Man, I so did not even know wine allergies existed.
I had a glass of wine last night—McManis Cabernet Sauvignon to be exact—and not even a whole glass of wine but one of my wimpy half-a-glass deals. And when Simon woke me up at 4 in themorning I thought: I must be coming down with the flu or something. Stuffed nose, itchy eyes, sore throat, and generally feeling as though a steamroller had done its best to flatten me a couple hundred times during the night.
Darin let me sleep in today, and when I was finally conscious I said, Either I am coming down with the worst cold in the world, or there was something about that wine. So I clicked around a bit (the modern answer to every problem!) and discovered wine allergies.
From allergies.about.com:
The common question is “Can I be allergic to alcohol?” Although alcohol can be the culprit, it usually is not. The culprits are usually the additives used in the manufacturing process. Some of the possible culprits include:
Brewers yeast
Corn
Eggs
Grapes
Molds
Sulfites
Pesticides
I am: bereft. It took me a while to prefer red wine over white wine (that is, to become a wine snob). And now this!
I assume that if any of those ingredients could cause this allergy then it’s not necessarily the wine that’s caused this head cold. But it’s not the kind of testing I want to do a lot of, you know?
My mom has a sulfite sensitivity (do you ever feel creepy after eating at salad bars? They use sulfites to keep the food from turning) which kicks in the worst when she drinks red wine.
The answers seem to be:
drink white wine (the sulfites are in the skins, so they’re far less concentrated in white wines)
look for No Sulfites Added on the label
take an antihistamine
sadly, drink expensive wine – they seem to have less junk in them, since they’re taken from the top of the vat.
White wine and liquors also seem to have fewer ketones and esters in them.
Whatever you do, don’t drink inexpensive liqueurs. They use the least pure alcohol to make them.
Always drink three times as much water as you’re drinking wine, preferably between glasses.
Not as uncommon as it sounds, I have a few friends of Asian decent that are completely allergic to all forms of alcohol.
I personally just suffer from migraines if I drink wine (of any colour); I guess I’ll just stick to the vodka. 😉
I didn’t realize it until a few years ago, but I have a mild red-wine allergy. Every Single Time I would begin to sip some red wine, I would sneeze. Only on the first swallow, though: we call it my “red wine sneeze”. I am assuming it means I am sensitive/allergic to something in the wine, but it’s not as serious as the reaction you had.
It happens with peppermint, too. Every Single Time.
My boyfriend has a sulfite allergy. If he even takes a sip of wine(of an color) he has difficulty breathing! It is terrible! The one (and only) time he had wine, he dropped to his knees, almost passed out, and became very pale. We gave him a bunch of water and when he went to the doctor they told him of his allergy.
That sneeze thing – I have that too with peppermint.
I have started to notice that when I have white wines I get really tipsy after just a few sips! My mom says it’s probably the sulfites. Oh well – it’s a good thing I don’t really like wine that much.
I just enjoyed a lovely couple of hours drinking RED wine with friends – am now paying for it, very wheezy and dizzy. Am going to try lots of water to see if it helps to dilute the effects.
I too have allergies to wine and I think to champagne too. Beer so so. Now I can’t drink Baileys Irish Creme b/c I get all congested and can’t breathe for days. I HATE THIS. My allergies developed in my late 30’s . I am 49 and my allergies are getting worse and worse. I sneeze many times with anything with mint.
The sad part for all the elimitations of foods and drinks you would think I would lose weight – not. I am so tired of being congested.
Sad but true. Sulfites seem to be the culprit in red as well as white wines for me. One glass of red with dinner causes a most uncomfortable rash. The following night another glass of red causes the same. If I proceed to the third night I come down with flu like symptoms. Wine is part of my daily enjoyment and Italian heritage so I shall continue to drink and scratch. I do not accept defeat very well. Cheers to all.
I actually developed a rash, as well as the stuffy nose. I would wake up all stuffed up, breathing through my mouth. In an effort to drink a wine with a high content of resveratrol, I had switched to a concord grape wine, (yes, a cheaper one!) and my problem got worse. I quit drinking red wine, and in 24 hours, my nose quit running, as well as my rash went away (in a few days). I was also feeling a “funny” feeling under my rib cage, on my left side, which has subsided,can anyone explain this?
