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?
I am so relieved to find this web site. I do not suffer any symptoms while drinking wine, but lately I have felt like my allergies have gotten worse. Atleast that is what I thought. After reading everyone’s comments I know that I must be allergic to something in wine. I wake up with so much nasel drainage that I sometimes gag. The worst thing is that having a glass of wine makes the symptoms dissapear. This is NOT a solution. This is building a road to a huge problem. No more wine for me!
Thank you everyone for your honesty!
Nobody has mentioned sleeplessness. Last night I had one glass of an Australian chardonnay we havent tried before. Went to bed at ten and was awake till about 0230, I should have slept like a baby from my days exertions. I have noticed it before but usually its after a few glasses. Reds dont seem to have the same effect thankfully. All in all its a pretty mild symptom compared to some less fortunate people on this site.
I am 46 y/0. About a year ago I started getting dreadful headaches & vomiting after drinking white wine or champagne. I can’t even toucvh 1/2 a glass without a severe reaction several hours later. I feel like I have been poisoned. I had always been able to drink all types of alcohol prior tho this, but these days am afraid to touch anything due to the severe reaction I have had with white wines. Is there anyone else with this problem. I am a female and possibly pre-menopausal. Could this be a symptom of menopause?
whenever I drink red wine lately, I start to blinks big time. What is the cause. It’s been happening around 1 year so far. I will not give up my wine.
i am having the same exp and this is the 1st time i thought that it might be actually the wine since i really dont drink red wine alot ‘more or less in winter’!!!!
I was interested in the comment by Dave #2. I too had a glass of Australian wine that I had never had before and also had a horrible sleep due to an upset stomach (racy and fluttery). Additionally, I had an itchy eye and my nose lines were red the next day. I wasn’t sure if it was a reaction the the H1N1 vaccine but I pretty much narrowed it down to the wine. Thanks Dave you helped me out.
To Paula – The same thing happens to me – started about 6 months ago. Before that I could drink wine with no problem. Now if I drink 1/2 glass of white wine, I am sick as a dog. I already went through menopause so I don’t think that is your problem – I just wish I could figure it out. I used to love white wine or champagne with dinner occassionaly – now I am scared to touch any alcohol.
So happy to have found this site. Same symptoms as lots of others. Really bad rashes all over upper body, arms,neck and this year on my face. In winter Im ok but as soon as the pollen starts its all over. So Ive given up the lovely wine to see if it goes away and also any food with sulphites in it. Here in New Zealand its labeled 220 and all the numbers 220-228 are suspect. Thought about trying the odd Vodka but I think its made from wheat so anybody with a wheat allergy should be aware!
My doctors believe I’m allergic to wine, possibly because it’s fermented which means I’d be allergic to beer, other alcohol, vinegar based foods, etc. I have terrible itching – this time it’s just on my 2 arms. I itch so bad, I scratch and break the skin. It’s uncontrolable. However, this isn’t a firm diagnosis. Now I’m thinking I may be allergic to wines aged in oak (wonder if there are any molds that grow in the oak)…. so I’m experimenting with wines aged in steel.
I also have had congestion problems when drinking wine-esp. red. Happens about 1/2 way through drinking a typical 4 oz. glass. Start to sneeze and then I have to grab the tissues because my nose becomes completely blocked. Not to mention my eyes. They begin to itch badly. Tried a non-drowsy antihistamine and it seemed to be the only thing that helped. But I do not want to combine anthihistamines with alcohol. I have also been to an allergist more than once. Was told: not allergic to anything–just have a hypersensitivity to irritants. So maybe it’s something in wines that irritate? Wish there was a solution other than antihistamines because I love wine!
I am so relieved that others are having the same problem. I have stopped drinking wine all together. I am scared to drink anything but one beer every now and then. The last time I had a glass of wine, I thought my husband was going to have to take me to the hospital! I felt like someone had poisoned me! I am going to the Doctor next month to find out if is is pre menopausal or what!
