater risk for such a reaction, which requires an immediate visit to the E.R. because it can be fatal. Symptoms include sneezing, swelling of the throat, and hives.
The recommended way to checking whether you are allergic to sulfites is to consume a brightly colored (sulfite-treated) dried apricot, two ounces (56 gm) of which has 112 mg sulfites, many times the typical concentration of sulfites in a glass of wine. Watch for reactions; if there are none, you are unlikely to be allergic to sulfites in wine.
The bound and free sulfites are combined as "total" sulfites, measured in "parts per million" or "ppm". Wine bottled since 1987 and sold in the United States must have a label stating that it "contains sulfites" if it contains more than 10 ppm. To omit the label, producers must show levels below 10 mg/liter by analysis. Wines must have less than 1 mg/liter to have a label that says "No Sulfites". All wines must carry the label, whether made in the US or abroad. (An equivalent law was passed in the EU in 2005.).
Red wines and older white wines contain the lowest levels of naturally occurring sulfites (under 5 ppm), while young white wines may occasionally show levels from 5 to 15 ppm. Most wines contain 25-150 ppm, which shows the extent to which sulfites are added. The legal limit is 350 ppm (mg/liter). Australia requires a label indicating "preservative 220" for wines with added sulfites, but other countries permit sulfites without a label - including France, Italy, Spain and Chile. European wines contain an average of 80 mg/L sulfites, about the same as in the United States, about 10 mg in a typical glass of wine, slightly higher in white wine than red wine.
To be certified as organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, organic wines must be (1) made from grapes that are certified organic and (2) contain no sulfites or tartaric added during the winemaking process. Wineries that use organic grapes, but add preservatives must be labeled simply: "Made with organically grown grapes."
Modern winemaking equipment and sanitation make it possible to produce good wines without sulfite additives, but to avoid the wine going off, it's advisable to drink it within a year. Organic wine can also have unusual aromas from the aldehydes that would be bound and made odorless by the sulfites. Organic wines tend to be sold at natural food stores, but increasingly may be found in a special section of trending supermarkets.
July 3, 2009
For complete post on Organic World Congress, see:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-tepper-marlin/green-edge-2---organic-wi_b_114190.html
