The Sulfite Question

We frequently get requests for “sulfite free” wine. Some people get headaches or other unpleasant reactions from drinking wine and usually feel that sulfites are to blame. This may be due to the sulfite warnings on wine labels or just the conventional wisdom which, in this case, is in error. Here are a few words on sulfites and some other potential troublemakers.

First off, all wines have sulfites, they occur naturally in the fermentation process. If no sulfites are added they will still occur in concentrations of about 8-12 parts per million. The legal maximum sulfite level for U.S. wines is 350 parts per million, with most wines averaging about 20-50 parts per million.

Wine makers add sulfites to inhibit the growth of certain yeasts, mold and bacteria. Sulfiting can also help prevent oxidation and unwanted second fermentations which can cause the wine to have a slightly fizzy character. Most wines without sulfites added will be unstable resulting in a very short shelf life.

Generally speaking, producers that use organically farmed grapes tend to add very small amounts of sulfites in keeping with their philosophical outlook, but it should also be noted that many artisanal wine makers, organically inclined or not, take such great care in the winery that there is little need to add large amounts of sulfites. In these types of wines you may see sulfite levels in the neighborhood of 15-20 parts per million. As a point of comparison, dried fruits, such as raisins, usually contain up to 250 or more parts per million of sulfites.

Some people, including those with asthma, are highly sensitive to sulfites, but usually their symptoms will more likely be a difficulty with breathing and not with headaches. Sulfites are not the only suspects. Some other potential headache inducers are histamines and tannins, found mostly in red wine. Studies conflict on the probable effect of these compounds. The bottom line is that there are a lot of reasons for negative reactions to wine and they vary from person to person. The best advice is to experiment (gently) with grape varietals, producers and regions until you find what works .

The Sommelier Is Not Your Enemy

Most articles about ordering wine in a restaurant start out by pitting you against the condescending waiter or arrogant sommelier and giving you tips on how to put them in their place. This is the worst possible advice. From years of experience as a waiter and sommelier I can tell you it is a much better strategy to make friends with the staff. A good server will be trying to make you happy, not only to get a better tip, but also to make his or her life easier. Most of the sommeliers I know are intent on being helpful to the customer. They take personal pride in their wine lists and are genuinely happy when a guest is pleased by their choice. Food servers vary in their level of wine knowledge but it’s a good sign if he or she seems confident and prepared. Ask a few menu questions before you get on to the wine. If they don’t seem to know the menu they probably don’t know much about the wine list either.

Develop a little wine vocabulary

Sometimes communicating about wine can be difficult. If you have a few words of wine vocabulary it will help you a great deal. Here are some of the most important ones:

Tannin: A puckery feeling on your tongue and in your mouth that makes you feel like you need a drink of water. The failsafe method for experiencing tannin is to take a wet tea bag, squeeze out the water and put it in your mouth. That feeling is tannin.

Acid: This basically means sour like lemon juice. A negative word for this would be sharp or acidic (like vinegar). A positive word would be tart or crisp (like a granny smith apple).

Dry: This refers to the lack of sweetness or residual sugar. A dry wine does not taste sweet. (Note: although tannin makes your mouth feel dry, this is not how dry is used in this case.)

Fruity: The smell or taste of fruit. A fruity wine is not necessarily sweet. This requires a little abstract thought experiment.
            a. Honey has a very distinct flavor and is quite sweet. Think of the flavor and smell of honey and now mentally subtract the sweetness. This is how something might smell sweet but not be sweet.

Big/light... full/thin: A big or full wine is to cream as a thin or light wine is to skim milk.

Smooth or Round: A wine that does not have too much tannin or too much acid. This is a little subjective because what might be too much for one person could be not enough for another, but generally this will work.

These terms should get you a long way if you use them correctly.

Make a comparison

This can work well if both people know the wine in question. “ I have had several Turley Zinfandels in the past and have always liked them. Do you have anything like that?”
This doesn’t work if the server doesn’t know the wine or has a totally different sense of that wine. If you said, “I don’t like Turley Zinfandel because it is thin and too acidic,” I would be confused because most people would experience those wines as big, fruity and sometimes a little sweet.

Let them know what you want to spend

Don’t be coy about the price.  There should be good wines in all price points. The art of helping someone choose wine is making sure they are not made to feel uncomfortable. If the server says he has the perfect wine and it is less than you are willing to pay, it’s a good sign. If you are offered something that is just a few dollars more than your price with a strong recommendation, that’s OK too, as long as the server doesn’t push it. If you are with a guest and don’t want them to know what you are spending, point to a price on the wine list while discussing the wine with the server. This indicates what you want to spend without discussing money. If the server tries to pressure you to spend a great deal more than you want to, just be firm and say no.

Don’t show off

There is more to be lost than gained by showing off. It usually embarrasses at least one person at the table and wastes time that might be better spent enjoying the meal. Also, showing off usually reveals more of what one does not know than what one does know.

Here is “the tasting of the wine” ceremony as it should go down.
 
The waiter or sommelier opens the bottle, puts down the cork (or, even better, doesn’t) and pours a little wine in your glass.
a. You ignore the cork, (unless you later feel the wine might be bad) and swirl the wine for no more than 5 seconds.
b. You smell the wine for no more than 5 seconds.
c. You then taste the wine for no more than 5 seconds. 

Any more than fifteen seconds total and you are starting to show off. The tasting process is only meant to determine if the wine is sound, not to get your detailed critical assessment. If, after tasting the wine, you think it is corked or has some other flaw, ask the server to try some. If he or she thinks it is OK, you may be asked to give the wine a few minutes to open up (no more than 10 because, after all, you aren’t doing a science experiment here). You are well within your rights not to do this, but if you have a good feeling about the server and your food is not on the table, you may elect to see if the wine opens up.  After a few minutes, if you still think it isn’t good, send the wine back and order another bottle.

Don’t be afraid to send the wine back

If you don’t like the wine, make it known to the server immediately during the tasting ritual. If you missed something when you first tasted the bottle, don’t drink it! Drinking wine you don’t like is no fun and you aren’t dining out to have a bad time. Also, if you drink the wine, you have tacitly accepted it. Call the server to the table and discuss the problem.

As stated above, the preliminary tasting is just to determine if the wine is without flaws. In days gone by, if the wine was sound but you hated it, it was yours and you were paying for it. Today things have loosened up a little and many restaurants will take back a bottle, even a sound one, if the customer is not enjoying it. I would say, if the server makes a strong recommendation and you don’t like it, the wine should be taken back. If you order a bottle against the server’s advice, it’s definitely on you. In the middle, it’s a bit of a gray area. If you don’t like a bottle and the restaurant takes it back without charge, thank them, order a bottle of something else, and everything should be fine.  Just try not to push it. I once had someone send back three perfectly good bottles before reluctantly accepting the fourth. This was not OK.

That just about sums it up. Unless you know exactly what you want, assume the sommelier is your friend. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be embarrassed about what you don’t know. The sommelier probably doesn’t know how to fly a jet or write a legal brief.