Relief From Allergies

Do You Have Wine Allergies?

July 12th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

If you enjoy wine then having wine allergies could be really annoying. Otherwise, just stop drinking wine. However, because I love the taste of beer but don’t drink because of my religion, I certainly understand how bothersome a wine allergy can be.

Now, I bet you are wondering what element in wine is making you react.

What Causes Wine Allergies

You would think that if you have a reaction after drinking wine that it would be the alcohol, right? That’s not the case. There are many more ingredients that are the probable culprit in this type of allergic reaction. The production of wine is somewhat complicated, using a method to produce the wine; and then, one to preserve it. In both processes there are many additives used to complete the entire wine making process. A common element found naturally in wine is sulfur dioxide. This compound is found on growing plants, including grapes. It is additionally added by winemakers because it helps to prevent organisms from growing in the wine. In addition, it keeps the wine from turning to vinegar by slowing yeast growth. There are limits to how much sulfur dioxide can be added to wine. The more sulfur dioxide a wine has, the more serious of a reaction you are likely to have. If you really miss your wine, try to find varieties with lower contents of sulfur dioxide. White wines tend to have more, so be sure to stay away from them.

You may want to find a more pure wine. Some wines can have a lot of ingredients in them and you may be reacting to that ingredient and not the wine. Histamines can be found in red wine, and this could be a trigger for some with wine allergies. The reaction seen from histamines is usually like a hay fever attack, with sneezing and itchy eyes.

A skin prick test is a good way to find out if you have wine allergies. If there is no skin reaction to any of the ingredients, than the patient has a wine intolerance, not wine allergies. With diagnoses of intolerance, further steps can be taken to learn how to eliminate that ingredient from your diet.

These days organic wine is becoming more popular. These wines are grown naturally and are less likely to contain any extra ingredients that may be causing you to have an allergic reaction. Organic wines are also much better for you in other aspects. It’s never good for the body to ingest additional toxins in the form of food additives. Be sure to sign up for my news letter for tips on how to live healthy and control your allergies naturally.