I use to get stuffed up drinking wine. Then as I have gotten older my reactions have gotten worse and worse. I don’t drink any wine of any color anymore unless it is organic and the label states “No Sulfites.” And then I don’t drink that much out of fear. If I drink wine or eat unorganic lettuce, within 12 hours I become violently ill.Three times in the last 5 years I have gone to the emergency room because Icould not stop vomiting. I am careful about what I eat, and still become sick because sulfites are in so many things.
I use to get stuffed up drinking wine. Then as I have gotten older my reactions have gotten worse and worse. I don’t drink any wine of any color anymore unless it is organic and the label states “No Sulfites.” And then I don’t drink that much out of fear. If I drink wine or eat unorganic lettuce, within 12 hours I become violently ill.Three times in the last 5 years I have gone to the emergency room because Icould not stop vomiting. I am careful about what I eat, and still become sick because sulfites are in so many things.
Whenever I drink white wine (without even mixing with other drinks) I am so sick the next day. Just this week I had 4 glasses at a party. I blacked out and all I remember was being sick in the bathrooms. Next morning I had a huge headache and when I tried to drink some water to take the paracetamol, I was sick again and again until every last trace of the alcohol was gone from my stomach. It takes me ALL next day to recover from some white wine. This is so annoying! What can I do? Vodka has the same effect so theres no point recommending that.
PS: I can drink loads of beer or other drinks.
When I drink red wine with one glass, I get extremely hot and my hands get red and swollen, can anyone explain this? The other day I drank a $16.00 red and didn’t get these symptoms at all. I was so surprised not to get the symptoms I always had before. I don’t normally have this reaction towards white wine.
This just started and I “hate” it. When I drink wine,red or white, my feet start to burn and then itch like crazy.After a few hours it goes away…..is this an allery?
I love red wine, and have developed asthma like allergies in recent years, I’m in mid-forties. I have noticed that when I drink european red wines I can’t breath for days and live on my inhaler. Does anyone know whether european wines contains more sulfites and other additives than american or australian?
I LOVE MOST WINES AND SPRITS BUT I GET ALLERGIC REAACTION FROM MOST OF MY FACE BECOMES VERY RED IT WILL BURN FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES ITS REALLY INBRASSING ALSO MY TOP HALF OF MY BODY BECOMES VERY BLOTCHIE IVE HAD AN ALLERGIE TEST DONE BEFORE BUT IT HAD COME BACK OKAY I JUST WISHED THAT THERE COULD BE SOMETHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT PLEASE COULD YOU GIVE ME SOME INFORMATION THANKYOU
I have recently developed allergies to Wine of any color, Beer and other crazy things that are scents like candles, perfumes, etc. If I take a sip of wine or beer my sinuses will be completed congested within 1 hour. I went to an allergist and was tested for everything I could think of. He confirmed I have an allergy to sulfites found in beer & wine. I experimented over the last 2 months by trying nasal sprays when I drink but I ended up with 4 sinuses infections. Other than avoidance, has anyone found anything that works???? Jon – NY
I too have developed food allergies in my 30’s. I have gotten a very red face, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations, stomach cramps and sometimes diarhea after drinking wine with added sulfites. I have been to many allegist MD’s and have learned that I also have a candida (yeast) overgrowth. Since I’ve been on a strict diet excluding wheat and other foods that break down into sugar quickly (foods high in carbs) I have had far less severe reactions to allergic foods. I can tolerate no sulfite added wines really well which I’m quite happy for after having had to enjoy only vodka for several years. However, I am searching for no sulfite added champagne and haven’t had any luck yet. Hope to get some suggestions.
One sip of wine and I develop a headache. This ALWAYS leads to a bad tummy and hangover. Any wine, any colour, any country. I don’t risk it. I was OK, until the age of about 35. No problem with beer, ‘though.
I too have an allergy to wine that was just recently discovered. For a period of almost a year my eyes would swell and at the end they basically swelled shut. My throat becomes tight and I have trouble breathing but the reason I took me so long to find out what was causing this is because it happens twenty four to forty eight hours after I have ingested the product. I don’t know if it’s just white or red or both but I know that balsamic vinegar also gives me the same symptoms. I don’t believe I have a sulphite allergy because I can eat everything else that contains sulphites with no reaction. I need to know what common ingredients are in wine and balsamic vinegar. Can anyone help out? I want to lick this thing! I love wine!
