What is actually in your wine

Wine is one of the few things people consume regularly without an ingredient list. Labeling rules are changing in parts of the world, but plenty of bottles still tell you almost nothing. Here is what is generally in there.

Sulfites. Sulfur dioxide is a preservative and an antioxidant, and small amounts occur naturally through fermentation, so a truly sulfite free wine barely exists. It protects the wine from oxidizing and from spoilage organisms. Sensitivity is real but far less common than the internet suggests, and the headache people blame on sulfites is more often alcohol, dehydration, or histamines.

Fining agents. To clear haze, winemakers may use egg white, casein from milk, isinglass from fish, gelatin, or bentonite clay. These are filtered out, but their use is the reason a wine may not be vegan. Wines labeled unfined or unfiltered simply skip the step.

Adjustments. Depending on the region and the vintage, producers may add acid in hot climates, add sugar before fermentation to raise alcohol in cool ones, use commercial yeast, or add oak chips or tannin powder for structure. None of these are dangerous. They are simply choices, and they are worth knowing when you are trying to understand why two bottles from the same region taste so different.

Farming. What happened in the vineyard often matters more than what happened in the cellar. Organic and biodynamic certification restrict synthetic pesticides and herbicides. Sustainable certifications vary widely in what they require. A producer who farms carefully and intervenes lightly tends to give you a wine with fewer additions overall.

This is the information MyTastings gathers for each bottle you scan: what the producer says about their growing practices, which additives are declared or likely, and how that adds up into a single transparency score you can compare across your cellar. It is not a verdict on whether a wine is good for you. It is a way to stop drinking blind.