Comment to Paula and Beverly,
It happens to me too. I am 49 (pre menopausal) and I used to drink red wine (usually Australian Shiraz or Cabernet) a lot. I never had any problems. I got violently sick with headache/nausea/vomiting approx 2 months ago after drinking 1 glass of red (not the same brand as my usual)I blamed it on the brand… Last night I had one glass of my usual Australian Shiraz, I was awfully pale before I went to bed but felt OK. I woke up this morning with terrible headache and nausea and I had to stay in bed all day. No more wine for me… Ursula
I have had ‘5 Seeds Cyder’ and also a few glasses of sweet white wine on weekends the past 3 weeks..ended up in hopsital everytime…I came down with a sore throat, runny nose, eyes all puffy and my tongue was itchy, oh and not to mention a big red itchy rash all over my body, head, neck and face. Im thinking it has to be something in the White wine and Cyder, like ‘Sulfites’ because thats all i had drunk on those nights. I have always drunk Vokda, and never had anything like this before. Has anyone heard of this before and can they help me? Is it the wine and Cyder?
Mystery of the rash on my face is still not solved but I am slowly putting the pieces together.
I recently turned 50. I have been drinking red wine for years. Thinking back I can remember times when I only had one glass of wine and the next day felt like I had a bit of a hangover. But life went on.
One day about 3 years ago I would wake up with little red spots on my face after a night of red wine. It took a couple of days for this to clear up.
Over the past year I occasionally felt a bit of tingling in my feet and even some swelling in my hands and feet and occasionally find a itchy hive like pimple on my body. Occassionally I would even feel like something was biting me. I started calling them “itchy bites”
About five months ago I developed a pimple on my face that itched and would come and go – It seemed to be worse after a night of red wine. It would go dormant but come back as soon as I had wine.
Just recently, I woke up with a hive like rash on my face by my mouth and still the pimple under my nose. I played with drinking wine off and on and was beginning to see a pattern.
A week ago, I decided to switch to white wine thinking that would be better than red wine. I woke up the next morning and my breakout reappeared and was worse with a breakout around my eyes too and the return to the usual places on my face. I went on the internet and learned that white wine actually has more sulfites than red so now I am thinking what am I going to do.
Today, I went to the dermatologist and I explained my reactions. The Dr. never came out and said it is the wine but did say is had some sort of peri??? dermatitist which I got from ingestion of something. She said most people have a reaction to floride or cinnamon.
Because she is not an allergist, she could not tell me what the culprit is. I was put on a 30 day antibiotic and some ointment and asked to return in four weeks.
I am wondering if I should see an allergist. I also wonder if this can run in families. My brother is sulfite deficient but suffers from allergies and it affects him in different ways. He is a doctor and takes something like Immudyne (spell?) from a vitamin shop.
I appreciate all the comments and feedback and still searching for answers.
WINE ALLERGY GONE!
For the past couple of years if I drank more than a glass of wine I would start sneezing like a maniac and my nose would be a faucet of mucous. It was very upsetting as red wine is the only alcoholic beverage I enjoy drinking.
And then! For completely separate reasons I chose to stop consuming soy products for a while. I generally had soy milk on my cereal every morning and tofu in dishes 1-3 times a week. Since I have cut soy out of my diet I have not had a sneeze or runny nose once while drinking wine.
It has been about a month. And I have drank wine fairly regularly throughout the past month. I have rarely had more than two glasses, but at the moment I have just over half a bottle in me and I am sneeze free!! Thank goodness.
I don’t know if this relates to anybody else’s experiences, but maybe it can help somebody.
Last night being New Year’s Eve, my husband bought a bottle of Barefoot Bubbly. We have (ok, rarely) had regular wine from them and I never had a problem. I normally drink beer, rum and whiskey for alcohol. Last night after the first glass, my face felt really warm. I figured the bubbles made the alcohol absorb faster. After the second glass ( over a period of about an hour and a half) my lips and eyes were disfiguringly swollen and blotchy red, my hands were swollen and red, I had red blotches on my arms and my arms itched. I also could feel my heart beat in my lips and face and my heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest!
I didn’t eat anything unusual or that I hadn’t had before.
My husband gave me some benedryl and I went to sleep. This morning my lips are still a bit tingly, but everything else is realtively normal.
I’ve just started feeling dreadful every morning and getting swelling directly under my eyes. Little pockets full of fluid and then they disappear during the day – I’m wondering if it’s the histimines in red wine. Has anyone else experiences this type of reaction?
