The sulphites or sulphur dioxide are preservatives commonly used in food industry and wine making, for their antioxidant and antibacterial properties.

These occur naturally during the wine fermentation process, when the yeasts produce small quantities of them; or may be added by the oenologist at several stages.

The quantity  introduced to wine has been reduced over the last century, due to the new vinification techniques. In Fincas de Azabache, as we mentioned in our last blog post, we use an innovative system of fermentation with CO2 that allow us to minimize the addition of sulphites in our wines.

It is mandatory by law that sulphites content must be shown on the back label and  although it is not necessary to indicate the exact amount, this must be less than 150 mg/l for red wines and less than 200 mg/l for white and rose wines.  Red wines need a lower quantity of added sulphites because the must remains longer time in contact with the skins and it contains more tannins, that also provide antioxidant properties.

The use of sulphites in winemaking helps to improve the quality of the wines, enhancing their organoleptic potencial, extending the wine life cycle, as they ensure preservation and controlling the oxidation, before and after, bottling.

Therefore sulphites should not be considered as something negative. As we see, their content levels are regulated by law and unless a confirmed clear intolerance, sulphites should not do any arm to our system.