Why You Need A Wine Filter
Random fact: I’m allergic to wine. Ok, not actually wine itself. But I do have a terrible sulfite allergy. Sulfites are a common additive in many foods and drugs. Sulfites also occur naturally in some foods. They’re used frequently to prevent spoilage and preserve food & drinks. A lot of times, they’re used in condiments, dried fruits & vegetables, pickled vegetables, frozen shrimp & shellfish, bagged vegetables, beer and wine.
Sadly, some of us are allergic to sulfites. For instance, when I drink wine that has sulfites in it I break out in hives, get super congested and have trouble breathing and swallowing. It’s no fun.
But recently I found out you can actually filter your wine! A company called Ullo makes a filter that lets you purify your wine at home. Filtering out the sulfites, while allowing other compounds in the wine to flow through unaffected.
Think about it… we filter so many things! Water is a big one. When you filter water, you reduce contaminants, including that gross chlorine taste and odor. Some filters also remove copper, cadmium, zinc, mercury, even lead. On top of that, we have air filters in our air conditioners and heaters in our homes. Another household item that uses a filter is our vacuum cleaner. The things that get sucked up into that vacuum cleaner aren’t always solid pieces of old cereal. Most of the time the vacuum sucks up dust, and other super tiny particulates that shouldn’t be blown back into the air. The filter on the vacuum cleaner traps these things!
So fast forward to our wine drinking… even if you’re NOT allergic to sulfites, there are a ton of benefits and reasons you should start filtering your wine too!
Why Filtering Wines Is A Must
Last year I stumbled upon a new gadget called the Üllo Wine Purifier. Basically, it’s a product you can buy that lets you drink your wine the way the winemaker intended, without the added chemicals.
Since most wineries add sulfites to protect against oxidation and bacterial spoilage, Üllo removes sulfites through a process that selectively captures these chemicals in a super-porous polymer filter, but still allowing the other compounds in the wine to flow through unaffected.
That means it takes out the sulfites, but doesn’t change the taste or quality of the wine. Also meaning it still has the same effect!
A lot of people also get headaches from drinking wine and some believe sulfites are to blame. When sulfites arrive in your liver, they block the function of the glutathione located there. Glutathione aids processes such as the breakdown of alcohol by the liver, which means you may suffer more as a result of alcohol if you are sensitive to the sulfites in wine.
An article in Wired explains, “sulfites are to wine as gluten is to food.” A lot of people who aren’t severely allergic to sulfites get crazy hangovers when they drink wine. Like, 2 day straight, I need to lay in a silent black room while my head pounds and I try not to barf hangovers. While it’s not backed by science, tons and tons of wine drinkers will confirm that sulfites cause headaches & hangovers.
Why You Need A Wine Filter
It Takes Out the Sulfites
Ok, we’ve already discussed this in great detail. Even though the sulfites in wine is relatively low, taking the sulfites out can potentially decrease your risk of getting a headache. And even better, could reduce your hangover symptoms. If you’re allergic to sulfites, it literally means you can drink wine again! HOORAY! Now that doesn’t mean I would recommend pounding an entire bottle, but it will reduce the sulfites and if you’re sensitive to sulfites, reduce headaches, congestion & allergies associated with drinking wine.
Aerating Your Wine
When you use the Üllo Wine Filter, you also have the option to aerate your wine. This means you’re exposing your wine to air. This triggers oxidation and evaporation. oxidation is what turns your apple brown and evaporation is when a liquid turns into a vapor. In wine terms, aeration helps evaporate the undesirable compounds faster than the desirable, aromatic & flavorful ones. In addition to evaporating the sulfites, it also evaporates Ethanol. Sometimes you’ll open a bottle of wine and it smells a little bit like rubbing alcohol when you first open it. If you aerate it, it should lose that smell. The more dense and concentrated a wine is, the more it benefits from aeration.
How To Filter Your Wine With The Ullo Wine Filter
The Üllo looks kind of like a small wine glass without a stem (handle). It’s got a thick silicone cup, strong plastic aeration base and silicone base to rest it on. When you buy the Üllo, you also get 5 filters. Each filter is good for 1 bottle of wine.
Unlike traditional filters that work like a net, Üllo’s Sulfite Capture™ filters work like a magnet, pulling sulfites from wine and leaving everything else.
To use it, open the Üllo’s and put in a filter. Close it up and you’re in business. You then have the option to aerate of not aerate. If you’re drinking a wine with a lot of tannins (young reds), it can help soften the tannins. Most white wines don’t need to be aerated.
If you opt to aerate, the wine swirls through the chutes. If you opt no air, the wine pours straight through. Fun fact, white wines generally have more sulfites, but don’t need to aerate.
The Üllo fits into almost every glass size. You just place the Üllo’s on top of your glass and pour your wine in. Be careful not to pour too fast though, the cup is small and doesn’t fit an entire glass in at a time.
After you’re finished pouring your glass of wine, put the Üllo back into it’s base. When you’re finished with a bottle, throw the wine filter pad away. You can even pop the Üllo into the dishwasher to clean it!
base. When you’re finished with a bottle, throw the wine filter pad away. You can even pop the Üllo into the dishwasher to clean it!
It’s that easy! If any of you have sulfite allergies, sensitivities or get major headaches and hangovers from drinking wine, I highly recommend the Üllo Wine Purifier! I’ve been using it for the past year and have had great results! I usually only have a glass or two of wine, but haven’t had any allergic reactions when using it! Also, my dad and a few friends all claim that when he uses it he never gets a headache or hangover feeling the next day!
