Who doesn’t enjoy a large glass of wine every once in a while? Whilst many of us has heard that sulphite free wine in particular, carries many health benefits - we don't often know how bad supermarket and factory produced wine can be very bad for us. 

Did you know that the majority of French Wines Contain Pesticides? Most vineyards will use pesticides to repel bugs and pests that feed on and thus, destroy the grapes. However, the grapes do not get washed before they are processed for wine making. This means that the likelihood of pesticides ending up in your glass is, well…very high.

The wine trade journal Decanter reports a recent study of more than 300 French wines that only 10% of those tested were clean of any traces of pesticides and fungicides. Although all of the individual pesticide residues appeared at levels below limits set by the French environmental agency, some samples turned up with as many as 9 separate pesticides.

Most people who are not involved in winemaking may not be aware that the production of wine actually involves large amounts of additives. In the old days, the original intention of using additives was to stabilise the wine and to make it last longer. But nowadays, winemaking is as sophisticated as food processing, whereby a huge amount of synthetic chemicals are utilised to correct and manipulate natural produce. Such enhancers can improve body, deepen its colour, and add more flavour.

With this, American wine producers are not legally required to list additives in their wines - only the sulphites when the level exceeds 10 ppm. Sulphites are used to kill unwanted bacteria and yeasts and help preserve and protect the wine from oxidation. However, consumers with sulphite sensitivity are more likely to be triggered when drinking highly processed wine which is certainly something to be aware of.
Natural and Organic Wine.

A great way to protect your health is to drink natural or organic wine. Natural wines contain low or no sulphites, whilst organic wine has been created without the use of pesticides. As you’d expect, these wines will be much healthier for you. It usually takes a specialist wine maker to produce a natural wine – needing more skill to produce wine without the aid of enhancers and pesticides.