Most people consume more sulfites before dinner than they will ever get from drinking wine. If you are avoiding sulfites in wine, it is worth taking a closer look at where sulfites actually appear in your daily diet. When wine is compared honestly to common foods that contain sulfites, the conclusion is difficult to ignore.

This is not an abstract comparison. It plays out in very ordinary ways during a typical workday.

If breakfast was an egg sandwich with bacon, you likely consumed as many sulfites as you would get from an entire bottle of commercial red wine. If lunch included fries from a fast food restaurant, frozen fries reheated at home, or any prepared potato product, sulfite intake increased again. By early afternoon, many people have already exceeded the sulfite content of a bottle of wine without realizing it.

This happens because sulfites are not unique to wine. They are widely used throughout the modern food supply.

Commercial red wine typically contains between 50 and 150 parts per million of total sulfites. Many wines sit comfortably below that range, but even at the upper end, the number needs context. Parts per million describes concentration, not overall exposure. A standard glass of red wine usually contains around 20 to 40 ppm. Even consuming the entire bottle results in a total intake that is modest compared to what many people ingest through food alone.

Now consider what is actually on the plate. Two slices of cured bacon commonly contain between 50 and 150 ppm of sulfites. A single serving of french fries can add another 20 to 100 ppm. If lunch was a salad instead, sulfites were not avoided. Many salad dressings contain sulfites at levels similar to fries, and bottled lemon juice or vinegar based dressings can contribute even more.

If dried fruit is part of the meal, sulfite intake rises sharply. A small serving of dried apricots, raisins, or cranberries can contain hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of parts per million. One seemingly healthy addition can quietly exceed the sulfite intake of multiple bottles of wine.

A bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich with fries typically delivers between 150 and 250 ppm of sulfites, and in many cases more. That is equal to or greater than the sulfite content of an entire bottle of commercial red wine, consumed in a single meal. By the time dinner arrives, many people have already consumed far more sulfites than they will from the wine they drink with it. Yet wine remains the focal point of sulfite anxiety.

Part of the reason is visibility. Wine is labeled, discussed, and regulated in a way food is not. Sulfites in wine are easy to identify and easy to blame. Sulfites in food are spread across meals, ingredients, and snacks, making them far less obvious even though they are often the dominant source.

It is also important to be clear about sensitivity. A small percentage of people, particularly those with asthma, are genuinely sensitive to sulfites and should avoid them. For these individuals, the concern is real and justified. For the majority of people, however, sulfites in wine are unlikely to be the primary cause of headaches or discomfort, especially at the levels commonly found in red wine.

This distinction matters because it shapes how people approach winemaking, particularly at the home and small production level.

In response to sulfite fears, many winemakers attempt to eliminate them entirely. While the intention is understandable, the consequences are often misunderstood. Sulfites are not simply preservatives added for convenience. They play a central role in protecting wine from oxidation, microbial spoilage, and premature aging.

Wines made without added sulfites can be expressive and appealing when young. They often show vibrant fruit and energy early on. But they are far more vulnerable to oxygen exposure and instability. Over time, these wines tend to lose freshness quickly. Aromatics fade, color shifts toward brown, texture flattens, and nuance disappears. What could have developed into layered complexity instead moves rapidly toward fatigue.

This does not mean sulfites should be used carelessly. Excessive sulfite additions can mute aromatics, harden mouthfeel, and strip wine of its natural character. Overuse is just as problematic as avoidance. Heavy handed sulfiting creates wines that are technically stable but emotionally flat.

The real risk lies in extremes. Avoiding sulfites entirely out of fear often produces wines that must be consumed immediately or not at all. Overusing them out of insecurity produces wines that survive but never truly evolve.

When sulfites are skipped without intention, the opportunity for long term aging disappears. Secondary and tertiary aromas never have a chance to emerge. The subtle changes that occur over years rather than weeks are lost. You are left with a snapshot of youth rather than a story told over time.

This is not a philosophical argument. It is a practical one. If your goal is to make wine that can age, develop, and reveal new dimensions with time, sulfites used thoughtfully and in moderation are part of that process. They allow wine to remain itself long enough to grow into something more.

Avoiding sulfites does not make wine purer. It makes it more fragile. And fragility limits possibility.

If sulfite consumption is your concern, the evidence points far more strongly toward everyday eating habits than toward wine. And if winemaking quality is your concern, the question is not whether sulfites should be used, but how and why.

Sulfites are not a moral choice. They are a technical one. Used deliberately and sparingly, they protect what you have worked to create and give your wine the time it needs to show its full potential.

And if you are worried about sulfites in wine, it is worth remembering that most of them probably came from lunch.