UNCORKED

Ingredient listing helpful for buyers

My recent journey down the road of gluten-free has me spending more time carefully reading the labels of my favorite foods than actually savoring them.

This journey brought to my attention an interesting buzz in the wine community - the seemingly simple question, “Is wine a food?”

The answer could change how we receive information about the wines we drink. If wine is defined as food it will need to be regulated as such, including ingredient lists on every label. In recent years, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has allowed wineries to list ingredients on their back label. A few have joined in the movement.

I’ve written about ingredients in winemaking before to address the dietary restrictions of vegan consumers. Many people are surprised to find animal products such as eggs or fish bladder are sometimes used as fining agents in the winemaking process.

Without a list of the ingredients on the label, the only way a consumer would know this is by contacting the winemaker or performing in-depth Internet research.

As consumers, many of us are reading labels because we feel it is our right to know what is going into our bodies. Many of us simply don’t want to consume added sugar or sodium, artificial preservatives or certain flavorings. And some of us have to read labels to ensure we don’t consume something that could make us sick - gluten in my case.

In a nutshell, there’s no reason for alarm, but much more goes into a wine than just grapes. Many of the ingredients and additives have been used for centuries, mostly to ensure the hygiene and freshness of the finished wine. Some of the additions are almost required for eliminating bacteria or even the overall stability of our wines.

Fortunately for us dedicated label-readers, more and more winemakers are showing ingredients on the label.

2011 Ridge Vineyards Pagani Ranch Zinfandel, California (about $42 retail)

2011 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Volant Blanc, California (about $28 retail)

Lorri Hambuchen is a member of London’s Institute of Wines and Spirits. Contact her at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock,Ark. 72203, or email:

[email protected]

Food, Pages 33 on 03/26/2014

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