By studying the objects unearthed from the archaeological excavations, we now know that the journey of wine in cultural history goes back long before the invention of writing. Since we have not received any drinkable wine samples yet, we can only guess the structure and taste of the old wines. That is because our evaluations are mostly content either with the results we get from the laboratory analyzes of the residues left in the containers after the evaporation of the wine or from the scarce written sources.

Among what these sources tell us are clues to the methods they used to prevent the rapid deterioration of ancient wines. One of the important reasons for these pursuits to preserve wine is the wine trade. Considering that the shipping times were longer in the transportation of goods in the old times, the most important priority of the seller was to ensure that the wines reach their export destination while preserving their quality. Obviously, our wine-making ancestors tried many things to solve these problems. These include adding resin, turpentine and sulfur to wine.

The association of sulfur derivatives such as sulfur and sulphite with wine begins in the vineyard. Sprinkling powdered sulfur on the leaves is of great benefit in the fight against pests of the vine. In this way, the vines are protected from the effects of living organisms such as vineyard scabies and mildew.

The skins of grapes contain antioxidants as part of their natural structure. As the name suggests, antioxidants prevent or slow down the deterioration of wine with the effect of oxygen. If we make a short reminder, while producing white wines, the grapes are crushed and their skins are removed from the grape must, and in rosé wines, the time the skins stay in the grape must is very short. White and rosé wines do not have antioxidant protection due to the rapid removal of the skins from the grape must. Therefore, sulfide, which is formed by the contact of sulfur with water, is added to these wines in order to both manage the fermentation process and prevent the deterioration of color and taste due to the effect of oxygen.

Sulfur performs three main functions in winemaking:

• It combines with oxygen and prevents the wine from losing its taste as a result of oxidation.
• It prevents the formation of enzymes that harm the development of wine.
• Eliminates bacteria that can harm the development of wine.

During the fermentation stage, about 10 milligrams of sulfites are produced in 1 liter of wine under the influence of yeast. The legal limit for the amount of sulphite added to wine for preservation is 160 mg per liter for red dry wines and 210 mg for white and rosé wines. In other words, there is at most 0.02 grams of sulfites in a glass of wine you drink. We also observe that more and more wine producers prefer to produce natural wines and not to use additional sulfites.

Clinical studies have been conducted on the relationship between headache and sulfites in wine drinkers. In these studies, it was determined that there is a 1% mass that is proportionally sensitive to sulfide in the population. As a reminder, sulfite-sensitive wine lovers may reduce the risk of headaches by turning to red and natural wines that are lower in supplemental sulfite use. Let's also talk about a small apparatus that filters the sulfide in the wine. It is called “üllo” and used like a tiny strainer to transfer the wine from the bottle to the goblet. If any of us think that 'I absolutely do not want sulfites in my wine’, üllo may be a solution for them.

When we look at the labels of most of the wines we serve at WAYANA, our wine house in Kadıköy, we see that they contain sulfites as required by the rules. We say it as per the rules because one of the mandatory information on wine labels, such as alcohol content, grape content, yield, producer information, is the presence of sulfites. There is a restriction on the amount of use of sulphite, which protects wine, in terms of human health.