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How are natural wines different to conventional wines?

The biggest difference is what is not included. The EU allows the addition of 60 different substance agents into wine, the table below describes some of the common additives and their purpose.

Additives in the wine

  • Sulphur Dioxide

    Potassium, Bisulphite

    Potassium Metabisulphite

    Ascorbic Acid

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    If you've ever uncorked a bottle of wine, left it partially consumed overnight, and intended to finish it the next day, you may have noticed a change in its taste due to oxidation.

    Sulfites, the most common type of antioxidant, can be introduced at various stages of the winemaking process—before, during, or after fermentation. Sulfites work by eliminating unwanted bacteria and yeasts remaining from the winemaking process, ensuring that the final product remains fresh and doesn't spoil when exposed to oxygen. In essence, winemakers use sulfites to preserve the freshness of your wine bottle. However, it's important to note that sulfites have no positive impact on human health.

    Sulfites can trigger respiratory issues, headaches, skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, and severe allergic reactions, especially in individuals sensitive to sulfites. To regulate sulfite levels in wine, there are guidelines, but they are not capped. If the sulfite content in the finished product exceeds 10 ppm (parts per million), winemakers must include this information on the label. While sulfites are naturally present in wine due to the fermentation process, the key distinction lies in their levels.

  • Active Dry Yeast

    Diammonium phosphate (DAP)

    Ammonium Sulphate

    Thiamine

    Yeast Bark (autolyzed yeast nutrient)

    Enzyme preparations (pectolytics)

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    This group of additives are used to control the process of fermentation by either feeding or enhancing the action of yeast that converts sugars into alcohol.

  • Charcoal Filtration

    Crossflow Microfiltration

    Flash Pasteurization

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    These methods are employed to eliminate microorganisms as well as remove sediment and clarify commercial wines.

  • Isinglass (from fish swim bladders)

    Casein

    Plant proteins

    Egg albumin

    Kaolin

    Silicon Dioxide

    Bentonite

    Beta-Glucanases enzymes

    Chitan-Glucan

    Chitosan

    ______________________________

    This group of additives contains many substances of animal origin meaning that most conventional wines are not strictly vegan as they are likl;ey to have been cleared with Isinglass or egg proteins.

    Natural wines are often not cleared and are cloudy in the glass

  • Lactic acid bacteria

    Oak chips

    Lysozyme

    Glycerol

    ______________________________

    These agents are used to control flavour. We can consider the use of oak barrels in this category as wood adds tannins and structure to many wines but other additives can be used to balance acidity, sweetness and mouthfeel.

  • Potassium Hydrogen Tartrate

    Carboxymethylcellulose

    Yeast Mannoproteins

    Metatartaric Acid

    Dimethyl Dicarbonate

    Electrodialysis

    Cold stabilisation

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Conventionally grown grapes use a variety of inputs that are either used very sparingly or not at all in the production of natural wines giving a very different environmental impact.

Additives in agriculture

  • Organochlorines

    Organophosphates

    Pyrethroids

    Carbamates

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    Pesticides come in various types, including non-systemic, systemic, stomach poison, broad spectrum, disinfectant, nonselective, nerve poison, protectants, and repellents. They can also be categorized based on their acute toxicity. Organochlorines (OCs) were once widely used in agriculture, known for their high toxicity and the harmful trait of bioaccumulation. OCs, belonging to the group of chlorinated hydrocarbons, are carcinogenic and persist in the environment. However, they are now banned in Europe, America, and other regions, being replaced by more cost-effective, less persistent, and effective alternatives such as carbamates, pyrethroids, and organophosphorus compounds.

    Organophosphates and carbamates disrupt the central nervous system by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase in both humans and insects. These chemicals pose significant toxicological threats to the soil, aquatic ecosystems, and human health. Pyrethroids, derived from natural chrysanthemum esters called pyrethrins, offer longer environmental stability and reduced toxicity compared to their natural counterparts. They function by targeting the voltage-gated sodium channel in neuronal membranes.

    While modern viniculture relies on these pesticides for pest control, their residues in food and beverages can pose severe health and environmental risks. Consuming products with pesticide residues, such as wine, can lead to health issues like muscle weakness, respiratory problems, paralysis, and cancer.

  • Glyphosate

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    Of all the herbicides out there, those containing the active ingredient glyphosate have attracted a significant amount of controversy

    Concerns have ranged from health impacts on vineyard workers to environmental issues.

    Glyphosate cannot be used in organic agriculture

  • INORGANIC FERTILISERS

    Nitrogen Fertilizers

    Phosphorous Fertilizers

    Potassium Fertilizers

    Sulfur, Calcium, and Magnesium Fertilizers

    Micronutrient Fertilizers

    Chelates

    ______________________________

    Non organic fertilisers are industrial chemicals the most common being a mixture of Nitrogen Potassium and Phosphorus called NPK, ths NPK is incredibly energy intensive to produce and is often leached from the soil during periods of heavy rain where it accumulates in waterways causing imbalance in the ecosystem through algal blooms

  • Spring frost can decimate a crop and the lengths that winemakers go to prevent this is incredible.

    Smudge pots are kerosine, deisel or petrol in cans with rags simply burnt in the rows between the vines, the pollution from this is obvious but in some areas even more extreme methods are used such helicopters to blow warmer air that’s trapped high up down onto the vines or huge gas powered fans.

  • Irrigation in viticulture is the process of applying extra water in the cultivation of grapevines. It is considered both controversial and essential to wine production.

    In many Old World wine regions, natural rainfall is considered the only source for water that will still allow the vineyard to maintain its terroir characteristics.

    Many New World wine regions such as Australia and California regularly practice irrigation in areas that couldn't otherwise support viticulture.

    Irrigation is not really a problem in itself its more a case of where the water is drawn from and how energy intensive this process is.

    In some areas of wine production this can cause local problems as the water used causes deficit elsewhere.

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