From that article: “’‘We’ve been using sodium dioxide in moderate amounts for hundreds of years,’’ he said, referring to the most widely used sulfiting agent.”
Misquote? Typo? It’s SULFUR Dioxide,no?
Thank you, Mr. Fleming. Clearly I have a faulty recall (or heard a tarted-up version of the story) of the case of Daniel Tsevat.
Of course, it is worth noting that the wine that apparently triggered his asthma was white…and a German white to boot - typically the among the most sulfured of all wines.
"The Confusion about Sulfites
What seems to further complicate the subject of organic wine is the subject of sulfites. Sulfite or sulfur dioxide is used as a preservative in wines. It has strong antimicrobial properties and some antioxidant properties. The health effects or consequences of sulfites are debatable though a small percent of the population does suffer a sensitivity reaction to them. A wine can make the claim,“Sulfite Free” or “ No Added Sulfites - Contains Naturally Occurring Sulfites”, but if sulfites are added and the total sulfites in the wine are above 10 parts per million, it must make the statement, “Contains Sulfites.” A wine that makes the claim Sulfite Free must have no detectable sulfites. There is some controversy about whether it is really possible for a wine to have no sulfites, but no detectable sulfites means that current ATF analysis is not sensitive enough to detect the presence of sulfites at such low levels. No Added Sulfites means that the winery did not add sulfites to the wine but there may be naturally occurring sulfites in the wine that occur as a byproduct of fermentation.
According to the NOP labeling laws. Any of the NOP categories could claim to be Sulfite Free or have No Added Sulfites, but the 100% Organic and Organic categories must meet one of these criteria. The Made with Organic Ingredients and Some Organic Ingredients categories may or may not have added sulfites."
From http://www.organicconsumers.org/Organic/OrganicWine.cfm, this is, I believe, a pretty accurate summary of sulfites and labeling.
There used to be a BBQ joint on Lincoln Blvd in Venice that had a neon sign in the window that said “No added fat”. Think there was fat in the 'Q?
I don’t either. I have had several problems in the past with Italian wines that had too little SO2 added (oxidation or Brett) due to the general trend towards lower SO2 levels. I think one problem in customer perception of this issue is that many customers don’t understand clearly why the winery adds a little SO2 in the first place.
Roberto, It could be that that was just a typo in the article but you are able to purchase both Sodium Metabisulphite and Potassium Metabisulphite.
Bam. This extends from “novices” and “sophisticates” alike. At least in America.
Agreed. It definitely is the full range of customer, as you say, and even some ITB that have a “natural” chip on their shoulder. It’s as if they think all winemakers that don’t fit “their” program are out there in the vineyards in a full body suit, spraying whatever they want!
Yes. There is a strong connection between the ‘natural’ camp and low-SO2, but not absolute, fortunately. I recently asked one of Italy’s very rare biodynamic producers if he used SO2 and he said ‘I’m biodynamic, not crazy.’
Oliver, why do you say “Italy’s rare biodynamic producers”? Here’s a list of quite a few yet I know of a good number more:
Friuli/Venezia Giulia
Bressan
La Castellada
Damijan
Domaine Borc Dodon
Gravner
Radikon
Vodopivec
Piedmont
Cascina degli Ulivi
Cascina Corte (some biodynamic practices)
Ël Mat di Gaiero Giuseppe
Hilberg-Pasquero
Teobaldo Cappellano
Nuova Cappellata
Scagiola (bio-d techniques)
Trinchero
Tuscany
Castello di Argiano
Fattoria di Bacchereto
La Busattina
Caiarossa
Casale
Fattoria Castellina
Casina di Cornia
Duemani
Tenuta di Ghizzano
Corte Pavone (some biodynamic practices)
Cosimo Maria Masini
Fattoria Cerreto Libri
Massavecchia
Il Paradiso di Manfredi
Monte Bernardi
Querciabella(some biodynamic practices)
Castello dei Rampolla
Riecine(experimenting)
San Giuseppe
Stella di Campalto
Fattoria La Torre
Poggio Trevvalle
Tenuta di Valgiano
Umbria
Paolo Bea
Emilia Romagna
La Collina SCRL
Cà Colombera - Dimola
Folicello
Paolo Francesconi
Camillo Donati
Abruzzi
Antonio Di Battista
Emidio Pepe (as of 2005 vintage)
Olearia Vinicola Orsogna
Alto Adige-Trentino
J. Hofstätter (some biodynamic vineyards)
Kellerei Kaltern
Alois Lageder (Estate wines)
Tenute Loacker
Veneto
La Biancara
Castello di Lispida
Cascina La Pertica
Perlage “Col di Manza”
Basilicata
Cantine del Notaio
Campania
Ocone
Lazio
Claudio Menicocci
Puglia
Cefalicchio
Leone de Castris
Marche
Fattoria San Lorenzo
Sicily
C.O.S.
Zenner Dô
Gulfi
Roberto,
If one was to accept all the names on that list, it would still be a tiny fraction of the number of producers in Italy, which was my point. As far as the list goes, I suspect that the definition of ‘biodynamic’ used there is a bit loose; one of the producers for example says ‘We use prevalently biological fertilizers,’ which on the face of it would mean they aren’t biodynamic.
Yes, that is true. Yet, we attended two different Natural / Bio / Sustainable wine fairs outside of VinItaly this year and there were scores and scores of them. Some of our favorites were from Sardegna which is not even represented on that list.
Well, yes, but ‘natural’ and ‘sustainable’ mean whatever you want them to mean. Those two fairs were interesting, everything from great producers like Foradori to wine that looked and smelled like a veterinary sample.
Did you taste the guy from Meursault at the fair out in the country? Could have been unfiltered apple cider except that tastes good!
Also not on the list: the amazing wines of Marinella Camerani at Corte Sant’Alda in the Valpolicella zona.
Unfortunately, as an importer, the question of stability is crucial. I am not sure if some of the most ‘interesting’ wines at those natural fairs would make it over here in one piece. I love artisanal wine, but there is a limit.
As cutting as my earlier remark may have seemed, I actually like and admire many of the methods and aims of those kinds of producers. When they make it here in one piece, I often admire the results, though they never seem to travel well. Unfortunately, from a business perspective, wines that vary as widely as they can and fail as regularly as they do…
The use of SO2 is, from a historical perspective, what gave us wine that would last for more than a year back then they began treating casks with it centuries ago.
There are wines I admire that I can’t see myself importing. Sad but true, since most of the time my sole criterion is that I admire the wine.
Thank you all for answering my question, no, I have no “natural chip” on my shoulder, and sulfites concern me somewhat less than the day the sun burns out. It’s nice to know what “a sulfite” is, it further enables one to sort through all the slick marketing which has now taken over the wine industry. Thank you, knew the “Beserkers” would set the story straight.
Re: Bees in the wine. I discussed this interesting hypothesis with my wife. Her immediate reaction was: Why not just pollen?
Fortunately neither of us care or seem to have any allergy issues with wine of any kind whatsoever.