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Sulphites

Allergens and Sulphites

Accurate food labelling is very important and we can state that all of our ciders

1 Have no sulphites added ( We cannot however say it is sulphite free)

2 Are Gluten Free

3 Suitable for vegetarians

4 Do not contain nuts

 

Sulphites

What Are Sulphites?

The addition of sulphites in drink products are not particulaly well advertised and the cold hard facts of this additive (ie how much has been used) is sometimes unclear. Many ciders and most wines contain sulphites /sulphur dioxide. It may be the case that you have never had a 'pure' cider or wine at all!

Sulphites are used in order to kill the natural yeast that is naturally present in apple juice. An added yeast that has been cultured is then used to create a more standardised product and reduces the risk of spoilage and waste for the producer. If you look carefully on the label next time you pour some cider or wine into a glass - it will usually state that Sulphites have been added. Occaisionally it will say 'for freshness' but this is really a lame attempt to attempt to justify it. It also will not state how much sulphite has been added. This could be anything from 10mg/litre to 450mg/litre.

We are proud to use the natural yeasts as that is quite simply how cider should be naturally made. We add no sulphites or preservatives to any of our ciders. In order to extend the shelf life of our glass bottled ciders we pasterise and filter the cider to remove any traces of the yeast which might start working again. If there were any traces of yeast that were present and had begun to work again, then when a customer opened a bottle it might be extra fizzy or might even blow the bottle. By filtering the cider not only does it make the cider a more bright colour but it removes the yeast and pasteurisation is just is an extra precaution that we take.

So what is so bad about sulphites?

Summary

Well it certainly looks as if we all have had sulphites as part of our diet for quite some time now. It is not something that requires undue worry unless you of course are prone to a reaction and for most people it is very unlikely that you will suffer any adverse effects.

We however think it is nice to produce a naturally made product as cider should be free from artificial additives for people to enjoy!