I react to sulfites. There a few inaccurices that some have been told above. Quite a few of the reactions sound like reactions to histamine. One clue is if taking an anti-histamine helps.
One, in general good quality red wine is better then white wine. This is because the tannins in red grape skins, act as preservatives and so the manufacturers don’t need to add as much sulfites to combat mould and other nasties growth. AVoid cask wine like the plague.
Two, most people react to the histamines in wine. Red wine has more histamine then white. Histamine causes the typical cold and flu symptoms such as headache, stuffy nose, sore throat, dry or runny itchy eyes, wheezing sometimes….
Three, beers in general contain less sulfites then wines. During the process of manufacture, beers produce natural sulfites. But this of a such a low level, most won’t react to this.
Four organic wine is no better then normal wine. THe important part is the sulfite or preservative free bit. (Long explantion for this)
If you really want to know what sets you off, look up what foods contain histmines, sulfites and other things and try them one at a time. See an allergist or dietician and do an elimination or challenge diet.
Read labels, if you want a good sulfite test, make up a heap of package mashed potato like deb and eat it. If you have true sulfite allergies, consider avoiding some foods (look them up).
I like to have a glass of wine at dinner, red or white;however, I also get a mild rash. Is there any brandy, rum, scotch, vodka, gin that has minimal sulfidies? Please advise.
Eugene Mitz
I, too, have the unfortunate disadvantage of being allergic to alcohol. The night I am drinking, I sneeze. Then, the next morning, I get stuffy, have heart palpitations and have a killer hangover, even after only one drink. If I have too much to drink, I throw up all day. It is a big bummer.
I, too, have the unfortunate disadvantage of being allergic to alcohol. The night I am drinking, I sneeze. Then, the next morning, I get stuffy, have heart palpitations and have a killer hangover, even after only one drink. If I have too much to drink, I throw up all day. It is a big bummer.
I have a huge sinus reaction to both red,white and sparkling wines. Taking a allergy tablet 15 minutes before hand helps, but symptoms linger over the next couple of days in a milder form. The allergy didn’t develop until my late 30’s, when I became a ‘regular’ wine drinker. What I want to know is, is continually drinking wine going to harm me? Should I stop?
The good news is…. most spirits are fine! avoid those that are mixed with anything, like kahlua, malibu and so on – or just read the labels and see if a preservative has been added. Vodka and gin are the best for those of us with allergy/intolerances… 🙂 me love vodka now!
Tanya, your reaction sounds like a reaction to the histamine in wine…. if it’s only giving you nose/sinus issues, you should be fine…. it’s up to you to decide if the nose issues outweigh the joy of drinking wine!
Heather do you have a reaction to any alcohol you drink? try just straight vodka (no mixes) and see how you feel. Vodka is supposed to be one of the cleanest alcohols around so that should be a good test. It is extremely rare to have an allergy to alcohol… and if you did your reactions would be much worse…. More then likely you are reacting to something else in the drink you are having…
Like Laura above, Had no idea what was wrong with me.. my hands would get swollen and red – even my feet. Turns out red wine may be a problem. was so sick thought there may have been heart problems. took over a month to clear up…anyone have some suggestions of some good white wines w/o sulfite? Laura do you suggest anything?
Laura do you remember what the 16.00 red was you had? Also, can anyone help on a specifc wine or common beer? your suggestion will be tried and commented on. Bonterra an organic (no sulfite wine) will be tried at the end of March (Not sure if white or red, there seems to be a mixed review http://www.thewinenews.com/augsep00/cover.html). Other foods seem to have the same effect, such as the salad bar mentioned above and hot dogs. Had a full range of blood test performed and the only high result is potassium at 5.7 but that number has been there for over 15 years. Kidneys and liver are good. Thank you.
Does anyone know if there is a connection between drinking wine and cold sores or or little blisters on your lips? It seems every time I drink wine (mostly red)I get little bumps on the edge of my lips that itch and tingle like a cold sore.
I drink wine all the time, both red and white with no averse effects. I’ve had Champagne twice though and been violently ill the next day both times. Extreme nausea and vomiting. This weekend I had only 2 glasses of it and couldn’t eat for 36 hours. Is it even possible to be allergic to Champagne and not other types of wine? Or is this just all in my head?
