Sainsburys has taken the first UK listing of a commercial wine made without the addition of sulphites.
The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stellar Winery in South Africa will be part of Sainsbury's So Organic range. Priced at £4.99, it will be available from mid-March.
Sulphites, in the form of sulphur dioxide (SO2), are almost universally added to wines to protect against unwanted microbial growth and oxidation.
While there exists a small niche for 'natural wines' made without using SO2, these wines are not widely distributed, and they frequently have strong 'farmyard' or 'funky' odours.
This will be the first widely distributed, inexpensive SO2-free wine.
SO2 is thought to be harmless at the levels typically found in wine, but some asthmatics react badly to it. A glass of wine contains around 10 mg of SO2, of which a small portion will have been produced by yeasts during fermentation.
Stellar's winemaker Dudley Wilson told decanter.com that modern production techniques make the use of SO2 less critical than in the past. Proper control of oxygen during winemaking, careful bottling, and sterile filtration makes it possible to produce a stable, fault-free wine without SO2.
'Standards of hygiene in cellars are much improved. With the selection of healthy good quality fruit at optimum ripeness in the vineyard, there is little need to use large amounts of SO2 at the start of the wine making process.'
He added that big reds rich in phenolic compounds are better suited to this approach. 'Not all wines are SO2 free candidates.'
The Sainsburys Cabernet carries a neck tag, labelled 'no added sulphites', explaining what this means and warning customers 'once opened, do not store this wine'.
In Australia, Hardys produce a range of three NPA ('no preservative added') Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay made from Riverland fruit without sulphur dioxide additions. These retail at AUS$15, but are not exported.
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This is all well to read and I can think there is a lot of consumers raving about the fact of no SO², due to a lot of them not understanding the concept of sulphite's use and limits in wine, but will the wine last on the shelf? or will the consumer be buying a wine and after a while be disappointed?
Closure is another point to take into consideration, if one use natural cork and allow wine to breath, surely the wine will react negatively on the nose and palate if there is nothing against it? PH? Will one do this in south Africa where the PH and acid ratio is geting closer and closer to be the same?
And on the other hand, do consumers that worry about SO² know that dried fruit have almost three times as much sulphite as wine? and I don't see them complaining or making such a fuss about that.
Marius Malan, winemaker
I am looking forward to trying a glass of red for the first time in 13 years. I have Systemic Mastocytosis, a rare mast cell disease, which makes drinking anything with SO2 in it impossible. However I am advised by my Consultant that it is possible I may still react even though the SO2 will be absent. It will be interesting to find out!
Sally, Essex, UK
So Organic range at Sainsbury's - I have now tried Sainsbury's first sulphite-free wine and unfortunately could not tolerate more than a few sips. However! I can use it in cooking - not what it is intended for, I know - and I am delighted that after thirteen years, I can once again enjoy red wine, albeit in my food / gravies. I would advise anyone with an alcohol intolerance to give it a try.
Sally, Essex, UK
I have just tried Sainsbury's sulphite free-wine and really enjoyed my first glass of red wine for months! Being asthmatic, after drinking any red wines (cheap & expensive) I found that I was coughing and wheezing considerably. I now steer clear of any thing that states it contains sulphites which includes quite alot of different foods especially chinese, indian and many processed foods. The only trouble is I live quite a distance from a Sainsburys. Does any one know of any other retailer who stocks sulphite-free wine?
Carol, Derbys, UK
To the pompous wine maker; anyone buying no added sulphite wines certainly knows sulphites are added to dried fruit, fruit juice, squashes, sugars, etc and avoids them like the plague. I have been unable to drink wine without getting a terrible migraine for the last 15 years, The Sainsbury's no added sulphites wine is the first I have been able to enjoy, and therefore enjoy dinner parties with friends for a long time. Well done Sainsbury a brave move.
Miranda, Berkshire, UK
I was delighted to hear about this SO2-free wine, I have always enjoyed different wines red and white but recently have experienced asthma like symptons after drinking (I am 42 years old). I did not make a link initially but I am pretty sure that the wine that I have been drinking is the cause. I have yet to confirm this officially. It would be lovely to find a wine that I am able to drink without worrying how I will react.
I visited my local Waitrose who I would have thought would have been up on this gap in the market but they did not have any information for me but were going to look into this. Jenny Calverley
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