Can I leave sulphite out of my wines?
Some people believe that they are allergic to sulphites, and want to leave them out of their kits. While this is their option, it’s a bad idea. True sulphite allergies are rare, and if someone has a reaction to drinking wine, it’s almost always due to some other cause (for a complete discussion on this topic, see our handout “Sulphites: the Facts”). Besides, yeast make sulphites themselves during fermentation, so no wine can ever be sulphite-free, no matter what. Without added sulphites the kit will oxidise and spoil very rapidly. It will start to go off in less than 4 weeks, and be undrinkable in less than three months. Also, if the sulphite is left out, but the sorbate is added, the wine will be attacked by lactic bacteria, which will convert the sorbate into the compound hexadienol, which smells like rotting geraniums and dead fish. The bottom line is this: if you do not add the sulphite to the kit, neither your retailer, nor Winexpert can guarantee the wine, so think carefully befo
