What is a no added sulfite wine?

Wines with No Added Sulfites

Wine with no added sulfites is the oldest form of winemaking. The first traces of wine with no added sulfites date back more than eight thousand years, in the Caucasus, where wines were initially made in kvevris (or qvevris), large buried jars (similar to amphorae) that could hold up to 3,500 liters of wine. From a purely historical perspective, wine with no added sulfites is therefore the original wine, the Genesis of wine, so to speak. Colloquially, it is called natural wine, vin nature, or vin nat', a wine with no added sulfites, but also without industrial yeast and without chemical additives, with as little intervention as possible to preserve the wine's true identity.

However, the modern natural wine movement is much more recent. It appeared in France in the 1970s, during a period of hyper-industrialization of agriculture, and emerged as a spontaneous and popular reaction to viticultural productivism. Jules Chauvet, often considered the father of natural wine, began research on the fermentation of red and white wines in the 1940s, asserting that minimizing wine manipulation would allow it to best express its terroir. He trained great natural winemakers in Beaujolais such as Marcel Lapierre, Jean Foillard, and Yvon Métras.

Today, natural winemakers can be found in all wine regions of France and in many wine-producing countries. However, the term "natural wine" has no specific administrative existence.

What are sulfites?

When we talk about sulfites, we are actually referring to sulfur dioxide (SO₂), a chemical compound belonging to the sulfite family found in many food products because it acts as an antioxidant and preservative.

In conventional wine, sulfites are added up to 200mg/L for white wines and up to 150mg/L for red wines, to stabilize the wine and improve its aging potential. In organic wine, however, the presence of sulfites is limited to 150mg/L for white wines and 100mg/L for red wines. In natural wine, it's even stricter, with a prohibition on exceeding 30mg/L of sulfite in the wine, according to the Vin Méthode Nature charter.

However, natural wine is often associated with the idea of sulfite-free wine, yet why do we systematically find the mention "contains sulfites"? This is because we need to differentiate between two types of sulfite contributions. As mentioned above, in conventional wine, sulfites are added to promote wine stabilization. These are therefore not strictly natural sulfites but rather an artificial or chemical addition. Conversely, natural wine prohibits the artificial addition of sulfites, hence the term "wine with no added sulfites"; however, even the most natural wine will always contain sulfites, hence the mention "contains sulfites" even on bottles of natural wine.

Indeed, from a biological perspective, vines naturally secrete sulfites to protect themselves against hostile elements in their environment, which is why it is not uncommon to find them on the skin of grapes. Similarly, during the fermentation phase of natural wines, indigenous yeasts are added (as opposed to industrial or chemical yeasts added in conventional wine) to convert grape sugars into alcohol. Yeasts generate sulfites to prevent the growth of bacteria, which can be responsible for wine spoilage.

So, sulfite-free wine doesn't exist, but we refer to wine with no added sulfites. That's why the mention "contains sulfites" is often found on the label of natural wines, which is mandatory under European regulations when the wine exceeds 10mg/l of SO₂.

The benefits of sulfite-free wines

The advantage of a wine with no added sulfites is a unique, singular taste, deeply faithful to its terroir. Unlike what is found in conventional wines from standardized and uniform productions, natural wine allows for a full expression of the grape, climates, soils, indigenous yeasts, and the winemaker's work. It must be admitted that living wine is sometimes surprising or unpredictable, yet it always staunchly defends its own identity and remains true to itself. In some respects, natural wine may seem a little unsettling, sometimes with pearls in the wine, fermentative notes, and a rougher texture than conventional wine. But it is precisely this lack of a gustatory filter that makes natural wine what it is and why its consumers love it. Each cuvée without added sulfites is unique; it represents the grape varieties, vintages, and soils at their peak.

Moreover, the absence of added sulfites allows the wine to be full of living bacteria and yeasts, which can benefit the microbiota and aid digestion. Also, for the same amount consumed, a wine with no added sulfites will cause fewer headaches the next day than a conventional wine!

Finally, the use of alternative methods is also psychologically beneficial for natural winemakers themselves; some state that organic and biodynamic agriculture offers a real sense of coherence and pride. The quality of the wine produced gives deep meaning to their profession, and virtuously, this helps preserve a respectful, attentive, and intuitive relationship with consumers. Also, organic and biodynamic agriculture are synonymous with short supply chains and thus support local economies with a win-win situation: consumers have full traceability of the bottles they consume, and producers receive a fairer income. We thus have a virtuous system where the winemaker has more financial resources, so they can experiment with new things and thereby increase consumer satisfaction.

Are there sulfites in Organic Wine? And in Biodynamic Wine?

Yes, there are sulfites in organic wine, but in limited quantities. In organic farming, the use of any synthetic product in the vineyard is prohibited, however, certain oenological processes remain authorized in the cellar, such as the measured addition of sulfites. European legislation sets maximum thresholds for added sulfites, significantly below conventional agriculture, with a maximum addition of 100mg/L for organic red wines (versus 150mg/L in conventional) and 150mg/L for organic white wines (versus 200mg/L in conventional). The winemaker is then free to add even less, or not at all.

As with organic wines, biodynamic wines contain sulfites, but their quantity is even more strictly controlled. In biodynamic agriculture, agricultural principles derived from Rudolf Steiner's work are followed, aiming to strengthen the vitality of the vine, soil, and the global ecosystem. With this approach, more balanced and naturally resistant grapes are obtained, which often allows for further limiting the use of inputs in the cellar. In the specifications of biodynamic labels such as Demeter or Biodyvin, sulfites are authorized up to 70mg/L for reds and 90mg/L for whites (because they are more sensitive to oxidation). However, as in organic, the addition of sulfites is not systematic or may be absent, or a minimal dose is added just before bottling.

The reduced addition of sulfites thus allows for a more natural winemaking process while ensuring stability and preservation. Nevertheless, this reduction requires rigorous hygiene, high-quality grapes, and controlled fermentations.