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List members:
Regarding the discussion on wine of some time ago, I summarised replies
too early and until now I have not been able to take it further.
There were 13 posts after my summary and I am glad to say most were
complimentary.
Again the subject of the film ^ÑFrench Kiss^Ò came up and this was
answered to the list by Tom Nolan on 10.09.97 and I imagine most people
can access this.
Three posts referred to the sulphites. One poster is mistakenly under
the impression that sulphites are naturally present in grapes: this is
not so. Two posters claim that sulphites remain in the wine and people
react to them. I have checked this out with a vintner. He says that the
sodium metabisulphite used is chemically pure - on contact with the must
(grape juice) it releases sulphur dioxide (a gas) which acts a
disinfectant inhibiting the proliferation of unwanted micro-organisms -
but he did not know the chemical reaction and could not be categorical
as to whether anything was left in the wine although he believed nothing
was left. Perhaps a chemist on the list could explain.
Other posters suggested that wine could be contaminated by the yeast
used. I imagine this is so if the wine is made from concentrated wine
juice (a common practice, it appears, in home winemaking) which require
the addition of commercial yeast, but good quality wines depend only on
the yeast naturally present on the grapes. An the reuse of barrels.
Today most wine is fermented in stainless steel vats and only some is
matured in oaken barrels. This is why I suggested starting with young
wines. In any case, it is likely that only small family cellars would
reuse barrels that have previously contained burbon or other grain based
alcohols.
Some posters asked for the names of recommended cellars: this is
difficult because I don^Òt know much about the USA. However, there is one
Spanish vintners to not only market their wine in the USA but also have
cellars in California and Chile: Torres. In my opinion they are
trustworthy and make excellent wines. I have recently received a
guarantee from their Spanish cellar to the effect that they use no
additives except metabisulphite and that there is no risk of
contamination in the elaboration of their products or in the
sterilisation of their installations etc. I would suggest anyone
interested should contact:
http://www.torres.es
Likewise, if anyone would like a copy of their message (in Spainish),
please let me know.
Finally, I copy a message from Douglas A Jeeves
"actually, I think there is another factor you don't mention.
anecdotally, celiacs do better with white wines than red.
this seems not to be related to the sulfites added to the wine, which a
winemaster has told me are pretty much bound in red wine, and pretty much
free in white wine -- the opposite of what we are looking for, since
the free sulfites are the potential culprits.
so, we are left with the obvious, it is related to the level of tannins in
the wine. wines with high tannin levels (like the great reds) tend to
develop with age for a longer time. at the same time, they are known to
cause some people to flush (blush, but longer), and to cause headaches.
if wines are a problem, I would suggest whites, blush (blanc de noir,
like 'white' zinfandel), or light reds (like gamay beujolais) intended to
be drunk 'young'. avoid wines that have been aged in oak (note: in
addition to the tannins addded, there is the issue of whether the barrels
were used before? for bourbon perhaps?), although there are other ways to
add tannins, notably by crushing the seeds and stems and allowing the
juices to stand on them.
and remember, if the label on the bottle doesn't say anything about
the wine, the style, and the production methods, there just may be
nothing to say."
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