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Every wine bottle you pick up says "contains sulphites" somewhere on the back. Here's what that actually means, whether it matters, and what to buy if you'd rather keep them to a minimum.
What are sulphites?
Sulphites is the umbrella term for sulphur dioxide (SO2) and related compounds like potassium and sodium metabisulphite. They're one of the most widely used preservatives in food and drink, and they turn up in dried fruit, crisps, fruit juice and vinegar as well as wine.
In wine they come from two places.
Some are made by the wine itself. Fermentation produces sulphites naturally as a by-product, so there is no such thing as a wine with none in it at all.
The rest are added by the winemaker, usually at pressing and again before bottling, to stop the wine oxidising, going brown, or picking up unwanted bacteria. Sulphites are why a bottle tastes the same in three years as it did on release, and why aged wine is possible at all.
Why does the label say "contains sulphites"?
Because the law says it has to. Any wine with more than 10mg of sulphites per litre must declare it, and almost every wine clears that bar without trying. It's an allergen declaration, not a warning, and it tells you nothing about how much is actually in the bottle. A wine at 12mg and a wine at 140mg carry exactly the same wording.
Are sulphites bad for you?
For most people, no. They've been used in winemaking for centuries and are considered safe at the levels found in food and drink.
A small number of people are genuinely sensitive. It's thought to affect around 1% of the population, rising to as much as 10% of people with asthma. Reactions can include hives, a blocked or runny nose, coughing, and in more serious cases wheezing or breathing difficulty. If you react consistently to wine, that's worth raising with your GP rather than self-diagnosing.
Do sulphites cause wine headaches?
Probably not, despite how often you hear it.
The evidence doesn't support it. Red wine, the usual suspect for headaches, actually contains less sulphite than white, because its tannins do some of the preserving work. Dried apricots contain several times more sulphite than any wine and don't have the same reputation.
More likely culprits are the alcohol itself, dehydration, histamines, tannins, or simply how much you drank. Sugar plays a part too, which is one reason zero sugar wine tends to leave people feeling better the next day.
Is there such a thing as sulphite-free wine?
Not really, and be wary of anything marketed that way. Fermentation creates sulphites on its own, so even a wine with nothing added still contains some.
What does exist is no added sulphur wine, where the winemaker adds none at all and the only sulphites present are the ones the fermentation made. Many of these bottles still carry the "contains sulphites" label, which confuses people, but the total is far lower than a conventional wine.
Organic wine is the other option. Organic certification caps added sulphur at a lower level than conventional winemaking, so an organic bottle will typically contain less even when some has been added.
Low sulphite wine at DrinkWell
The Running Duck range is made by Stellar Organics in South Africa, the world's leading producer of no-added-sulphur wine. Nothing is added at any stage. Both bottles below are certified organic, Fairtrade, vegan and gluten-free, with zero sugar.
Running Duck Organic Merlot - 84 kcal
Blackcurrant and spice with plum and black cherry underneath. Medium-bodied and dry. 12% ABV, 0g sugar, 0g carbs. Good with tomato-based pasta or slow-braised beef.
Running Duck Organic Shiraz - 84 kcal
The bigger of the two, and a bestseller. 12% ABV, 0g sugar, 0g carbs.
One thing to expect: no-added-sulphur wines sometimes throw a little sediment or a few crystals in the bottle. That's a sign of minimal intervention, not a fault, and it's harmless.
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