Warning: This Label is Misleading!

"Contains Sulfites." With the initiation of that federally mandated warning label in 1988, wine drinkers began to worry. What were sulfites and why were they suddenly being put into wine? In the confusion that followed, wine was blamed for everything from headaches to rashes.

The facts were these: WINE HAS ALWAYS CONTAINED SULFITES. The compounds occur as a natural by-product of fermentation. Historically, winemakers have also added small, controlled amounts of sulfites to wine to prevent oxidation and spoilage.

Historically, the regulations on sulfites in wine have been stricter than those applied to salad bars (cut fruits and vegetables used to be routinely sprayed with large amounts of sulfites to keep them from wilting and turning brown).

In addition to wine, sulfites are found in beer, cocktail mixes, cookies, crackers, pizza crust, flour tortillas, pickles, relishes, salad drssings, olives, vinegar, sugar, shrimp, scallops, dried fruit, and fruit juice, among other foods and beverages.