An Australian winemaker has patented a method of removing sulphur dioxide from wine immediately prior to consumption.
James Pennington, of Rivendell Wines in western Australia, patented his PEWA (Preservative Elimination in Wine At consumption) system earlier this year.
The system consists of a levered plastic stopper which is placed on the top of the recently-opened bottle of wine. When the lever is raised and dropped, a small amount of hydrogen peroxide is released. The hydrogen peroxide neutralises the sulphites and the stopper can be removed.
According to Pennington, once the proceedure has been performed the wine is almost completely sulphur free.
Sulphur dioxide is regularly used in winemaking, and many winemakers add up to 250ppm to wine bottles prior to prevent oxidation and development of 'off flavours'.
In some cases, however, the sulpur dioxide can give off a very unpleasant smell and, in large quantities, can provoke severe asthma attacks. In November 2003, European supermarket chain Lidl had to recall a line of Australian Cabernet Shiraz, found to have massive amounts of sulphur dioxide – in some cases 17 times the permitted level.
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This sounds like a wonderful tool for the consumer. My only question is how long the wine will last after it has been injected with the Peroxide. Another question I would like to raise is about the sulfur level of wines that are exported. How is it at all possible for wines to be exported from Country of Origin and imported to Country of Sale Destination, without preliminary analysis and approval by wine buyers. If legal limits are respected by Winemakers, such problems can be avoided and will save everybody, in the wine industry, a ton of money.
Johan Jordaan
When will this product be available in SA and how much would the consumer pay for it? It sounds great for people who suffer from hayfever and allergies, like myself, who is sure to start sneezing after a couple of sips of wine, with worse symptoms after a couple of glasses.
LL
The idea can be good but I am not seeing the people, at home, using this "tool". The winemakers has to respect only the law and the quantity of sulphur which is permitted.
Fernando Rios
Oh great - more chemicals in my wine! And I can even inject them myself – you've gotta be kidding. This sounds like the stuff (peroxide) that my mother and ex-wife use in their hair – and you want me to put it in my wine? Thanks, but no thanks.
Martin H
"Eliminates" is a bit strong. The sulphur does not just disappear. "Reacts with" is more accurate. What are the reaction products? Silence. Free sulphites in wine are mostly "eliminated" (i.e. chemically bound to other substances in the wine) after a year or so. More silence. Either way, you are still ingesting winemaker added sulphur - you just may not sneeze immediately. Yet more silence. There is a point of view that the total sulphur intake is what leads to the allergic reaction in the first place. Profound silence. Tool or gimmick?
Anon
Hydrogen Peroxide is a tremendous oxidizing agent. I'd hate to taste the wine after its addition.
Anon
Being a producer of organic wine we often have to deal with the consumer asking for sulphur free wines. This tool could benefit those consumers that are really serious about drinking sulphur free wine and who are allergic to sulpher. It is certainly another "tool" to expand the consumption of wine.
Botha Theuns, Groete Theuns, Waverley Hills Organiese Wyne, South Africa
The principle is well known to anyone in the industry, and the reason it is not more popular is because the dosage is critical and must be exactly proportional to the SO2 to be neutralized. Too much peroxide = instant sherry. If you really want to try it, use an eyedropper and the 3% H2O2 U.S.P. you get from the drugstore, food grade, none of the hair-bleaching strength.
It might be useful for home-made wine, but commercial wineries adjust the SO2 level pretty precisely relative to the pH, so you will probably instantly oxidize the wine.
Jay Conner
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This sounds like a wonderful tool for the consumer. My only question is how long the wine will last after it has been injected with the Peroxide. Another question I would like to raise is about the sulfur level of wines that are exported. How is it at all possible for wines to be exported from Country of Origin and imported to Country of Sale Destination, without preliminary analysis and approval by wine buyers. If legal limits are respected by Winemakers, such problems can be avoided and will save everybody, in the wine industry, a ton of money.
