Do you know what's in your wine?

There is a move afoot to force winemakers to identify the contents of their wine on bottle labels. I initially had negative thoughts about this because of the confusion surrounding sulfites, a natural ingredient of wine that unfortunately threatens severe asthmatics. Most people are unaffected by sulfites, yet they assume their headaches are caused by them.

But now I’m in favor of expanding what must be put on labels. I’d rather know what’s in the wine that be told it has “bold flavors reminiscent of a hibiscus garden.” Wouldn’t you?

We would like to think that wine is a natural product created by producers who nurture the grapes with painsaking care. While that’s true, a lot goes on after the grapes are crushed that consumers don’t know about. A winemaker can add water to reduce alcohol levels, alter harsh malo acid levels, use animal products to clarify the wine, and add powdered tannins and oak chips.

Wineries that use herbicides, pesticides, and commercial fertilizer will leave behind such things as ferrocyanide, ammonium phosphate, copper sulfate. They are not dangerous, according to USDA, but you should be the judge of that.

But the one that irks me the most is Mega Purple, a grape concentrate made from the teinurieur grape Rubired. Constellation makes and sells it. No winemaker I have met has ever admitted to using it, but most do, according to the reports I’ve read.

Mega Purple adds a rich color to the wine and some sugar to round off the edges. Used in small amounts, you probably won’t be able to identify it. But producers of cheap wines, especially those sold in bulk containers, are using massive doses. Again, no one says it’s harmful, but don’t you want to know what the winemaker is doing to manipulate the color and flavors of what you’re drinking?

Mega Purple is an inexpensive short cut to making wine better. The winemaker could blend petite sirah or malbec to get more color; he could cut fermentation short to make it sweet.

Constellation makes Robert Mondavi, Meomi and The Prisoner among other popular wines. I have always suspected that Meomi in particular has lots of Mega Purple. It’s dark and sweet, although Meomi’s popularity indicates consumers really don’t mind.

What’s good for food labels should be good for wine labels.