“I have just come back from a trip to England and I noticed that low sulphite wine was being promoted quite extensively due to the health benefits.
I am interested in buying very low or sulphite free wine (if there is such a thing), could you elaborate more please?
I am particularly interested in whether Tahbilk have any such wines.”
Wine Club Member - Heide Parkinson

Hi Heidi,
A great question and one that is so relevant in the wine industry where there has been a renewed focus on bio dynamic, organic and
sulphur free wines.

Technically speaking sulphur is a natural substance (antioxidant) and when talking about sulphur and wine there are
two elements, “free” sulphur and “bound” sulphur.
Bound sulphurs are the naturally occurring antioxidants found in the skins and stems of grapes.
When further sulphur is added in the winemaking process, then an element will bind to the juice and what doesn’t is known
as free sulphur.
‘Sulphur Free’ wines are wines without free sulphur. All wines have an element of bound sulphur and therefore no wine is technically completely ‘Sulphur Free’.

In red wines you will find a high level of bound sulphur due to the winemaking process where the juice has lots of contact with
the skins. As winemakers, we don’t need to add much to the winemaking process.

In the case of white wines there are no natural occurring sulfides because the juice has limited contact with the skins/stems after harvest. As such more sulphur is added to achieve the desired finished product; this creates greater levels of free sulphur in these wines. This is further heightened for sweet wines.

In terms of the health benefits of sulphur free wines this mainly relates back to allergies. Free sulphur can cause allergic reactions such as nausea, breathing difficulty and sneezing. However most often people are not allergic to the sulphur element of wine, rather it is a reaction to the natural tannins or histamines from the grape skins, even organic wines can contain these types of allergens. Only the individual will know his/her allergies.

At Tahbilk we add an element of sulphur to all of our wines and, like all good winemakers, we are looking to get the highest proportion of sulphur to bind with the juice that we can therefore reducing the level of free sulphur.  We believe that it is a sensible approach to producing a sound, quality product and is consistent with the majority of the wine industry. Sulphite agents, when properly handled, are not intrinsically toxic to humans or to the environment.

The wines to try at Tahbilk with the least free sulphur are our aged reds. The amount of free sulphites in a wine will decrease in time as the wine is aged.

I hope this helps you in deciding which Tahbilk wines will work best for you.

Cheers,

Brendan  - Winemaker