I think I also had a red wine allergy. I drank a glass of red wine and an hour later the roof of my mouth and back of my throat started to tingle. Than i woke up the next day with a stuffy nose, sore throat, a 101 fever and basically anything that you can relate to a flu. 3rd day now no fever just still tickly throat etc. I have an allergy to penicilin and i believe the othr antibiotics are sulpha drugs. I never realized when i drank wine ya know. I am never drinking wine again lol.
I started to get really sick, vomiting, several hours after drinking champange. I would also break out in rashes from shrimp, some cheeses and white colored foods in restaurants. Doc says I am sulfite sensitive. Only thing to do is avoid. WARNING: To sulfite sensitives: Watch out for carbocaine, a common numbz – u – up used in dental work….there are two types. One contains sulfites. I found out the hard way via anyphalactic shock. Also the white stuff they mold for dentures with has it…be sure and tell dentist if you are sulfite sensitive!
I started to get really sick, vomiting, several hours after drinking champange. I would also break out in rashes from shrimp, some cheeses and white colored foods in restaurants. Doc says I am sulfite sensitive. Only thing to do is avoid. WARNING: To sulfite sensitives: Watch out for carbocaine, a common numbz – u – up used in dental work….there are two types. One contains sulfites. I found out the hard way via anyphalactic shock. Also the white stuff they mold for dentures with has it…be sure and tell dentist if you are sulfite sensitive!
Last week I developed rash on my upper body which was tremendously itchy…it was accompanied with on and off chills…and the feeling of burning in my face (which would go beet red for a few short minutes then back to nornal). I love red wine, and have never had any health problems prior to this. Could it be the red wine? Doctor at the walk-in clinic was miffed…there is no sore throat, swollen glands, stomach cramps or diahhrea. He said take some Benedryl and it should clear up. Ok. So I had a Benedryl last evening….but I am still itchy …and had the chills, although they are milder now. And the face isn’t burning. I thought since I eat alot of peanut butter and raw coconut recently, that they may be the culprits, so along with the red wine, I am cutting them out to for the moment.
Does any of this sound familiar to anyone?
I recently had a bad recation to white wine over the weekend. I had about 3 glasses and was violently ill that night until the next day until 4:00pm. I couldn’t keep anything down (not even water) I have recently discovered that I have had 2 other experiences like this after having white wine. I can drink hard alcohol without getting any reaction like this. Has this happend to anyone else?
It’s strangely reassuring to hear that so many of you suffer from allergic reactions to wine. I thought I was the only one! I’ve given up every other thing over the years, and am about to have to admit that something in the red wine (that I LOVE) causes my eyelids to itch, burn, scale and even crack for up to 3 days after I drink it. I also sometimes have a mild asthma attack. I’m in my mid 40s, and this is something that’s developed just over the last few years.
For those of you who take antihistimines prior to a glass of wine, which ones do you find most helpful? I can’t imagine life without sharing an occasional bottle of wine with my gourmet-food loving husband.
I noticed that everyone here is allergic to wine of some sort… I think I have allergies to VODKA!!! I get swollen red hands and feet, extremely sensitive, and if i continue to drink every night I develop a rash… Once the rash goes away, it kills the skin on my palms and bottom of my feet.. The dead skin then peels away – leaving behind new, fresh, sensitive, pink skin!!! The whole process may take over a month before the hands return to normal… does anyone have any advice or suggestion for me???
I drink red wine and i get sinus congestion, ear congestion, and cold symptoms- itchy eyes and nose….i must be allergic. I bought cheap Red wine!!!
I’ve been drinking white wine for about a year now. (My wife’s relatively successful attempt to make me more sophisticated.)
The last week, I’ve had what appears to be sinus problems – which I’ve never had before in my life. She just told me it might be related to the white wine, so I did a web search and wound up here.
If I was allergic to white wine, wouldn’t I have had symptoms before this?
Looks like it might be back to beer – sorry hun!
Paul
I’ve never had a problem with alcohol, until recently. It seems EVERY TIME I drink any alcohol, I get violently ill. Even if it’s one glass. I get chills, stuffy nose, and throwing up for days. It feels as if I have a hangover everytime I drink, even if I only have 1 drink. Does anyone else have these problems?
