Wine 'Additives'
Anti-alcohol people who would like to see a reinstatement of prohibition occasionally suggest that wine is little more than chemicals added to grape juice before or after it's fermented.
They like to argue that the U.S. government permits chemicals to be added to wine. Which is partially true. But almost no "additives" are in the final product. A few are used during the processing of wine, but most of them are filtered out before the wine reaches consumers.
But wine today, whether it's from the United States or a place you have never heard of, is better than it has ever been. An example may explain why.
A winemaker and friend, in an off-the-record comment, years ago said he used gum arabic in some of his least expensive wines, which I had praised for their great value. These were not top-quality wines. But decades ago, the same sort of wine was nearly undrinkable. Today it is tasty and a good value.
The use of gum arabic, sometimes called guar gum, a byproduct of Acacia trees, helps to deal with bitter tannins in astringent red wines. It is also widely used in the production of many foods.
Over 50 years of writing about Wine, I have spoken with thousands of winemakers and rarely have any of them denied using legal additives. But they explain that it's always a benign product that improves the quality.
Some additives make it more palatable and more authentic to the grape variety on the label. Others keep the wine far more stable, so they remain tasty far longer than wines that were made decades ago.
I know of only one "additive" that winemakers are so proud of that they brag about using it: it is the use of French oak barrels, which are commonly used to make the best cabernet sauvignons.
Winemakers everywhere often have a "little black box" that contains things to add to a wine to improve it. Such additives are always used to benefit consumers by giving the wine something the grapes never had, or it deals with a problem.
Years ago, I wrote a column in which I explained the broad use of the additive Mega Purple in the making of some expensive red wines. Strictly speaking, Mega Purple doesn't actually improve red wines. It just makes them darker and alters their aromas. It is best used in red, cheaper wines.
A winemaker confided to me that wine at all quality levels was "adjusted" in some legal way, but that almost every wine is improved by the procedure. Today, one important procedure is how many wineries are reducing the alcohol content of their wines because consumers are looking for that kind of product.
Winemakers who use additives should not be embarrassed to say so. They should be proud that they made proper use of tactics that improve the wine for every consumer.
Wine of the Week: 2024 Villa Wolf Dry Riesling, Pfalz ($16) — Floral aromas mark the nose of this delightful white wine from Germany. The wine is slightly sweet on the first sip, but the aftertaste is relatively dry, as is much of the dry riesling from Germany. This delightful wine is frequently discounted.
To find out more about Sonoma County resident Dan Berger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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Last Updated: Monday, Jun 22, 2026 05:33:25 -0700
Copyright 2026 Creators Syndicate
This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 2:00 AM.