After only a couple of sips of red wine, I regularly experience a hot red flush from my upper chest and up my neck. If I take an anti-histimine tablet it quickly disappears. Recently I ate a large dark-red grape from a fruit platter, and I immediately came up with the same hot red flush. It does not happen with green or pale red grapes. I enjoy white wines more than red’s anyway, so now I just generally avoid red wines.
I too have had swelling around the eyes, subsiding during the day. I recently took Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM tablets for a problem with my foot, The swelling dates back to this time. I stopped the tablets but will now stop my nightly glass of red wine – what a shame! I think the problem must be due to the sulphur in the MSM and also in the red wine. Does anyone know if a gin and tonic would be ok ?
I keep getting itchy blisters on my elbows. I have recently realised it is shop bought white wine that does this. We have been making our own wine from kits and my skin never flared up. I had one glass of shop bought wine and the blisters were straight back the next day. They stay for about a week before they disappear.
I am allergic to sulfides and can not drink alcohol in general, especially wine. Most wines are preserved with sulfides and the cheaper the wine, the worse the reaction. I can have 2 sips and have an immediate sneezing fit and be left with the worst “head cold” ever, for a good few days. I live in Cape Town and I have been through a few wine farms. They sterilise the bottles with a sulfide solution which does leave a slight trace and that is enough to make me sick. If you want an instant reaction give me a glass of “Amarula” but make sure there is a box of tissues on hand. I have a sneeze with every sip!! The only way around the problem for me is not to drink!!”
Hi Ursula,
Was kind of pleased to see your comments to Paula and Beverly…..
I suffer from exactly the same symptoms as you all do!! I don’t suffer from classic allergy symtoms such as sneezing,itching, watery eyes etc……..all I know is that sometimes all it takes is only half a glass of wine and the next day I feel like i have the worst hangover ever….bad headache and nausea. I really feel like I have been poisoned, and it always takes a couple of days before I feel normal again. I also used to be able to drink a lot more alcohol with hardly any side effects. It can happen with alcohol that I have been able to drink in the past with out a problem also. I am 39 but know that I am perimenopausal as have spoken to a fertility specialist recently. I really wonder if it has something to do with this?? It is the most awful feeling…..I suppose the only solution is not to drink alcohol. I would love to hear if anyone has found a reason as to why this happens??
Kelli : )
@Ursula
Joan
General info I have learned. I am allergic to malic acid which is in white wine.It is also in raw apples and lots of other foods. It causes rash and burning sensations in my mouth and on my skin and in my stomach. Most red wine has been through secondary fermentation-malalactic which removes the malic acid. I can’t have any white wine and very little red if it has a high mold or sulfite content which causes the congestion because of a histamine response. I read that some alcohol intolerance is due to lack of an enzyme ALDH which breaks down alcohol. I find that taking enzymes does help. Also wanted to mention to JOAN glucosamine can be from crab shell so if you have crustacean allergies that can cause huge reactions. I am allergic to lots of things so its been years of discovery for me. Hope this helps someone.
to Kelli, Paula, and Beverly
I am relieved (in a way) to see that you have almost identical symptoms! I have always had some type of adverse reaction, swollen sinus and terrible headache, from red wine. I stopped drinking red wine about a year ago and the symptoms were not as severe, BUT now the same thing is happening when I drink white wine as well. It is just awful… It is definitely a feeling like I’ve been poisoned. I have tried natural wines with no preservatives, wines with no sulfites, all types of reds, whites.. I love wine! But now it seems I will have to stop drinking wine completely. IF anyone has a solution or helpful information PLEASE post it. By the way, the natural wine with no sulfites seemed to be even worse! UGH!
i am so glad i found this site – i am sitting here after a terrible night of nausea after drinking one glass of wine last night. the same thing happened to me last weekend, and i thought i had the flu. it dawned on me this morning that it might be the wine, so i googled it and here i am – so relieved to know that others have had the same experience! we switched to a cheaper brand of white zin and ever since, if i even have one glass i wake up in the middle of the night with nausea and a fluttery heartbeat, and can’t get back to sleep for anything. kelli – i am also perimenopausal – but this did not happen to me until we switched to this cheaper wine – so i’m inclined to think it has to be something specific to the brand – does anyone know if sulfites could cause nausea? thanks everyone! Ann
Yeah, I had some Cabernet sauvignon one night and got a horribly puffy face the morning after, which has never happened before. It lasted for a couple hours, and was just embarrassing to walk around with. Bleh, allergies? Perhaps
About last October I took up having a few white wines per evening Since then I believe this horrible itchy rash that started on my legs and is now appearing on my arms & back is related to drinking wine. My doctor said I was suffering from Psorisis. I accepted that at first and applied the cortizone cream to the affected areas. Now that this rash has spread there is no way I am covering my body with cortizone.
