99% of wine bottles contain sulfur dioxide (sulfuric anhydride). This substance is added by almost all manufacturers, from Crimean winemakers to French masters. Theoretically, they can do without sulfur, but then the drink will turn out to be very expensive and require specific storage conditions that are difficult to provide in ordinary stores.
sulphur dioxide (Sulphur Dioxide, E220) is a colorless gas with an unpleasant odor that is used by the food industry as a preservative to prevent the growth of fungi and microorganisms. In high concentrations, this gas is hazardous to health. Sulfur poisoning causes headache, cough, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, and even pulmonary edema.
Sulfites (salts of sulfurous acid) are a product of fermentation and are found in small amounts (up to 10 mg/l) in every wine. But their natural concentration is not enough to stabilize the wine material, so producers are forced to add a preservative to the drink.
The winemakers of the Middle Ages were the first to use sulfur. But even then people noticed its negative impact on the body. For example, in the XNUMXth century in Cologne it was forbidden to treat wine with sulfur, since “this makes the drinker sick.” Only in some cities of the Late Middle Ages, producers were allowed to process wine barrels with sulfur once.
Despite its high toxicity, in the XNUMXth century, sulfur dioxide became a preservative for a number of foods. Over time, a concentration was found that has a minimal effect on the body.
In modern winemaking, sulfur dioxide (in the form of gas, powder or aqueous solution) is used immediately at 4 stages of industrial wine production: harvesting, pressing berries, fermentation (fermentation) and bottling.
Depending on the specific situation, adding sulfur to wine stops fermentation, prevents the formation of acetic acid, stabilizes taste and color, and increases shelf life. An adequate and harmless replacement for this substance has not yet been found.
The harm of sulfur dioxide in wine
It is not the presence of sulfites that is harmful, but their amount in the drink. According to US standards, the maximum allowable concentration of sulfur dioxide in wine is 400 mg/l. In the European Union, manufacturers are not required to state the amount of sulfites. The absence of a corresponding inscription misleads buyers, who believe that all European wines do not contain sulfur dioxide. Actually it is not.
Even the standards for the production of organic wines (the most environmentally friendly) allow the presence of sulfites. But their concentration is lower – from 10 to 210 mg / l, depending on the standard.
To choose a wine with a minimum amount of sulfur dioxide, keep the following in mind:
- sulfites are less in red wines, because due to the high content of tannins they require a minimum of preservatives;
- most of all, sulfur is added to sweet and semi-sweet wines to stop their fermentation;
- wines with a screw cap have fewer preservatives than drinks with a classic (wooden) cork;
- it is better not to buy wines from regions where volcanoes are nearby, as the soil of local vineyards is rich in sulfur.
An excess of sulfur dioxide destroys vitamins B1 and H, leading to metabolic disorders in the body, deterioration of the skin, hair, nails and allergic reactions. In some cases, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and digestive system were observed. The latter applies to people with increased or decreased acidity of gastric juice. Sulfites in wine are also the cause of severe hangovers.