Organic wines without sulfites | Claude Reynaud

The success of organic wines is undeniable; they are present and highlighted in most wine shops and other merchants selling wine. Lately, there has also been a growing demand for wines without sulfites, and professional journals are making headlines about it. In order to meet consumer expectations, some traders and certain wineries are putting such wines on the market without fully mastering the technique. Some large cooperatives, thanks to a scandalous use of pasteurization, produce hundreds of thousands of bottles each year, while major laboratories are working on the subject without success. However, one in three organic winemakers produces at least one highly appreciated cuvée without this allergenic input.

After a brief historical overview of sulfites and their use, this book discusses their harmful effects on health and then focuses on vinification practices and alternative methods implemented by some winemakers to eliminate sulfites during the aging process. Its goal is to inform about this approach as part of the fight against a "one-size-fits-all" mentality that has so far led conventional agriculture towards both environmental and health pitfalls.

Claude Reynaud is a history enthusiast and a winemaker; his family has been practicing the craft of vine and wine in Gard for five generations. After cultivating his estate using conventional agriculture, he transitioned to sustainable agriculture: the turning point was made. In the early 2000s, he passed on the operation to his son who opted for organic viticulture and developed a process for producing long-lasting wines without sulfites.

Foreword by Philippe Desbrosses, a pioneer of organic agriculture in Europe, who chaired the National Commission of the AB Label from 1983 to 2007.