I strongly believe that this rash is associated with the wine and as of last night I will not be having even a sip.. I hope I am correct with this as I desperatly need to be able to get back into wearing a dress and not having to cover the horrible sometimes dry and red itchy legs ( and arms)
Is there anyone else that may have same sort of symptoms ?
It’s so strange. I love red wine, I used to drink (probably a bottle the odd evening) even if I have one glass now, I wake up at about 2:30 and am awake for hours. I have this itchy rash that coveres my neck and chin, it’s so sore and drives me mad. I just didn’t want to consider it could be the red wine. I had a glass of port last night and it seems even worse! I am very sad!
I have just experienced this issue over the past couple of months. I break out with some kind of hives (not raised). It looks like I have some kind of horrible disease. This happens after 1 or 2 glasses of wine. I thought it was only white wine, but when I switched to red (because I love wine), I had the same issue. Nobody is ever alone..that’s for sure ! LOL
@Lisa
Hello,
Lisa, you have been diagnosed with Perioral Dermititis. It started for me while I was entering menopause. I had a horrible bout with it and went to the dematologist who told me it was really hard to get rid of and put me on Minocyclin. I took the drug for 2 months (plus Diflucan for the concurrent yeast infection) and cleared up. I have strugged off and on with breakouts and determined that I am nut allergic (which I have NEVER had any problems prior). I ate some almonds and broke out in a terrible rash. Then I went to Sonoma County for a weekend and came home in such bad shape, I could not go out in public. I did not make the wine/POD connection until last night. My face was perfectly clear. I opened a bottle of red wine to enjoy with our dinner and had about 3 glasses. Within 2 hours, I had 2 blisters on my face. They are still present today, but going away. I believe it is the wine…which breaks my heart. This all started with menopause.
I have found that for a limited outbreak, don’t touch the blisters/bumps. Just let them go up and go down on their own or you will have a terrible scab to deal with. I am olive skinned so I scar easily. Also, use Calendula cream rather than your regular face cream. It helps to heal the blisters. Here are a few definite things I have done with excellent results.
Sodium Laurel Sulfate makes the problem much, much worse so I have stopped using anything that contains SLS. That includes shampoo, toothpaste, and soap. I buy only “natural” ingredient products without SLS.
Stay away from nuts. It seems to make the problem worse.
I have a histamine reaction to white wine, I get a very stuffy nose. I break out with red wine. Menopause has changed so many things for me!!
Good luck!
I hadn’t been drinking much the past 5 months or so, but a couple weeks ago decided to have some Rielsing with my dinner while out. Shortly after when we when back to our room my stomach felt uneasy. I went to bed then woke up with violent pains in my stomach. Long story short I had a terrible night of diarrhea, vomiting and the chills. The next day I felt terrible as well. Naturally I just assumed it was food poisoning. Well, 2 weeks later I grabbed a bottle of Riesling at the store and decide to have a glass last night. I didn’t finish the second glass because my stomach started feeling uneasy again. A few hours later I’m up with that same violent pain, diarrhea, vomiting and the chills.
My boyfriend and I went through an account of the last year and there was nother time I had white wine and got sick as well. Prior to this past year I could drink a bottle and no problem. (I didn’t do that often, but just sayin’..lol)
I’ve had blueberry and blackberry (darks) since then that just gave me a stuffy nose, so there is no doubt I have an allergic reaction, even if small to alcohol.
What a bummer and light a good thing as once! I’m scared to drink now at all because of the painful experience. It’s nothing like when you drink too much and get sick, this is way worse feeling.
