You’re Reading Food Labels… But Are You Reading Wine Labels?
You’re watching your ingredients. You’re scanning food labels. You’ve swapped your oils, creamers, breads… but when it comes to wine, are you still sipping blindly?
🍷 Here’s the truth: Just like processed foods, conventional wine can contain dozens of unlabeled additives—from sulfites and pesticides to Mega Purple dye, artificial yeast, and even glyphosate (yep, the same toxin sprayed on oats and wheat).
🚫 Top 5 Toxic Wines to Avoid
1. Barefoot Wine (E. & J. Gallo)
Why to avoid: Mass-produced, full of additives, high sulfite levels
❌ May contain added sugar, coloring agents, artificial flavoring
🧪 No organic grapes or clean certification
😖 Commonly linked to headaches & hangovers
2. Yellow Tail
Why to avoid: Industrial Australian wine with synthetic processing
❌ Known to contain Mega Purple dye, added sugar, and flavorings
🌾 Grown with chemical fertilizers & pesticides
💀 One of the most additive-heavy cheap wines
3. Cupcake Vineyards
Why to avoid: Made for mass appeal, not purity
❌ Frequently uses non-disclosed additives to enhance flavor
🧁 May contain residual sugars and color stabilizers
🚫 Not organic, not biodynamic, and lacks transparency
4. Apothic Wines (Apothic Red, Apothic Crush, etc.)
Why to avoid: Artificially sweet, heavily manipulated
💥 Contains Mega Purple for color and a syrupy texture
❌ Very high in residual sugar
🧠 Known to cause brain fog and inflammation in sensitive people
5. Menage à Trois
Why to avoid: Popular red blends full of sugar and sulfites
❌ Often uses fining agents (animal by-products), flavoring, and stabilizers
🩸 High histamine levels + pesticide residue from conventional grapes
⚠️ Not suitable for anyone avoiding chemicals or additives
🍷 We Went to Napa for Clean Wine… and Got Picked Up in a Limo
You know those last-minute trips that just work? That was this one.
School had just let out. We asked our kids, “Want to go on a road trip?” thinking maybe we’d head to Colorado or somewhere new. But they had other plans—Yaya and Poppy’s house. That’s my mom and dad. And they are basically Disneyland with less structure: French toast for breakfast, ice cream at night, pancakes any time of day.
The kids’ eyes lit up. “Actually… could you and Dad go on vacation so we can stay with them?”
Done.
My husband and I hadn’t been to Sonoma in over a decade. In fact, we got married there 15 years ago at Kunde Winery—a place that, let’s just say, has not aged as gracefully as we hoped. But we’d never explored the area looking for clean wines, so this time we made it our mission:
✅ No added sugar
✅ No chemical additives or fake flavors
✅ Organic or biodynamic farming
✅ Natural fermentation with native yeast
✅ As few sulfites as possible
And guess what? We were shocked. There are actually dozens of small, beautiful wineries doing things right—with regenerative farming, solar-powered cellars, sheep in the vineyard instead of weed killer, and wines that don’t leave you puffy, groggy, or hungover.
We even joined a few wine clubs and now scan restaurant menus to find these labels.
But let me tell you what really made the trip…
🍇 Meet Bob the Limo Driver
We texted some friends who had gone to Sonoma recently to ask for a driver rec. Their guy was booked—but he recommended his friend, Bob.
“Bob’s great,” he said.
That’s all we knew.
So, the next morning, we walked out of our hotel, coffee in hand (yes, clean), expecting maybe a Prius or a black SUV…
Instead, a white 1990s stretch limousine pulls up, sparkling under the sun. Out steps a sweet older man in a tuxedo—black and white ballroom shoes, a wine bottle necktie, and socks with little grapes on them. He introduced himself as Bob.
It was hilarious. And honestly? Perfect. It was our 15th anniversary, and this felt like a full-circle throwback moment. Bob was charming, professional, and knew every backroad in wine country. We’ll definitely be including a photo of Bob’s limo below.
🍷 So… How Do You Actually Drink Clean Wine?
Here’s the truth: most wines in the U.S. (especially grocery store wines) are made with:
Added sugar and flavoring agents
Finishing chemicals to alter color, aroma, or “mouthfeel”
Sprayed grapes with glyphosate and synthetic pesticides
Lab-grown yeast to speed up fermentation
Extra sulfites that can cause headaches, bloating, or fatigue
That’s why so many people say, “I love wine but I can’t drink it anymore.”
Clean wine, on the other hand, is a whole different experience. And in Napa + Sonoma, we found winemakers who are doing things right—farming with intention, letting the grapes speak, and keeping their wines as close to nature as possible.
🔒 For Paid Subscribers Only:
In the premium section below, I’m sharing:
🍇 My Clean Wine Itinerary
The exact wineries we visited (with links, notes, and bottle recs)
🍽️ Clean Restaurant Picks
You asked—and I scouted. Clean options at every restaurant we loved, including local gems in Sonoma and Healdsburg.
🗺️ Downloadable Wine Country Guide
Printable PDF to take with you on your next trip, with labels, keywords to look for, and my wine club favorites.
👔 + Bonus: A video of Bob, his socks, his limo, and his story. Because everyone needs a Bob.
👇 Tap below to unlock it all!
🗺️ My Clean Wine Itinerary
Here are the exact spots we visited (and loved) — all organic, biodynamic, or low-intervention wineries: