What is preservative-free wine?

You may have heard the term thrown around in recent years as this style of winemaking has increased in popularity, but for most of us, there is still some grey area as to what preservative-free means.

Put simply, preservative-free wines are wines made without any added preservatives (most notably, sulphur dioxide) in the vineyard or winery.

In the vineyard, preservatives like sulphur are used to minimise the risk of disease, pests and extreme weather. In the winery, they are used to safeguard the wine from oxidation, which can cause discolouration and change the primary flavours of the wine before bottling.

As someone who suffers from a sensitivity to sulphur, David wanted to create a solution for wine lovers like himself looking for premium wine without additives. As David details:

The importance of good quality grapes

At Lowe, winemaking begins in the vineyard by producing high-quality grapes. In preservative-free winemaking, grape quality becomes even more crucial.

When we use organic and biodynamic vineyard practices, it produces healthier soil and higher quality fruit, which in turn requires less intervention in the winemaking process. David explains why this is particularly important for our Bio-logical range.

The nature of minimal-intervention winemaking means we can’t easily interfere once the winemaking process begins. Healthy grapes from the vineyard give us the best shot.

Once the grapes have made it safely to the winery, the most important task becomes minimising contact with oxygen – no easy feat! David and the team use several biological tricks in the winery, like reducing the activity of oxygen by keeping our wine vessels full and cold, to ensure that the wine comes into minimal contact with the outside air throughout its journey. Once bottled, a screw cap is favoured over a cork to guarantee the wine is sealed tight.