I’ve been reading everyone’s reactions to alcohol, red wine in particular. I found the similarities to be really interesting. My husband and I just recently started enjoying a glass or two of red wine every evening to unwind from our hectic schedules. After a couple of weeks of doing this, I started getting really sick. I thought I was suffering from heart failure. I’ve always had a rapid heart beat, but I was now experiencing heart palpitations, night sweats, breathlessness, and severe nausea. I went to the urgent care center and they diagnosed me with possibly having mitral valve prolapse and prescribed me a beta blocker to reduce my heart rate. The doctor at the clinic told me that I could continue drinking wine since there was no adverse affects with the medicine. I had another severe attack again last night after having a couple glasses of red wine. I got incredible heartburn and felt like I was having a panic attack. I have always broken out in a sunburn-looking rash on my face and neck whenever I have drunk any alcohol beverages, but it has only been recently that I have had these other reactions. I’m beginning to think that it is related to the wine. Any thoughts?
For about a year now I have had heart-racing palpitations starting about 20 minutes after drinking a glass of Chardonnay wine. It lasts for about an hour, and then I seem to be fine.
My doctor had me tested by cardiologists on a treadmill, with heart x-rays, and Holter monitors. Everything was fine.
I can provoke this only when I have wine. I’m not sure, but it may have started two years ago when I took an ephedra tablet for weight reduction. My heart raced then, for the first time so I did not take any more pills.
HIVES ANYONE?/
I just had an allergic reaction to Vodka…that’s all I had for 2 nights in a row and Sunday morning I got up with my hands and feet covered in little bumps. I have no idea why this happened. I’ve had vodka before a couple of times and never had such trouble.
It seems that a lot of people are laboring under some very false assumptions regarding wine. The first post by Julia is particularly troublesome. Sulfites are a naturally occuring byproduct of fermentation, so all wine (and beer) has sulfites. Winemakers add more sulfites to retard spoilage and prevent microbial action. The tannins in red wine ais in this, so less sulfites are added to red wine. White wine has much more added sulfite. The antihistamine is a good idea. Wines, mostly reds, have a number of amines – histamine, tyramine. Histamine causes the runny, stuffy nose and hay fever type symptoms. Tyramine is a prime cause of headaches, and is present in many foods. The people who are sufite sensitive are asthmatics. In fact, asthmatics comprise 5% of the total population. Only 1% of asthmatics are sulfite sensitive, so that’s a very small number. Considering there are about 300 million people in the U.S., that number works out to 150 thousand in the whole country that are sulfite sensitive. As another fact, the USDA instituted sulfite reporting regulations in 1987 and since then the number of sulite reaction cases has dropped. Doctors, hospitals and other health care sources must report all sulfite reactions by law, and in the last year they gave out the statistics, the USDA recorded only 6 cases in the U.S. So, that’s 6 people out of 300,000,000 that were reported to have reaction to sulfites. Any wine that has more than 10 ppm must be labelled with a warning. Most wines come in at about 25 ppm. Many processed foods have as much as 6000 ppm and people don’t seem to be suffering too much. So, Patsy had the best info – it probably isn’t the sulfites, folks. If you really want to avoid sulfites, here are some foods to avoid.
Any food product that contains corn syrup, dextrose, maltodextrin or molasses.
Canned and frozen vegetables.
Eggs.
Condiments – any type of pickle, olives, relish.
Most dairy products, especially processed cheese food.
Candy, jams, jellies and any food product made with fruit pectin.
Plant protein products, particularly soy products.
Commercial bakery products using dough conditioners.
Fresh shrimp, crab, lobster and scallops.
Canned or dried fish or shellfish.
Any food product containing cornstarch.
Nuts, trail mixes, processed coconut, any dried fruits.
Bob’s comments above have me puzzled. I just finished reading an online article regarding allergy to wine, beer, and alcohol (see http://allergy.org.nz/allergies/drinks/) and what they say about sulfites is quite different. Their info:
Sulfites:
“Put broadly, there are two elements a person can react to in wines and beers – those needed to make the beverage, and those used to preserve or enhance it.
“The key preservative present in wine is sulphur dioxide (also referred to as ‘sulphites’). It is a naturally occurring compound that is found on many growing plants (including grapes) in its natural form…Sulphur dioxide has strong anti-bacterial properties, which help to prevent organisms from growing in the wine. It also inhibits yeast growth, thus preventing the wine from turning into vinegar, giving it a longer shelf life, and enabling it to develop the complex flavours of an aged wine.
“Some asthma sufferers find that sulphur dioxide aggravates their condition. Other reactions may include headaches or hives. Bear in mind that sulphur dioxide is present in many drinks other than beer and wine, including some fruit juices, along with various dried fruits. If you do not react to these products, then it may be another component of wine you are reacting to. Other reactions may include headaches.
The sweeter the wine – particularly white – the higher the presence of sulphur dioxide. A person suffering from a sulphur allergy, then, may experience a lesser reaction to a full-bodied red due to its lower content of sulphites. (Unless, of course, they have allergies to ingredients found in red wines!)”
Histamines:
“Histamine is an amine released by the body tissues in allergic reactions, causing irritation. Jancis Robinson, in her ‘Wine Course’ book*, comments that red wines contain a wider range of components than white wines, and this includes histamines. Bob Campbell, wine expert, suggests that half an aspirin prior to drinking wine can help with some symptoms. Taking an antihistamine may prove to be more appropriate! Symptoms include hay fever in some people, along with rhinitis and blocked noses in others. Histamine is also known to worsen asthma and eczema and to cause headaches. If you think your reaction is due to the histamine component of the wine, then you could consider trying fruit wines, as some of these have lower histamine levels than wine made from grapes (depending on the fruit used to produce the wine).”
Fining Agents in Wine:
“Because of the demand for crystal-clear wine, winemakers either filter their wine or put it through a ‘fining’ process to remove any unwanted organisms, cloudiness or fermentation. ‘Fining’ is a clarification technique where an agent is used (such as egg white or bentonite) to encourage solids to fall out of suspension so that the clear wine can be racked off. … These fining agents do not have to be declared on the label, as no residue of them should be left in the finished product. Some allergy sufferers, however, do report reacting to wine in a similar manner as they do to whatever it is they are allergic to – ie) egg whites.”
The older I get, the more I seem to have a reaction to wines, although not to beer or hard liquor. I find, as many others above, that the “better” wines (i.e., more expensive) don’t seem to affect me as much as the cheap ones. I haven’t noticed much difference between red vs. white vs. rose. I sneeze and get stuffed up, which lasts into the next day and causes my husband grief since it also makes me snore a lot. The other side effect of drinking wine is diarrhea. I haven’t seen that mentioned on this posting, but I’d assume it might be true for others as well.
Hello all. I am severly allergic to oak trees and am curious if I could be allergic to wines that are aged in oak barrels. Any input? Where could I find the answer to this question? Thanks!!
I gave up alcohol for a year, and have only recently begun drinking again. It’s really scary cos I have severe headaches from vodka and violent hayfever (love that foggy brain!) for days from drinking white wine. I have a gluten intolerance so I’m assuming that that is the cause of the vodka thing (made from wheat), and the histamine is thing in wines. I want to know if others are gluten intolerant, and would this make a difference? And are there lots of nasty histamines in champagne? What is safe? Obviously not beer – gluten in a bottle!
I just experienced a reaction to drinking a couple glasses of white wine. Mostly I prefer reds but some do give me a headache. The reaction to the white was the following afternoon-so 18 hrs. later. My eyelid started to itch and it swelled almost shut within minutes and I started to itch in several areas. Wrist, and waist where I had shingles once. I had taken two Motrin in the a.m. for a sore muscle I thought was from exercising but now am wondering if it was wine related.–Looking at the Motrin bottle later-it clearly states-may cause hives and facial swelling-I think the combo of the white wine and Motrin later triggered it. I have never reacted to Motrin b-4 so didn’t even give it a thought. I hardly ever take it, maybe once every couple years. But I think the combo wasn’t good. I took the Motrin about 4 hours before the reaction hit and Am posting just for reference for others. Thanks for your posts.
It’s amazing that when I have a small glass of wine I develop strong palpitations as well as a feeling of going into a tunnel. If it is the sulfite, I do not know but,my body and mind feel very strange.