No Added Sulfites

Zero-zero is shorthand for wine made with nothing added and nothing removed, including no added sulfites. It is the strictest interpretation of natural winemaking, where the wine is shaped entirely by the fruit, the fermentation, and the winemaker's care rather than by additives.

No. Fermentation naturally produces a small amount of sulfur, usually under 10 mg/L, so no wine is ever truly sulfite-free. No-added-sulfite simply means the winemaker did not add any, which is why these bottles still carry a contains sulfites note in many markets.

It comes down to whether sulfur was added. No-added-sulfite wines have none beyond the trace fermentation creates, while low-sulfite wines have a small amount added, usually at bottling. Low-sulfite bottles are a little more stable and forgiving as a result.

Sulfur normally protects wine from heat and oxygen, so without it these wines are more sensitive. Keeping them cold, ideally with cold-chain shipping, slows oxidation and keeps them stable and fresh. Warm storage is the quickest way to push them out of balance.

They often do. Many feel especially vivid and alive, sometimes with a light spritz or a touch of funk, and they can vary more from bottle to bottle. Serving them slightly chilled keeps them fresh and shows the purity at their best.

Almost always. Making a stable wine without added sulfur depends on flawless fruit, so these wines start from organic or biodynamic vineyards as a matter of course. Clean farming is effectively a prerequisite for the zero-zero approach.