How to actually remove sulphites from wine?

Does stirring wine with a spoon help to remove sulphites? We’ve been seeing some videos going around about this and we’ve received some questions, so we thought we’d weigh in!

Stirring wine with a spoon—especially a silver or copper spoon—is sometimes claimed to help remove sulphites from wine, but in reality, it has little to no significant effect.

Sulphites (SO₂) are dissolved in the wine and thus they can’t just disappear with stirring.
While stirring might help a little with aromatic and free sulphur compounds, it won’t remove significant amounts of sulphur dioxide, which is chemically bound in the wine.

What actually works to remove sulphur from wine?

how to remove sulphites in wine

It’s said that decanting or swirling the wine in a glass can help to reduce sulphites in wine. This may help some sulphur dioxide gas escape, however, this results of this are also mixed. We did see someone claiming to have a done a study by leaving their bottle of wine open for a whole week. Yes, the sulphite levels were reduced, but in reality who wants to do this? The wine will spoil by then!

There are some other methods going around online too for removing sulphites from wine, such as adding a tiny amount of hydrogen peroxide to wine. Again, we need more studies to know whether this is effective or not (and we don’t recommend trying this out!). Similarly, there are sulphite removal products from drips to wands, filters and probably more, but again we do question how effective these are without the research to back up the claims.

What are sulphites in wine and are they bad for you?

Sulphites, sulphur dioxide and SO2 all describe the same thing. It’s used in winemaking as an antiseptic and antimicrobial to kill off unwanted moulds, bacteria and yeasts and also as an antioxidant to inhibit oxygen from reacting with and spoiling the wine.

More recently, sulphites seem to have gotten a pretty bad reputation. This is most likely a little unfair as it’s all too easy to blame all side effects from drinking on sulphur alone. There are however some individuals who have a genuine sensitivity to sulphites, and we do understand their need to avoid SO₂.

Choose organic, biodynamic and ‘no sulphur added’ wines to avoid sulphur

If you’re looking to avoid sulphur in wine, here are a few helpful tips:

Red wines generally need less sulphur than white wines.
Sweet wines generally have the most, although their serving sizes are usually smaller.
By law, Organic and Biodynamic wines must be made with lower levels of sulphur, so chances are if you drink organic wines these have lower sulphur
Some organic winemakers also choose to go the extra length and make what’s called ‘No Sulphur Added’ wines
You can also choose ‘Lower Sulphur Wines’, which we define as wines made with less than half the maximum permitted sulphur levels for organic wine

The bottom line

how to remove sulphites in wine - two bottles of no sulphur wine

If you’re really looking to avoid sulphur in wine, seek out organically or biodynamically made wines, or wines made with no added sulphur or lower sulphur levels. The good news is that there’s plenty of choice out there, and we currently have nearly 40 no sulphur added wines (sometimes called sulphur free wines too) to pick from, as well as over a hundred low sulphur wines. Many looking to avoid sulphur do appreciate these wines, and every year we look out for new wines in this category.

Note that not all ‘sulphur free’ wines are that pleasant, and they must be made with great attention and care. This is why careful selection is vital, and we taste a lot of different wines before selecting the very best. If you’re looking to try no sulphur added wines, consider some of our No Sulphur Mixed Cases, like either of these two, which contain no sulphur added wines only.

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