Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/59998
WINEMAKING I made six successful vintages of sulfite-free Roman Sirahs under the WineSmith label that have remarkable longevity and aromatic complexity. The wines have more staying power than their sulfited equivalents and are more aromatically expressive, probably because I use grapes with a very high phenolic reductive capacity. I no longer feel that this skill is akin to climbing Mt. Everest without oxygen, but it does require some sophistication in technique, and I regard it as a high expression of skill, the post- modern winemaking black belt. You really need to knit together all the pieces I have been discussing these past two years in order to excel at this style. Even then, the wines are not stylistically con- gruent with conventional wines. Roger Boulton's claim that wines without sulfites are impossible is simply incorrect. He may be right that yeasts always produce some small quantity, but even a modest exposure of red wine to oxygen will reliably deplete a few ppm of bound SO2 reds are the rule rather than the exception. With Paul, I look into a future where a viable segment of the of oxygen management, whose principal goal is to build the aro- matically integrative structure that allows microbial characters to show as assets rather than defects, is that any residual bound sulfites are converted by H2 O2 to sulfate. As a result, sulfite-free market will include sulfite-free wines alongside the great unpas- teurized époisses and Italian fontinas. We love these cheeses not because they are more healthful, but because they taste so won- derful (if you like that sort of thing). Like pasteurization, sulfur dioxide as a method of preservation is not harmful to health, but going without it opens the door to interesting new wine styles. Unlike Paul, who has a vastly greater depth of experience in this realm, I do not suppose it to be easy, but rather the culmination of . An artifact References 1. Enology Briefs, University of California, Davis, Extension, Vol. 1 No. 1 (1980) 2. Enology Briefs, University of California, Davis, Extension, Vol. 1 No. 2 (1980) 3. Smith, Clark. Studies on Sulfur Dioxide Toxicity for Two Wine Yeasts In a Wine- like Medium and the Mechanism of Cell Death. (1982) 4. Beech, F.W.; Burroughs, L.F.; Timberlake, C.F.; and Whiting, G.C. (1979). Pro- gres recents sur l'aspect chimique et antimicrobienne de l'anhydride sulfureux. Bulletin OIV 52(586):1001-1022. 5. Lonvaud-Funel, A. Les aspects microbiologiques de l'élevage des vins rouges en barriques. In: Connaissances actuelles & Avenir de l'élevage en barriques. Vigne et Vin Publications Internationales, Bordeaux, France. (2000) 6. brsquared.org/wine/Articles/SO2/SO2.htm 7. Hinreiner, E.; Filipino, F.; Berg, H.W.; and Webb, A.D. Food Technol 9: pp 489- 490. (1955) 8. Smith, Clark. Sulfur Dioxide: The Limits of Our Understanding. Practical Winery & Vineyard Magazine May/June 1984, pp 57-8. 9. Lester, M.R. Sulfite sensitivity: Significance in human health. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 14(3): 229-232. (1995) 10. Grotheer, Paul; Marshall, Maurice; and Simonne, Amy. April 2005. Sulfites: Separating Fact from Fiction. University of Florida Extension. FCS8787. 11. U.S. Federal Register 27 CFR Vol.51 No. 189 34706-10. (1986) 12. vinovation.com/ArticleWinepH2.htm 13. Younger, William. Gods, Men and Wine. (1966). 14. Meeting of the National Organic Standards Board, April 26, 2011, pp. 353. everything I have discussed in the past two years of monthly col- umns about the postmodern approach. Clark Smith is winemaker for WineSmith and founder of the wine technology firm Vinovation. He lectures widely on an ancient yet innova- tive view of American winemaking. 62 Wines & Vines MARCH 2012