Sulfites (sulfur dioxide, or SO2) are a preservative that occurs naturally in every fermented wine and is often added in small amounts to protect it from oxidation and spoilage. No wine is truly sulfite-free, since fermentation itself produces trace sulfites. The "Contains Sulfites" label you see on every US bottle simply means the wine tested at 10 parts per million or higher, a threshold nearly all wine crosses with or without any added SO2. And despite decades of blame, the leading science does not support sulfites as the cause of wine headaches.
That's a lot to unpack, so let's go through it properly.
What Are Sulfites, Really?
Sulfur dioxide is one of the oldest tools in winemaking. It is antimicrobial and antioxidant, meaning it slows the growth of unwanted bacteria and wild yeast and keeps wine from browning and turning to vinegar in the glass or the barrel. Winemakers have used it, in one form or another, since the Romans burned sulfur candles in empty amphorae.
Here's the part that surprises people: yeast produces sulfites on its own during fermentation. Even a wine made with zero additions, no sulfur touched at any point, will typically show some detectable SO2 just from the metabolic activity of yeast converting sugar to alcohol. That is why the phrase "sulfite-free wine" is not really accurate. The US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) does not even permit the claim "sulfite free" on a label for this reason. What you'll see instead is language like "no sulfites added," which refers to winemaking practice, not a guarantee of zero SO2 in the finished bottle (TTB).
Why Does Every Bottle Say "Contains Sulfites"?
In the US, any wine with 10 parts per million (ppm) or more of total sulfur dioxide must carry a sulfite declaration on the label, per federal regulation 27 CFR 4.32(e) (TTB). That rule dates to the late 1980s, when the FDA identified sulfites as a legitimate allergen risk for a specific population and required disclosure (FDA/TTB sulfite labeling history).
Ten ppm is a very low bar. Most finished wines, even those made with no added sulfur at all, land well above it from fermentation alone (Wikipedia: Sulfite). That's why the label shows up on essentially every bottle on the shelf, natural or conventional, expensive or not. It is not a signal that a wine is heavily treated. It is a near-universal disclosure required by law.
For context, US regulations cap total SO2 in wine at 350 ppm, and wines made from organically grown grapes are limited to under 100 ppm (TTB treating materials). Most traditionally made wines actually fall in the 0 to 150 ppm range in practice.
Is Wine High in Sulfites Compared to Other Foods?
Not particularly. A glass of wine typically carries something like 20 to 150 ppm of total SO2, red wines usually on the lower end and whites somewhat higher, since sulfites also protect delicate aromatics and color from oxidation (VinePair).
Dried fruit is the real outlier. Dried apricots, raisins, and similar products can legally carry up to 2,000 ppm, and testing has found some samples well above that (FARRP/University of Nebraska). That means a handful of dried apricots can deliver more sulfites than an entire bottle of wine. Bottled lemon juice, pickled vegetables, and some deli meats and soups also carry meaningful sulfite loads. Wine gets the label warning because alcohol regulation requires it at a lower threshold than most packaged foods, not because wine is unusually high in sulfites.
Do Sulfites Actually Cause Headaches?
This is where a lot of wine marketing gets sloppy, so let's be precise. True sulfite sensitivity is real but rare, and it does not present as a headache. The FDA estimates roughly 1% of the general population has some sulfite sensitivity, rising to around 5% among people with asthma, and the reaction is typically respiratory: wheezing, hives, or chest tightness, not head pain (German Wine Authority, FDA estimate cited via Medical News Today).
The "wine headache," the specific pain some people feel after a glass or two, has been studied directly against sulfite content, and the sulfite theory does not hold up well. UC Davis's Waterhouse Lab, which studies wine chemistry, states plainly that there is no medical research data showing sulfites cause headaches (UC Davis Waterhouse Lab). A frequently cited detail: white wine generally contains as much or more sulfite than red wine, yet red wine gets blamed for headaches far more often. If sulfites were the driver, you'd expect the opposite pattern.
So what is likelier? Several candidates have more support:
- Histamines and tyramine, biogenic amines produced during fermentation, which some people process poorly and which are present in wine, aged cheese, and cured meats alike.
- Dehydration, since alcohol suppresses the hormone that helps your body retain water, and a glass of wine rarely comes with a glass of water alongside it.
