There’s no better way to stir up a heated argument with serious wine lovers than introduce natural wine, organic wine, or sulfites into the discussion.
Yesterday, the European Union published a press release saying it had reached agreement on rules governing organic wine, meaning that instead of just saying «"made with organic grapes," wines made under these rules will now be able to bear the official appellation of "organic wine" on their labels.
Franciacorta has the most demanding standards for any sparkling wine region in the world. They're a substitute for tradition, because the Italian region has been in the bubbles business for only 50 years, which is nothing in Europe.
The word "sulfur", in my mind, is inexorably linked back to Mr. Burcik's high school chemistry class
I guess when it comes to avoiding headaches, we can always rely on the old Henny Youngman gag: "Doctor, it hurts when I do this!" "...Then don't do it!" For now, though, all this medical research is giving me a headache. Time to pop open some wine.
Sulfites are not a black and white issue and I am certainly not suggesting that all wines should be made with no added sulfites. What I am enthusiastic about is breaking through the industry myth that wines made with minimal sulfites are of a lesser quality or are only for short term drinking.