I’m glad I’m not the only one. Some people mentioned being peri-menopausa and I’m 42 so not sure how that would play in all this.
So not fun!!!
hi- its quite a relief to read that i am no the only one who has wierd reactions to alcohol. im pretty annoyed really. i used to LOVE a good red wine, and recently i discovered that i cant even have a single mouthful- i instantly get bladder infection symptoms (in fact i get a bladder INFECTION withing the next 24hours, bladder pain, pain after urination, throbbing, feeling totally wiped out etc etc etc) which i totally CANNOT explain- but it has happened twice now and so im never touching it again!!!!
NOW i have starting suspecting a reaction to white wine as well. i have been getting symptoms like chronic fatigue, feeling really heavy in arms and legs in the morning and a bit depressed and flat, and have been regularly drinking at least 3 glasses white wine per evening.
recently i had the flu, and i totally went ‘off’ chocolate and wine- which is unusual for me, and i couldnt believe how great i would feel in the mornings. in fact one morning i felt like almost ‘high’ i felt great. slowly i went back to my wines, (watered down initially -then back to full strength) and wo! i have noticed it feels like my flu came back, heaviness in the morning, moody and just feeling flat. yuck!
even after switching to apple cider- i still had the same heaviness.
i have had no alchol for 2 days now and im starting to slowly but surely ‘pickup’. this morning i had NO BACK PAIN, and no HEAVINESS in my legs and i just feel so much better!!!! so no more alcohol for me. its annoying though as i just LOVED my evening wine to take the ‘edge off’ my day, so now i guess it will be mocktails, fruit juices (not orange juice- i react to that as well!) and fizz.
i wonder how many other people out there have been thinking they have chronic fatigue when they just have allergies???
@paula
Hi,
I just found this site and had to respond to the question on wine and menopause. I too had terrible reactions to wine when I was going through menopause. It lasted for ages. If I had even a glass I would be sick with a headache or I would get severe digestive reactions. I can drink wine again but certain types seem to give me very itchy legs. I am not sure what the ingredient is but I expect it is either a preservative of some kind. I am also unable to eat oranges and apples for the same itchy response plus tiny, itchy white spots that appear on my face. I have been fine with organic.
I am highly allergic to sulphur. It has unfortunately got worse as I have gotten older. A sip of wine can send me off. Within half an hour of having anything with sulfites I get the worse stomach cramps just like labour pains (and I have had a child) and end up with terrible diarrhea. My nose and throat begin to itch and the onset of asthma and sneezing start. Sometimes it can be so bad that I get bad hot flushes and need to lie down on a cold floor. Within an hour my body begins to return to normal although my throat is sore for several hours. I cannot have beer, wine, dried fruits, balsamic vinegar, some sauces and many other foods – restaurant dinning is the worse and I tend to stick to very basic meals like steak and salad (without the dressing). Sometimes I may explain to waiter that I am allergic to wine (which is what they generally will be using in their cooking), and when the waiter asks if I am allergic to sulphur – I want to hug him. Not a nice allergy to have but life could be much worse and I have learnt to live with it (as has my husband – who tends to check labels etc faster than me).
@Beverly
Paula and Beverly -Same here just had a baby , no menopause and I am 43 and i am certain when I drink white wine and champagne, I have issues due to my gallstones.
Sulphur, huh? About 20 years ago my husband figured out I was allergic to something in wine. Although I NEVER drank wine because I just don’t like the taste, I would still get terrible diarrhea if I ate anything with wine in the sauce. Restaurants are an adventure. Sometimes they list wine in a sauce, sometimes it is a surprise. I have a friend who is the worst ccok. Nearly everything she served made me sick. Then my husband figured out she was cooking with a lot of wine. Once I ate a ham and cheese sandwich and was sick within 20 minutes. Barely made it home. I investigated and found out the sandwich had Dijon mustard, which of couse contains wine. Now I know. Sulphur. Thank you everyone. I had ruled out everything else.
@Nancy
What an amazing website, I too have developed an allergy and only by chance connected it to my beloved red wine. I have seen a Dermatologist and he has done several tests and biopsies on my skin and was bewildered as to what was causing the awful rash that started on my neck and eventually covered the whole of my body. I had put it down to severe stress at work last summer, but it just got worse. It got better when I was on holiday in Greece, maybe because I was only drinking the local house wines from their barrels and not bottled wine, I don’t know. I cannot understand the allergy tests done at the hospital came up with nothing as I know I dare’nt eat bread, be it fresh from the baker or sliced as immediately the corners of my mouth go very sore, and again, the bread in Greece caused me no problems. I am so glad that I am not alone as I feel so desperate at times and feel my G.P. thinks I fuss about it. Thank you all !!!
I am 49 years old and i seem to be having a problem when i have more than 2 glasses of red wine – particularly at night…i will wake up in the middle of the night with a very rapid heart beat and feel breathless..sometimes feeling like i have to pass out…then i have a bowel movement shortly thereafter – is this a reaction from the red wine? It really scares me – so i have cut back to just one glass. Could someone tell me if this is a reaction from red wine or something else? It’s pretty scary, but it only seems to happen if i have more than 1 glass of “red” wine.
I too suffer from white wine allergy. I was always full of cold and decided I had to start eating healthy and staying off the wine. After 3 months, I never had a runny nose once. After starting back on the wine, my cold was back again. I am now 50 and it seems to have got much worse, even after one glass, I start to sneeze, my nose runs continuously, my throat feels like it is closing in on me. I also scratch my eyes out with the horrible itch. The symptoms last for about 3 days. I love my wine which helps me to chill out .. but the price I am paying is far too high.. I am now off the wine again!!! I just wish there was something I could take to avoid this reaction. Never mind, at least I will be healthy again.
I LOVE the name of this site – it’s perfect!!! I just started to show symptoms of severe allergies – but only on the weekends… I really had a feeling it was the wine (which I only have on the weekends) but everyone I spoke to laughed at me… but every weekend for the last few weeks my symptoms have been so severe: Sneezing out of control, faucet-like nose ALL DAY and non stop wherever I went, trying to change my environment constantly – finally I looked it up “allergic to wine” and found this – THANK GOD, Vindication… but oh no! No more wine?!?!?!?
I wonder if it is just the brand, though (Barefoot -Merlot) – Probably just wishful thinking that I could just switch brands & everything would be ok 🙁
I am so relieved to have found this site! I have read each and every post, some fitting my symptoms to a tee, some not. I have always enjoyed red and white wine, no problem. Just in the last couple of weeks I get hives (not itchy though); red splotches all over my face, neck, an most recently, back. Mostly with red wine. With white wine, a terrible mind-altering headache (no matter hoe much water I drink with my wine). So, I am not sure what to do now except no more wine for me! I am 37 years old, female.
@Heats4
This is helpful. Last night I had two glasses of Australian Yellow Tail Chardonnay and my arms and legs were driving me crazy with painful itching. Like “pings” or “sharp” itching. This has happened before. I also have had times the past three years where I broke out in real hives, but under the skin. This is intermittent. I got up and took a Zyrtec leftover from three years ago when I broke out in hives after my Dad died. I thought that back then it was stress or fatigue or whatever. This is very helpful. What have you learned since this posting about your wine issue?
@Sandy
Sandy,
I just posted this comment to anther writer. Here it is:
This is helpful. Last night I had two glasses of Australian Yellow Tail Chardonnay and my arms and legs were driving me crazy with painful itching. Like “pings†or “sharp†itching. This has happened before. I also have had times the past three years where I broke out in real hives, but under the skin. This is intermittent. I got up and took a Zyrtec leftover from three years ago when I broke out in hives after my Dad died. I thought that back then it was stress or fatigue or whatever. This is very helpful. What have you learned since this posting about your wine issue?
Sandy,
In the past ten years I have been to two dermatologists for what I refer to as the “winter itch.” Now that I think about it, I believe that on and off I have had rashes, itches, blah, blah, for the past twenty years. Just about the time that I turned thirty, had more money available and became a harmless social drinker. Before then, barely anything. The itching is just worse in the winter because it is winter and the furnace is blowing dry heat. I do everything right, tepid showers, nonallergenic detergents, blah, blah, blah. One derma doc game me a sedative so I could sleep through the painful itching. (did not take) It has probably been the wine all along. I tried to drink red wine at first, when I learned to drink, but that flushes me and makes me beet red. Now I realize the white isn’t doing me any good either. How are you doing?
