Why PurVine?
Drink wine differently.
Wine is about so much more than a score or a tasting note.
PurVine was created to make it easier to discover the information that matters to you, from alcohol and sulfite levels to sugar content and organic and biodynamic farming practices.
Because finding a wine you love is one thing. Finding a wine that fits the way you want to drink is even better.
Start here
Love wine, but not how it makes you feel?
Not every wine is the same. Alcohol levels, sulfites, residual sugar, farming practices, and winemaking methods can vary significantly from bottle to bottle.
If you've ever thought, "Wine just doesn't agree with me," learning more about what's actually in your glass may help you better understand your experience and make choices that work better for you.
PurVine makes those differences easier to discover.
Lower alcohol means less alcohol in the same-size pour. Some people are sensitive to sulfites. And understanding sugar, farming practices, and how a wine was made gives you more information to find the bottles you prefer.
PurVine cannot promise a hangover-free glass, and no wine eliminates the effects or risks of alcohol. But you may discover that the way you choose wine matters.
01 · Alcohol
Why lower alcohol?
Alcohol by volume, or ABV, tells you what percentage of a wine is alcohol.
And seemingly small differences in ABV can add up.
For example, a 5-ounce glass of 15% ABV wine contains about 36% more alcohol than the same-size glass of 11% ABV wine.
Choosing a lower-ABV wine allows you to enjoy the same size pour while consuming less alcohol.
That is why PurVine does not simply categorize wines as "low alcohol." We show you the ABV and let you decide what lower alcohol means for you.
Use the Max ABV filter to discover wines at or below the alcohol level you are looking for.
The math
11%
ABV
15%
ABV
Same 5 oz pour. Approximately 36% more alcohol in the 15% ABV wine.
Beyond the label
"Contains Sulfites" does not necessarily mean "high sulfites."
PurVine helps you look beyond the label by providing actual sulfite information whenever reliable data is available.
02 · Sulfites
Why lower sulfites?
Sulfites are compounds that occur naturally during fermentation. They may also be added during winemaking to help protect wine from oxidation and unwanted microbial activity.
Despite a common misconception, truly "sulfite-free" wine is extremely difficult to define because fermentation itself naturally produces sulfites. Even wines made with no added sulfites can contain naturally occurring sulfites.
Most people tolerate the sulfites found in wine without a problem.
Some people, however, are sensitive to sulfites and can experience reactions after exposure. Sulfite sensitivity is particularly recognized among some people with asthma. Reactions can include respiratory symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, or chest tightness.
It is also important to know that sulfites are sometimes blamed for every unpleasant reaction to wine, including headaches, when wine contains many compounds that may contribute to how someone feels after drinking it. Experiencing a headache or other symptom after wine does not automatically mean sulfites were responsible.
For people who know they are sensitive to sulfites, prefer wines made with fewer additives, or simply want more information about what is in their glass, actual sulfite levels can be surprisingly difficult to find.
A label that says "Contains Sulfites" does not tell you whether a wine contains relatively little or substantially more.
PurVine tracks sulfite information whenever reliable producer, importer, technical, or other trustworthy information is available so you can make that distinction for yourself.
Use the Max Sulfites filter to search according to the level you prefer.
03 · Organic
Why organic?
For PurVine, organic is primarily about how the grapes are farmed, not simply whether a bottle carries an organic certification seal.
Some wines in the PurVine database are formally certified organic. Others are produced by growers and wineries that state that they use organic farming practices but have chosen not to pursue, maintain, or display formal organic certification.
PurVine includes both, but we believe the distinction matters.
When certification information is available, we identify it.
When a producer is not certified but reliable producer, importer, distributor, or technical information confirms that the grapes are grown using organic practices, PurVine can identify the wine as organically farmed rather than certified organic.
Organic viticulture generally restricts or avoids many synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other conventional agricultural inputs. Exact requirements vary by country and certification system.
It is also important to understand that lack of certification does not necessarily mean conventional farming.
Certification can be expensive, administratively intensive, or simply not something a particular producer chooses to pursue. Some small, traditional, and low-intervention producers farm organically without obtaining formal certification.
PurVine does the research to help make these distinctions easier to understand.
Instead of relying solely on an organic seal, we look for reliable information about how the grapes were actually farmed and clearly identify certification when applicable.
On PurVine you may see
Certified Organic
The wine or grapes carry recognized organic certification.
On PurVine you may see
Organically Farmed
Reliable information indicates that the producer uses organic farming practices, but formal certification has not been verified.
This allows PurVine to recognize organic farming practices without incorrectly implying that every wine in the database is formally certified organic.
04 · Biodynamic
Why biodynamic?
Biodynamic farming takes a whole-vineyard approach, treating the vineyard as an interconnected agricultural ecosystem.
Biodynamic growers generally emphasize soil health, biodiversity, composting, ecological balance, and reducing reliance on outside inputs.
Some biodynamic producers pursue formal certifications, such as Demeter certification, while others may follow biodynamic practices without certification.
PurVine identifies biodynamic status when reliable information is available and distinguishes certification when applicable.
The goal is the same throughout PurVine: give you more specific information about how your wine was produced so you can decide what matters to you.
Soil health
Biodiversity
Composting
Ecological balance
05 · Sugar
What about sugar?
Most of the naturally occurring sugar in grapes is converted into alcohol during fermentation. Sugar remaining after fermentation is generally referred to as residual sugar.
How sweet a wine tastes is not always a perfect indicator of exactly how much residual sugar it contains.
Acidity, alcohol, tannins, fruit character, temperature, and other characteristics can all affect our perception of sweetness.
That is why PurVine provides actual sugar information whenever reliable data is available rather than relying solely on descriptions such as "dry."
When an exact sugar measurement is unavailable but the wine is reliably known to be dry, PurVine identifies it as dry.
This gives you the most useful information available without pretending to know a number that has not been reported.
06 · Natural wine
What about natural wine?
You have probably heard the term natural wine, but its meaning is not as straightforward as terms such as ABV.
There is no single universally accepted global definition or certification standard for "natural wine." Producers, retailers, importers, and organizations may use the term differently.
Rather than assuming that the word "natural" tells you everything about a bottle, PurVine focuses on providing specific information whenever possible.
We believe specific information is more useful than a buzzword.
That can include
- Farming practices
- Organic status
- Biodynamic status
- Alcohol percentage
- Sulfite levels
- Sugar
- Producer information
Better information. Your choice.
PurVine gives you the information. You choose the wine.
It is here to make information that can be surprisingly difficult to find easier to discover, search, understand, and compare.
Maybe you are looking for organically farmed wine.
Maybe you love lighter, lower-alcohol bottles.
Maybe sulfite levels matter to you.
Maybe you want a dry wine.
Or maybe you simply want to know more about what is actually in your glass and how it got there.
Whatever brings you here, PurVine gives you another way to discover wine based on the things that matter to you.
Find your next wine.