Wine Kits: Here's to your Health !

B y now, we've all heard about the health benefits related to moderate consumption of alcohol. Red wines in particular seem heart-healthy. What's not common knowledge, however, is that wine from kits is likely to be better for you than commercial varieties. Just another reason to make your own!

W ine kits have far lower sulfite levels than commercial wines, for several reasons. First, the wines produced from kits do not have to endure a commercial chain of distribution, and thus can be stabilized with lower levels of sulfites and sorbates. Second, kit wines are not meant to be aged beyond a year or two. Preparing a wine to be laid down and matured for years requires a far higher level of sulfiting than used in wine kits. Commercial varieties of red wines usually carry the highest sulfite levels, as they are meant to be consumed after longer periods of aging. Commercial white wines generally carry somewhat lower levels of sulfites, and kit wines the lowest of all.

A s a logical extension of this line of thought, note that sparkling wines produced from kits have very low residual sulfite levels. Most early sulfite additions are harmlessly converted to sulphur dioxide and released as gas during fermentation. The final sulfite addition made to still wines, which remains in the wine when bottled, is omitted in the production of sparkling wines. Therefore, final sulfite levels are quite a bit lower.

F or the purpose of comparison, here are average sulfite levels of a general range of kits versus commercial wines:

Average sulfite levels in finished wines in parts per million (ppm)

                 Kits        Commercial Wines

White Wines     20-30          75-90

Red Wines        25-35         80-120

S o, for those sensitive to sulfites, or simply health-conscious, home winemaking is the answer!

A s another aside, note that the health benefits of red wines were first noticed in countries such as France and Italy, with both high wine consumption and indigenous production of local wines. Those locally produced and locally consumed table wines are likely to be produced for rapid consumption much like a kit wine, as compared with the exported, chateau-type versions geared for distribution channels and long aging. Sulfiting is probably lower in the local wines, which may be one reason why they have proven healthful, and a reason why tourists find the local product more appealing. Now wine kit users can duplicate the taste of the Italian or French countryside without schlepping bags!