Do Wines Contain Additives? What's Really in Your Glass

Wine is often thought of as a simple, natural product — fermented grapes, nothing more. In reality, over 70 additives are legally approved for use in winemaking, and many commercially produced wines use several of them. Most are harmless, but some affect calorie content, sugar levels, and flavour in ways that never appear on the label.

The most common wine additives

Sulphites (SO2): The most widely used preservative in wine. Almost all wine contains some sulphites. If you want to minimise sulphite intake, look for low-sulphite or no-added-sulphite wines — the Running Duck Organic range is produced by Stellar Organics, one of the world's leading no-added-sulphur winemakers.

Sugar (chaptalisation): Sugar is added to wine not to sweeten it but to increase alcohol content. This is legal in northern regions where grapes struggle to fully ripen. At DrinkWell, we confirmed through our own laboratory research that many commercial supermarket wines contain significantly more carbohydrates than their declared sugar content would predict — the gap being attributable to non-sugar additives.

Fining agents: Used to clarify wine. Traditional agents include egg whites, isinglass (fish bladder), casein (milk protein), and gelatin — all animal-derived. Vegan alternatives include bentonite clay, activated charcoal, and pea protein. DrinkWell confirms vegan status on every product page.

Low additive wines at DrinkWell

• → Running Duck Organic Shiraz — no added sulphur, organic, 90 kcal, 0g sugar, £12.49
• → Running Duck Organic Merlot — no added sulphur, organic, 88 kcal, 0g sugar, £12.49
• → TRACES Sauvignon Blanc — 78 kcal, 0g sugar, clean winemaking, £9.99

Shop clean wines

• → Low calorie organic wine collection
• → Vegan wine collection
• → Zero sugar wine — 0g confirmed per serving
• → Mixed wine cases — free delivery over £99

• Share on Facebook
• Tweet on Twitter
• Pin on Pinterest