HI All-
I’ve been suffering with the puffy face, hives and sinus headache reaction with both reds and whites for 3 years now. (I am 44) I tried everything, no sulphites, organic, single vineyard, everything!!!!! I had pretty much stopped drinking wine, but occasionally coudn’t help myself – so I’d have a sip or 2.
This is what I’ve discovered: if I smell the wine and feel like I’m going to sneeze or smell nothing, just musty smell (usually reds) I can’t drink it. BUT, if I smell the “notes”; herby, grassy, berry, etc. I can drink it with no issues. But it’s not consistant. Some reds, some whites. I’m having luck with Petit Sirah right now, but I also drank a Robert Hall Chard, no prob.
Never Give Up! Never Surrender!!!!!
Hello All … I am 53 years of age and developed a taste for wine approximately 13 years ago … over the years my pallet has changed and I am able to tell a good white from a bad white. Like most people who enjoy a wine I found that on my way home from work I would be just drooling with the thought of that lovely glass of cold chardonnay when I got home. I found myself increasing the glasses each evening until I could polish of a bottle without any trouble whatsoever … that is until I started to experience different reactions, the main being snoring which eventually affected both my sleeping and waking patterns. My husband said I even seem to stop breathing at times. A week ago I polished off over a bottle of red wine and had an awful sleep and woke up with a swollen face, puffy eyes, watery eyes, itching eyes. I haven’t had a drink of wine since … until now … and as I sit here with a glass of sauvignon blanc, I feel flushed, my feet and hands are tingling and my sinus area seems to be throbbing … so it looks like I have to give the vino away hereon .. that is sad but a necessary methinks. I have to face facts … I can now cancel that sleep therapy session with the hospital next week and throw away the nasal sprays.
I have the same problem. When drinking white wine. I will start sneezing and my nose will become blocked, like i’m full of a cold. sometimes i will also get a rash on my chest and neck. It doesn’t happen with all wine though, just certain wines. I used to have a really bad reaction with Jacobs creek but i can drink that now and am OK?? I could do with knowing what it is in certain wines that i am allergic to so i know which ones to avoid. I am gettin married next year and really want to have white wine with my meal but don’t want to have a blotchy chest on all my wedding pics. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what in the wine I could be reacting to? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
So relieved it’s not just me! I couldn’t work out why every evening that I have a glass of red wine I start to sneeze and am convinced I’m coming down with the flu’ – streaming nose and blocked sinuses. I suspect that it may be the level of sulphites in the wine as some wines seem to elicit a more severe response than others. And/or it could have something to do with approaching the menopause as others have suggested. Either way it looks like red wine is off the menu now!
i drink pinot noir at night, and recently feel like in the a/m my throat seems a little swollen…congestion in the throat…
I am another sufferer who sneezes violently after a glass of wine either white or red. it then feels like I have a really bad cold for hours or even a few days. Worst reaction recently was to Turning Leaf semillion sauvingon blanc. Really bad. My daughter suffers identically although on honeymoon in Argentina recently she was sneeze free for two weeks despite staying in a wine lodge. Apparently Argentinian wine is low in sulphites but it could also be the climate because I am sensitive to dust and mould too and the climate there is very dry. I have had allergic rhinitis since I was a teenager and medical tests reveal house dust mite as the only culprit at the time. I have not been tested lately. Taking antihistamine damps down the reaction but leaves me stuffed up with no sense of smell. I have also tried a steroid spray which leads to nosebleeds eventually. It seems only solution is abstinence.
@ann
After drinking one glass of Malbec , a red wine made in Argentina I developed a fluttery heart beat and exhaustion. The first time this happened was Thanksgiving eve. It lasted until middle of the next day. I just thought something was going on with my heart. Sort of short of breath and fatigue. I had one small glass of this wine last night and in about an hour I began to feel my heart to skip, flutter and those feelings of exhaustion. I went to bed early and still felt bad when I got up. By about noon I was normal again. I am going to the MD to have my heart evaluated now but I began to think maybe it was the wine. My face flushes after drinking reds. I am glad to have found this site because now I see this could all be related to my sensitivity to this red Malbec.