Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
made predominantly from honey with little or no fruit. In
such cases, you can use yeast hulls as an additive or a
specialized additive that contains essential fatty acids such as
FermaidK or Ghostex.
Sulfite
Some people who get headaches from drinking wine believe
themselves to be sensitive to sulfites. Usually, however, they
get headaches from red wine but not from white wine, both of
which contain sulfites. So sulfites are not the issue.
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This
headache is called Red Wine Headache, and experts disagree
widely on its true cause. Less than 1% of people are truly
sensitive to sulfites which are found ubiquitously in lunch
meats, dried fruits, and even white grape juice from the
supermarket. Obviously, if you are truly sensitive to sulfites
you should avoid them at all costs.
Sulfite is used so pervasively in winemaking and considered
so essential that its use is even permitted in wines labeled as
USDA Organic. Though it is possible to make wines without
the use of sulfites and I have successfully done so, the odds of
success for a beginner are greatly enhanced by using sulfites,
especially if you are using fresh or frozen fruits in the must.
Sulfite is used in winemaking as a sanitizer to kill or inhibit
wild yeasts and bacteria so you end up making wine instead
of vinegar. It is also used to help clear wines during racking
to arrest fermentation and to help prevent oxidation and
consequent degradation of flavor.
Sulfite comes in many forms, but for our purposes two forms
are important. The first is potassium metabisulfite in the form
