Does organic wine contain sulfites?
A. Organic wines, like all wines, contain naturally-occurring levels of sulfites. While USDA National Organic Program regulations prohibit the use of sulfites in food products, two exceptions exist for wine: 1) USDA ORGANIC: To call it organic wine and use the USDA certified organic seal on the label, no sulfites may be added. 2) USDA MADE WITH ORGANICALLY GROWN GRAPES: When low levels of sulfites are traditionally added to the winemaking process, the wines may be called made with organically grown grapes on the label if the total level of sulfites is Iess than 100 ppm[8]. All of Organic Vintners wines qualify for the category of USDA National Organic Program Made with organically grown grapes designation. It is noteworthy that the U.S. is the only wine-producing country in the world that has a sulfite limit for organic claims. In other words, foreign organic wines have no sulfite restrictions because it is assumed that low-levels of sulfites are essential to the winemaking process. Q.
