'Sulphite Free Wines’ are a fast growing wine type that are created ‘free from’ certain additives and allergens. The whole idea behind these products is to offer consumers more of a choice about what is going into their bodies along with the wine itself.

The term is a fast growing addition to the foods and drink market, though in reality; these types of products have been around for a long while now.

Free from foods is a term that has been heavily embraced by many of the big retailers up and down the UK. From Asda to Holland & Barratt, many produce providers are supplying special foods that are especially designed to suit the preferences, allergies and intolerances of different individuals. 

The European Union introduced a new legislation that applies to food labelling, whereby products must identify if any of the 13 outlined allergies are included within the ingredient list of a product.

Free from wines are all handmade without the addition of additives, thus are normally completely free of all of the allergens featured on the European Union’s list. As you can see below, sulphites feature in the list.

The full list of allergens that must be identified is:

Sulphites
Milk
Egg
Soya
Nuts (peanuts and tree nuts)
Mustard
Gluten
Celery
Lupin (flour)
Sesame
Molluscs
Crustaceans
Fish

So, what is in wine?

Sulphites are normally in wine. The most notable types are sulphur dioxide E220, sodium metabisulphite E223 and potassium metabisulphite E224. Consuming these for many come with a side effect of headaches and nausea – two very unpleasant feelings.

When these sulphites are added to wine in moderation, they are very beneficial to wine – though when used in excess can cause the prior mentioned intense side effects. Some people are more reactive to these side effects than others. One thing is for sure though, they are not the healthiest ‘additive’ to be consuming.