WARNING: this post contains sulfites.
Alright friends. It’s time. If you’ve known me for a while, this will come as no surprise. If you’re new around here, buckle up: we’re talking sulfites.
You’ve seen the labels. You’ve heard the rumors. “Low sulfite.” “No sulfur added.” “0/0 Natural.” Somewhere along the way sulfites became the villain in the wine story.
Let’s unpack that.
First things first: What even are sulfites?
Sulfites (aka sulfur dioxide) come in two varieties when it comes to wine: naturally occurring and added during winemaking.
Naturally occurring sulfites happen during fermentation. Yeast + grape sugar = alcohol… and sulfites. It’s just chemistry doing its thing. Which means: every single wine contains sulfites. There is no such thing as sulfite-free wine. If it fermented, it has sulfites. Period.
Added sulfites, on the other hand, are a tool. Winemakers use sulfur to protect wine from oxidation, unwanted bacteria, and general chaos. It’s antimicrobial and antioxidant; basically the bouncer at the door making sure nothing weird sneaks in and ruins the party.
Without sulfites? Wine wouldn’t age very well. That dreamy old bottle of Bordeaux from the 1960s would be… well… vinegar cosplay.
So why does “low sulfite” feel like a flex?
Time for a little history moment. Stick with me, I hated history in high school, but this is important to our story.
The short story is that we’ve all fallen victim to a bit of a prohibitionist marketing scheme *gasp*. In the 1970s, anti-alcohol lobbyists tried to scare people away from drinking wine (rude) by attempting to pass regulation that would require every ingredient in wine to be listed on the label, just like with our food. Versions of these regulations were thwarted by the courts for nearly two decades until the lobbyists settled for a pared down version of the request: all labels on wine sold in the United States must say CONTAINS SULFITES.
That’s it. That’s the drama.
This also explains why labels on bottles sold in Europe usually don’t mention sulfites at all Europe didn’t adopt the same labeling approach, which is why you won’t always see it on bottles there. It is NOT because European wine is magically pure and sulfite-free. It’s just two regions with two different regulatory paths.
But the phrasing stuck. “Contains sulfites” sounds ominous. Like a warning label. And once consumers start worrying, marketing follows. Cue: “low sulfite” as shorthand for “healthier” or “cleaner.”
Here’s the nuance
Can sulfur be overused? ABSOLUTELY.
Heavy-handed additions can mute aromatics, flatten texture, and make a wine feel too buttoned-up. Winemakers have always walked that fine line between protection and expression, with stability on one side and personality on the other. But that’s a stylistic conversation. Not a health crisis.
Thoughtful sulfur use protects what’s already there. Excessive use can dull it. In most well-made wines, it’s simply doing its quiet, necessary job working as the aforementioned bouncer at the wine party.
Which brings us to the real reason sulfites keep getting dragged into the group chat:
Headaches.
If sulfites aren’t the villain in your glass stylistically… are they at least the villain in your skull?
Now. The headache conversation.
We need to talk about it.
Yes, some people are genuinely sensitive to sulfites. The FDA estimates it affects less than 1% of the population, most commonly individuals with asthma. And even in sulfite-sensitive individuals, research hasn’t consistently shown sulfites to be a significant cause of headaches. BUT, if you fall into this category, it is possible you are being unintentionally bounced by the Sulfite Bouncer.
Let’s also zoom out for perspective.
Wine typically contains somewhere between 5–200 ppm (parts per million) of sulfites. The U.S. legal limit is 350 ppm. Many “natural” wines land around 10 ppm.
Dried fruit? Oh that contains up 3000 ppm.
French fries and deli meats? Often around 1800 ppm.
If you can handle a charcuterie board without needing to lie down in a dark room, sulfites in wine probably aren’t your personal nemesis.
So what is causing the headache?
A few suspects:
Histamines.
You read that right. Grapes naturally contain the same thing giving you allergies. Red wine especially can have higher levels. If you’re someone who gets wrecked during pollen season, your body may not break histamines down efficiently. Alcohol also inhibits the enzyme that helps process those histamines. Add in the fact that this combo can dilate blood vessels, and hello, headache.
Other additives.
Not to scare you (okay but maybe we should be a little concerned) but there are dozens of legally permitted winemaking additions that aren’t required to be listed on labels. If you’re reacting to something, it may not be sulfur at all. I’m also a strong believer in the fact that if we are putting things into our vineyards that we wouldn’t want in our bodies… well, surely that can’t be good for us either, you know?
And finally…
The obvious answer.
As Jamie Foxx once gently reminded us: blame it on the alcohol.
Dehydration is real. Alcohol is a vasodilator (heyo, look at that big science word!) It affects sleep quality. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one.
The takeaway?
Sulfites are not the boogeyman. They’re a tool. A useful one! In most cases, they’re not the reason your head is pounding the next morning.
Drink water. Eat before you open the bottle. Choose producers who you trust and are farming consciously.
Don’t let fear-based marketing steal your joy. And if all else fails… well. There’s always Advil.
Anyway. That’s sulfites: noted!
Until next time,
Jesse