What's NOT In Our Bottles
The wines we bring into our shops need to meet a high standard. While the US government has approved the use of dozens of additives and chemicals that can all be used in every day bottles of vino.
We've had enough wine to know how certain bottles make us feel - both while we're drinking and the morning after. Bottles full of additives tend to not fare so well the next morning. Others can be problematic for vegans, for example.
We want the purest form of the juice we're sipping. Clean, sustainable, holistic approaches to vineyard health and longevity. Healthy and well cared for farmers, interns, vintners. Wine that's the best possible representation of the land and the vines it came from.
What we don't want:
Acetaldehyde
Inhibits microbial growth and stabilizes the color of wine.
Activated Charcoal
Used to filter and improve wine color.
Albumen (egg white)
Fining agent for wine.
Aluminum Silicates (bentonite or kaolin)
Used to clarify/fine wine.
Ammonium Phosphate
Accelerates fermentation.
Ascorbic Acid
Used as a preservative and/or anti-bacterial agent.
Beta Glucanase
An enzyme sometimes used to reduce sediments.
Calcium Carbonate
Reduces the acidity of wine.
Casein
Used for clarifying wine and/or removing sediment.
Catalase
An enzyme added to counter bacterial agents in wine.
Cellulase
An enzyme used to assist in the hydrolyzation of cellulose during fermentation.
Citric Acid
Sometimes used in white wines to increase acid levels.
Copper Sulfate
Suppresses bacterial growth and eliminates unwanted odors.
Defoaming agents (polyoxyethylene 40 monostearate, silicon dioxide, dimethylpoly-siloxane, sorbitan monostearate, glyceryl mono-oleate
and glyceryl dioleate)
To control foaming, fermentation adjunct.
Diammonium Phosphate
Helps accelerate fermentation.
Dimethyl Dicarbonate
Used as a preservative.
Distilled Alcohol
Fortifies alcohol levels.
Edible Gelatin
Used to clarify and remove sediment.
Ferrocyanide Compounds
Used to clarify and fine wines.
Ferrous Sulfate
Used to clarify wine.
Fruit Concentrate of Same Grape Variety
Used to boost color and flavor.
Fumaric Acid
Boosts wine acidity.
Glucose oxidase
An enzyme used to stabilize the color of white wines as they age.
Granular Cork
Smooths the texture of wines.
Gum Arabic
Used to clarify and remove sediment.
Isinglass
Fish bladder used to clarify and remove sediment.
Lysosome
Reduces sulfites and reduces certain bacterias.
Mega Purple
A controversial, concentrated syrup used to correct color issues.
Milk/Lactalbumin
Clarifies wine and removes sediment.
Nitrogen
Used as a preservative.
Oak Chips
Improves wine flavor.
Ovalbumin (egg whites)
Clarifies wine and removes sediment.
Pectolytics
Enzymes that assist in the breakdown of pectin into pectic acid and methanol during fermentation. This tends to help clarify the wine.
Polyvinyl-Polypyr-Rolidone
Modifies the color of wine and reduces tannins.
Potassium Bicarbonate
Reduces acidity.
Potassium Bitartrate
Stabilizes and prevents sedimentation.
Potassium Carbonate
Reduces the acidity of wine down to acid levels of 5 grams per liter only.
Potassium Caseinate
Clarifies and removes sediment.
Potassium Metabisulphite
Inhibits bacteria and can be used as a preservative.
Potassium Sorbate
Inhibits bacteria and, when used with potassium and copper sulfites, it also functions as a preservative.
Protease
An enzyme that kills some bacterial agents and makes wine less heat-sensitive and less likely to produce sediment.
Saccharose
Increases sugar levels of wine. Not allowed in every U.S. state.
Silicon Dioxide
Filters and fines wine.
Sorbic Acid
Used as a preservative.
Soy Flour
Feeds yeast to increase and promote secondary fermentation.
Sulfur Dioxide
A preservative and anti-bacterial agent.
Tartaric Acid
Boosts acidity of wine.
Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B)
Feeds yeast to help finish fermentation.
Urease
Anenzyme used to reduce sediment.
Velcorin
A microbial control agent.
Water/H20
Reduces alcohol levels and acidity. Not allowed in all U.S. states.