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Why am I allergic to red wine? What’s in red wine that I’m allergic to? Most people come to the conclusion that they’re allergic to red wine because they have no allergic reactions when drinking white wine. For some, red wine can cause headaches, and red wine can turn their face red. I’ve even heard people say that red wine causes congestion. To be clear, I’m not personally allergic to red wine, but being a Sommelier, these are questions or issues I hear about red wine allergies all the time. Some people think that tannins cause allergies to red wine. There are a few theories as to why people believe they have red wine allergies, and while it’s commonly thought that tannins cause red wine allergies, there are two growing theories that differ from theory of tannin-allergy: Sulfites and Histamines. Sulfites are a preservative used in wine-making and it is believed that you can be allergic to sulfites. You CAN tend to find more sulfites in red wine than white because red wines can have a longer and/or more complicated process. That being said, there’s generally a presence of sulfites in most wines. Sulfites can even be found in beer. While a lower presence of sulfites can probably mean you’re less likely to get an allergic reaction (if indeed you are allergic to sulfites), I don’t really buy into the theory that sulfites cause red wine allergies because it just seems like if you were allergic to sulfites, you wouldn’t be able to drink both red or white wine. The theory that I believe makes the most sense is being allergic to the histamines in red wine. Grape skins contain histamines. To clarify, Histamines are something that some humans are allergic to. If you’re allergic to pollen, dust, etc…you’re allergic to certain histamines. Hence the reason why there are allergy medicines called “anti-histamines.” I’m sure there’s a much better explanation about what histamines exactly are, but I’m a Sommelier, not a scientist. Logic tells me that the presence of histamines cause red wine allergies. Red wine is red because after pressing the juice, the skins sit for an extended period of time and absorb the color of the grape skin. Now, there are histamines in the skins of grapes, so if the juice that is pressed for red wine ferments together with the skins, that means the juice is absorbing everything in the skins which would include histamines. If you’re allergic to red wine you can try a little experiment. Try taking an anti-histamine before drinking red wine…BUT READ THE LABLE TO MAKE SURE IT’S SAFE TO DRINK WITH! Yours truly, -The Modern Somm www.themodernsom.blogspot.com
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Red Wine Allergies, Wine Allergies, Tannin Allergies, Sulfite Allergies, Histamines in Red Wine,
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