Is it just me, or do really organic wines taste, um, different?
By “really organic,” I mean certified organic wine with no added sulfites. A good number of wines are made with organic grapes now, but those bottles of wine can’t be certified organic because they contain added sulfites — and sulfites can’t be labelled organic. It seems sulfites serve some sort of preservative function.
I mention this because I just finished a bottle of Well Re(a)d, an organic and sulfite-free wine, made by Heartswork Winery. I chanced by it when I stopped by the Trader Joe’s on La Brea and 3rd, cuz my usual Culver City TJ’s is now also outta Five Hills Blue wines (made with organic grapes, with added sulfites).
But just like the sulfite free Frey’s wine I pounded while out with lawyerboy2, Well Re(a)d tastes a lil odd to me. There’s a strange bright, twinkling to it that I just don’t like.
I’m wondering if this sulfite-free wine is what “real” wine is. I mean, for all I know, sulfites are like trans fats — an unnatural thing that we’ve gotten used to and think tastes good, despite the havoc it wrecks on our bodies –
Off to research sulfites, with a glass of Five Hills Blue in hand. (FYI — The La Brea TJs is now also out of all Five Hills Blue reds. Tee hee!)
Update, 2/5/06: Sulfite research posted!
Many people are highly allergic to sulfites, and have asthma attacks or worse as a result. They are a chemical preservative sometimes once used on salad greens (now prohibited I think) and meat (it keeps dead flesh from turning grey/brown as it decomposes, and no I am not vegan or veg or any such thing) and other things. I find it does deaden the flavor of some products, although it could be that the products are just closer to rotten, masked by the sulfites; and I do have a mild adverse reaction to it in quantity (albeit not strong enough to skip an occaisional tempting foray).
Comment by Roger, Gone Green — February 5, 2006 @ 5:01 am
Sounds like you need to do a lot more research.
;)
Comment by Shea Gunther — February 5, 2006 @ 6:12 am
I wonder what the ancient Greeks drank.
Comment by Jasmin — February 5, 2006 @ 7:43 am
Lead.
Ancient civilisations used syrup of lead as a sweetner, including a sweetner for wine. Oops.
Real wine doesn’t need the preservative, except under modern expectations of long shelf life, product uniformity, and poor storage conditions — and a lack of anything to do with spoiled wine. Wine vinegar, of course, was a very useful product, whether made deliberately or by accident.
I have a couple of cases of homemade hard cider in the basement; if they go bad, we will have cider vinegar. (grin).
Comment by Roger, Gone Green — February 5, 2006 @ 10:11 am
Roger is utterly and didactically wrong about preservatives in wine, and if he doesn’t like sulfites in his wine (and isn’t allergic), then that’s a good leading indicator that he simply doesn’t like real wine. I’ve explained why in more detail on your later article. here: http://greenlagirl.com/2006/02/05/the-skinny-on-sulfites/
Comment by peterb — February 6, 2006 @ 8:44 am