Where to Buy Sulfite-Free Wine, and What the Label Tells You
Why almost every wine has sulfites, what the label means, why most non-alcoholic wine still has them, and where to buy the bottles that don't.
Sulfite-free wine is hard to find in stores, because almost every wine has sulfites: yeast makes a little during fermentation, and most winemakers add more to keep the wine fresh. The way around it is a wine that was never fermented, or one made without any added. Here is what the label tells you, why most non-alcoholic wine still has sulfites, and where to buy the bottles that don’t.
- HALALHalal: is non-alcoholic wine halal?
- KOSHERKosher non-alcoholic wines
- SULFITESulfite-free wine · you are here
- GLUTENGluten-free wine
- CALORIESCalories in non-alcoholic wine
- PREGNANTNon-alcoholic wine in pregnancy
What the label tells you
In the US, any wine with 10 parts per million (ppm) of sulfites or more must say “Contains sulfites” on the label. That rule comes from the TTB for wine, and from the FDA for drinks under 7% alcohol, including non-alcoholic wine. So the words on the bottle fall into three groups:
Contains sulfites
10 ppm or more. Most wine, alcoholic or not, carries this line.
No added sulfites
None added by the winemaker. Fermentation may still have made a little, so read the ingredients for a declaration.
Sulfite-free
No sulfites added and none declared. In practice, that usually means a drink that was never fermented.
How much is a little?
Ten ppm is the line for a warning. The limits on how much wine may carry are many times higher:
Figures from the US labeling rule, the US limit for wine and EU Regulation 2019/934. Most wines sit well below their limit, but well above 10.
Does non-alcoholic wine have sulfites?
Usually, yes. Most non-alcoholic wine is made as wine first, with the sulfites that winemaking uses, and the alcohol comes out at the end. The sulfites stay. Wine that was never fermented skips that step:
One dealcoholized exception: French Bloom says it never adds sulfites to its wines. Every product page on our shelf lists sulfites in the ingredients where a wine has them, the same as its label.
Never fermented is the surest route to a wine without sulfites.
Where to buy sulfite-free wine
Supermarkets and wine shops rarely sort by sulfites, and a “sulfite-free” search near you mostly turns up organic or natural wines, which still contain them. Non-alcoholic sulfite-free wine is harder still to find in a store. Our sulfite-free shelf gathers every bottle we carry without sulfites, all from France:
French Bloom
Organic French sparkling, dealcoholized, with no sulfites added.
So Jennie Paris
Sparkling made from grape musts, never fermented.
A still red
Le Petit Étoilé Cabernet Sauvignon, never fermented, while stock lasts.
A still white
Le Petit Étoilé Chardonnay, never fermented, while stock lasts.
Five to start with
- 01A toast without sulfitesFrench Bloom Le Blanc
- 02Champagne drinkersFrench Bloom Extra Brut
- 03Everyday sparklingSo Jennie Paris Blanc Dry
- 04Rosé loversSo Jennie Paris Rosé Bubbly
- 05With dinnerLe Petit Étoilé Chardonnay
French Bloom Le Blanc
- 0.0%
- 2.4 g sugar per 100 mL
- Dealcoholized
- France
Citrus zest, pear and honey, with a saline finish. Also in a 375 mL half bottle.
French Bloom Extra Brut
- 0.0%
- 0.0 g sugar per 100 mL
- Dealcoholized
- France
Chardonnay, citrus and a mineral finish, at 0.0%.
So Jennie Paris Blanc Dry
- 0.0%
- 4.5 g sugar per 100 mL
- Never Alcoholized
- France
Editor’s Choice The bottle we choose for a toast.
White peach, pear and citrus, with a dry finish. Also in 375 mL.
So Jennie Paris Rosé Bubbly
- 0.0%
- 5.8 g sugar per 100 mL
- Never Alcoholized
- France
Red currant and a dry finish. A good brunch or birthday bottle.
Le Petit Étoilé Chardonnay
- 0.0%
- 4.7 g sugar per 100 mL
- Never Alcoholized
- France
Candied apple and citrus, from organic Chardonnay. Available while stock lasts.
Before you buy
Read the ingredients
A sulfite declaration can sit inside the ingredient list, as “wine (sulphites)”, rather than on a line of its own.
Organic is not sulfite-free
Organic wines may still have sulfites added, at lower limits. Look for the words, not the leaf.
Check how it’s made
Never alcoholized means never fermented. Our Process filter shows it on every wine.
Drink it fresh
With no sulfites to protect it, an opened bottle is best within a day or two, kept cold and sealed.
Browse every bottle on the sulfite-free shelf, or read how non-alcoholic wine is made.
Common questions
Does non-alcoholic wine have sulfites?
Most does. Non-alcoholic wine is usually made as wine first, with the sulfites winemaking uses, and then dealcoholized, so the sulfites stay and the label says so. Wines that were never fermented, such as So Jennie Paris and Le Petit Étoilé, have none, and French Bloom says it adds none.
What does "contains sulfites" mean on a wine label?
That the wine has 10 parts per million of sulfites or more, the level at which US rules require a warning. It applies to wine and to non-alcoholic wine alike. Most wines are well above that line, though far below the legal limits.
Is any wine truly sulfite-free?
Very little alcoholic wine is, because yeast makes some sulfites during fermentation. Drinks that were never fermented avoid that, which is why most sulfite-free wines are non-alcoholic ones made from grape musts.
Can I buy sulfite-free wine near me?
Rarely. Stores seldom sort wine by sulfites, and organic or natural wines usually still contain them. It is easier to buy online, where you can read the ingredients and how each wine is made before you order.
