An additive is any substance added to wine during winemaking to adjust, stabilise or correct it — from sulfur dioxide (a preservative) and tartaric acid to fining agents, cultured yeast, sugar (for chaptalization) and commercial tannin. Most are permitted in tiny quantities and removed or consumed before bottling. The natural-wine movement defines itself partly by minimising or rejecting additives, prizing wines made with little beyond grapes and, often, native yeast.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR COLLECTORS
Knowing a producer's additive philosophy signals their style: low-intervention estates emphasise purity and risk, while conventional wineries use additives for consistency. Labels rarely list additives, so it pays to know the grower.
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