- Alcohol itself, including how it's metabolized, which varies by individual and can independently produce headache and flushing.
- Newer research out of UC Davis has also pointed to quercetin, a flavonoid more concentrated in red wine, which appears to interfere with the enzyme that clears a byproduct of alcohol metabolism, a plausible mechanism that has nothing to do with sulfites (UC Davis / The Conversation).
None of this is fully settled science. Researchers are honest that the exact cause of wine headaches remains an open question. What we can say with confidence is that sulfites are a weak explanation, not a proven one, and marketing that promises a "sulfite-free" or "no headache" wine is overstating what anyone actually knows.
Why Do Some Wines Use More Sulfur Than Others?
Conventional, high-volume winemaking often relies on sulfur dioxide more heavily because it's doing more work. Grapes sourced from many growers, processed at scale, or transported and stored for longer periods benefit from more consistent SO2 protection against oxidation and microbial spoilage across a bigger, less uniform batch.
Low-intervention producers can generally use less, but it's not just a stylistic choice. It requires starting with cleaner fruit (organically farmed, hand-sorted, free of rot or damage that would otherwise invite spoilage) and being meticulous in the cellar: careful temperature control, minimal oxygen exposure during transfers, and close monitoring through fermentation. Native yeast fermentation, which relies on the yeast populations already present on the grape skins and in the cellar rather than a inoculated commercial strain, is part of that picture too. It's slower and less predictable, but it reduces the need to lean on sulfur as a substitute for good vineyard and cellar hygiene. None of this makes a wine sulfite-free. It just means less is added on top of what fermentation already produces.
Coteau Pavot's Approach
We source fruit exclusively from organic growers, which is the first line of defense against needing heavy sulfur use later. In the cellar, we work with minimal intervention and ferment every wine fully dry, keeping additions to only what's needed to get a wine safely to bottle in good health, not to mask shortcuts elsewhere. We're not chasing a "sulfite-free" claim, because we don't think that claim is honest for any wine. What we do instead is put every ingredient on the back label, sulfites included, so you can see exactly what went into the bottle rather than take our word for it. It's part of the same low-intervention approach we bring across the portfolio.
If you want to taste that philosophy in a glass, our 2025 Albariño, California V.D.S. is a clean, easy-drinking example of low-intervention winemaking done simply, with nothing to hide on the label.
For more on what "low-intervention" actually means in practice, see our guide to what natural wine is and how it differs from organic and biodynamic certification in our organic, biodynamic, and natural wine explainer.
FAQ
Is there such a thing as sulfite-free wine? Not in a strict sense. Fermentation itself produces trace sulfites, so even wine made with zero additions typically tests above the 10 ppm labeling threshold. "No sulfites added" describes a winemaking practice, not a guarantee of zero SO2 in the bottle.
Why does my wine bottle say "Contains Sulfites" if the winery didn't add any? Because the US label rule is based on the total sulfite level detected in the finished wine, not on whether sulfites were deliberately added. Since natural fermentation almost always pushes wine above 10 ppm, the label appears on nearly every bottle sold in the US.
Are sulfites actually dangerous? For the vast majority of people, no. True sulfite sensitivity affects roughly 1% of the population and is more common among asthmatics, where it can trigger respiratory symptoms. It is not associated with headaches in the scientific literature.
Do organic or natural wines have fewer sulfites? Often, yes, since clean, organically farmed fruit and careful cellar work reduce the need for heavy sulfur additions, and organic-certified wine in the US is capped at under 100 ppm. But "fewer sulfites" is not the same as "no sulfites," and the difference between a low-sulfite and a higher-sulfite wine won't reliably predict whether you get a headache.
What actually causes wine headaches, if not sulfites? The honest answer is that researchers aren't entirely sure, but leading candidates include histamines, tyramine, dehydration, and how your body processes alcohol itself. Some newer research points to quercetin, a compound more concentrated in red wine, as a possible factor.
Basile Senesi is a co-founder of Coteau Pavot and oversees winemaking, working exclusively with organically grown fruit and low-intervention methods.
If transparency in the glass matters to you, our wine club is a straightforward way to keep tasting wines where every ingredient is right there on the label.