On Aug 3, 8:05 pm, "st.helier" > wrote:
> "Fred" wrote ...............
>
>
>
> > I was under the impression that wine could not be fermented
> > without creating some sulphur dioxide. There are plently of wines
> > without added SO2, but none without it.
> >http://www.happs.com.au/pages/pfRed.htmlclaims that an analysis
> > showed no trace of SO2 in their wine. Is this possible? A person
> > on another list is very sensitive to SO2 and says she can drink
> > their wine.
>
> Sulphur dioxide (sulfur dioxide in the US) (SO2) is a widely used additive
> in winemaking, mainly to protect wine from oxidation and to inhibit
> bacterial growth, and is added at several stages in the process of
> harvesting grapes and vinification.
>
> Sulphites occur naturally in all living things, and are present in small
> quantities in unsulphured wines.
>
> It is accepted that wines with an SO2 content of less than 20 parts per
> million are entitled to be called "sulphite free", however, as you correctly
> point out, SO2 occurs naturally as a biproduct of the fermentation process.
>
> Zero SO2 in wine is a fallacy (IMNSHO of course).
>
> --
>
> st.helier

The fermentation process produces about 7 ppm naturally. Conscientious
winemakers try to maintain a level of about 33-35 ppm to keep the wine
stable and oxidation free (this was told to me by Olivier Humbrecht).
The EU limit for SO2 is 400 ppm.