More About Wine Additives

Last week, Good Food featured a segment about the additives that are commonly used in wine to enhance their flavor – most commonly coloring agents and chemicals. These processes are used to insure consistency and to protect big investments for the wineries. Many wine lovers are unaware of the additives and there is a movement to divulge all wine ingredients on labels. However, a few facts stated on last week’s show were incorrect. Jim Adelman is the General Manager of Au Bon Climat wines and Qupe Winery. He provides additional information about wine additives and makes a few corrections to our segment. For instance, Jim argues that the flakes that show up in wine are often calcium tartrate, a naturally occurring formation more commonly known as cream of tartar (not tartaric acid, which is sometimes added to wine). He also reports that many European winemakers use additives and that it’s not strictly a North American practice.

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