CONTAINS SULFITES

Cheddar...
Mozzarella...
Gouda...
Fontina...

Sliced so delicately and arranged so beautifully, who of us can resist a good cheese plate? Choose your favorite and enjoy it as it melts away in your mouth. Couple this with good friends, laughter, and fine wine and you're set for a great Saturday night!

People look for many things when searching for wine...type, region, and vintage. But most people see and roll over the little adage on the back of the bottle..."CONTAINS SULFITES". I know that I never used to think about it or honestly, even know what it really even meant. But in among my thirst for knowledge I did some research on what sulfites really are.

According to the USDA National Organic Program, sulfites are a synthetic food additive.  Sulfites do occur naturally in the wine making process, but this post specifically deals with the addition of SYNTHETIC sulfites. Synthetic sulfites are added to wine during the wine making process. It is used as a mild antioxidant preservative and stabilizer. They are added to wine in the form of sulfur salts, S02 gas or sulfur dioxide solutions. Once added to wine these sulfites bind to other substances in the wine and then cannot be smelled or tasted. The sulfites that end up not binding with other substances in the wine are considered free and these can be smelled and tasted and can react with sinus tissues causing a reaction. There is some debate between whether this causes headaches, allergic reactions, or asthma issues. Either way some people have a bad reaction when drinking wine.

Sulfites are measured by parts per million or ppm. Organc wine contains under 10 ppm, "Made with Organic Grapes" contains about 150 ppm, and regular wine contains about 350 ppm. So you can see that the sulfite levels are drastically reduced in organic wine. The small amount of sulfites in organic wine are the ones that occur naturally and are therefore, not synthetic materials.

The price of Organic wine does not differ very much from regular wine. The bottles I have seen started at $10/bottle. Why not make the switch and see if it makes a difference in your life?

www.freywine.com