This wine was made without sulfites, yet the label reads,"Contains sulfites". Why would anyone want to claim that their product contains a harmful chemical when it doesn't?It turns out that winemakers who claim on their labels that their wines are free from sulfites have to pay extra fees so the government can test their product and make sure they're telling the truth. There's some wisdom in this: sulfite allergies can be dangerous, so untruthful labeling can have dire consequences.
Sea Breeze Farm, which makes this wine, also sells meat and dairy products from grass fed, pastured animals. Their practices exceed the standards for organic certification but their food is not certified organic because they're not interested in the extra fees and paperwork that would come along with the right to use the word "organic" on their labels.
Fortunately, they sell most of their food and wine at farmers' markets, where they can explain to customers in person about their production methods. I'm glad to have strict labeling laws for products in supermarkets that pass through the hands of a series of middlemen, but when you can look a producer in the eye and ask questions for yourself, it's just not necessary.
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On a recent trip to Italy, I noticed that the wine in the local restaurants and tavernas were not served from bottles but from pitchers that were filled from giant jugs behind the counter. This was the local wine that probably did not travel more than 50 miles to get from the producers to the consumer. I have never had such satisfying (and inexpensive) house wine. When we asked a local Venetian, he said it was because the wine is not treated with sulfites and has a better flavor. Have you heard of whether there is similar unsulfured local wine distribution possible in wine producing states like Washington and California?
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