White Wine Allergy | Sulfites Allergy | Allergy

White Wine Allergy Sulfites

by Allergy Guy

Many people are allergic to the sulfites in wine. Because sulfites are a natural byproduct of yeast, they exist in all wine, but some wine have more sulfite in them than others.

Organic White Wine

Organic wine tends to have less sulfites than regular wine, and it is healthier in other ways – no pesticides for example. Organic products are much better for the environment and your body, so we strongly encourage them.

List of Organic White Wine

Here is a list of some organic white wines (carried by LCBO), with the amount of sulfur listed for most.

White Wines

Product free sulphurmg. per litre Country of Origin

Ciao Organic Sangiovese Tetra (GL)

Italy

Rob. Demeter Chard./Chenin/Sauv. ’05

Australia

Vinecol Torrontès ’06 Mendoza

Argentina

Tablas Creek Côtes de Tablas Blanc ’05

United States

Dom. Huet Le Haut Lieu Sec Vouvray ’05

11.0

France

Mittnacht Frères Pinot Gris ’05

12.0

France

Domaine St-Rémy Pinot Gris Réserve ’04

22.0

France

Sincerity Sauvignon Blanc ’05

7.0

Chile

Novas Chardonnay ’05

19.0

Chile

Carmen Nativa Chardonnay ’05

6.0

Chile

Winds of change Org. Chardonnay

20.0

South Africa

Bergerac Sec ’04

6.0

France

S. Quirico Vernaccia Di San Gimignano ’05

13.0

Italy

Dom. L’Attilon Chardonnay ’05

10.0

France

Chardonnay ’04 Bonterra Fetzer

22.0

U.S.A.

Novas Sauvignon Blanc ’05

16.0

Chile

Dom. Mittnacht Freres Riesling ’04 Alsace

16.0

France

Fatt. La Rivolta Falanghina ’04 Taburno

16.0

Italy

Vina Carmen Nativa Chardonnay ’04

27.0

Chile

Anna Botter Pinot Grigio/Chard. (Tetra-pk)

Italy

Out of Africa Chardonnay (Tetra-pack)

South Africa


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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Brandy April 13, 2015 at 10:35

Let me start out by saying I love my white wine! I drink chardonnay on a weekly basis. However I have had a total of 2 allergic reactions and can only pin point that its a Sulfites allergy. My previous reaction was last Saturday. I drank about 3 glasses of Yellow Tail Chardonnay (which by the way is the grosses chardonnay ever) the next morning around 6am I was waken up by my a very upset stomach and had to go to the restroom. (sorry if this is too much info but I had loose stool) All of a sudden the palms of my hands started instantly inching as for my whole body. My lips instantly started to swell as for my fingers as and tongue as well. My whole body was red like I had been out in the sun all day. I took 2 Benadryl’s. I was burning up so I removed my clothes and laid on my cold bathroom tile floor which helped bring my body temp down and I could not stand up or I would get light headed. After 2 hours of this it all settled down and I felt like I was getting back to normal however that whole day my body was so sore and weak and the bottom of my feet hurt when I walked on them. The only thing I can think of that caused this reaction just like my previous one that was about 3 months ago is this type of wine. (yellow tail) The time I usually drink Kendall Jackson or Kim Crawford however I bought the bigger bottle of the Yellow Tail. Has anyone had something similar to this reaction after drinking this brand of wine???

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2 Rosie January 8, 2015 at 15:41

I too cannot enjoy some white wines. Poor choice can give me reflux, a three day headache, nausea and often repetitive sneezing. One glass can start these symptons. Had one standard glass of Chardonnay with dinner at a pub last night and this morning still feel deeply nauseous !

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3 Vanda Stanley July 15, 2013 at 11:51

After reading all the comments, I am sadly coming to the conclusion that I am allergic to the wine I’ve become particularly fond of — white zin. I had to give up red wine because it was so irritating to my esophagus. So I was pretty happy when I found white zin–however, during the past year or so, the sneezing, sniffling, red itchy, stinging, watering eyes are driving me nuts. Plus, I look terrible! It was interesting to read the comments about oak — I live in Central Florida and the oak pollen is terrible, so that may enter into it.

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4 Miss Anne October 24, 2012 at 22:24

I’m not a wine person. I thought I’d give wine a try, so I stopped by BevMo and got myself a Moscato D’Asti, a dessert wine. AS SOON AS I got a my first sip down I started sneezing. At first I thought it was due to a cold draft coming in the window… WRONG. My mouth then began to itch like crazy followed by an endless minute of sneezing and sniffling. 🙁 I really wanted to give wine a try.
My other allergies are seasonal (hay fever) and latex/latex fruits (rash, itchiness). I also have had asthma since age 4.

Anyone with my similar symptoms?

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5 Meg August 29, 2012 at 10:34

I first discovered I had an allergy to wine while dining out about three years ago. I was drinking white wine (can not remember the brand) and I felt my body temp rise, my face turned bright red, and I broke out into hives. I thought it was the weather because it was a hot summer day. The second time I drank wine, a French red from Côtes du Rhône, the same thing happened. I then tried trader joe’s non sulfate wine and again the same symptoms came about. I went to a derm to find out what was going on. She told me that I would not be able to drink wine, that an allergy developed and the symptoms were signs of my body rejecting wine. She asked if I had any other allergies or problems with foods/drinks. I said when I drank beer and ate pizza I became bloated and my stomach cramps up. She suggested that I take a gluten test. I did not take the gluten test, but I did cut gluten from my diet and noticed my stomach problems faded.

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6 Wendy July 10, 2012 at 09:25

Noelle, you’re probably right about the mold (in your case) and in many others it would cause major problems…… I’ve just recently left all wines alone except for a brand from Chile; it’s called “Las Mulas” and it’s organic and biodynamic and I’ve had no issues with it at all….. it’s on the shelves here in the LCBO in Ontario and so far it’s easy to get….. there’s reds too, but haven’t seen it so far. This one is a Sauvignon Blanc and very reasonable and very good……. just a suggestion and a comment on your ‘mold’ question. I’m not expert, but it helps if we can share any info. or experiences here.

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7 Noelle July 3, 2012 at 20:35

I had a very bad reaction to one glass of Chardonnay. I had terrible headache, all the other stuff many of you have listed in above posts. I did a little online “research” and in the bottle that I had, it contained “Botrytis”, which is basically a type of mold.
The wine that I had was Mer Soliel. It was a very strong fruity flavored wine (about $39 per bottle)
I could tell as I was drinking it that my head was starting to hurt. I have also been aware for about 13 years that I must be allergic to some wine, but not all.
The mold thing would make sense to me, because I can remember feeling the same (a long time ago) when I was near mold.
Any one have any thoughts on this?
Thanks!

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8 Wendy February 19, 2012 at 13:58

Anne, I just finished reading your comments. Don’t let this stop you from having a glass of wine once in awhile; I believe if you try something else, say a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, you may not have the same result as with the chardonnay. For me, I believe the culprit was the oak barrels that chardonnays are kept in till they’re bottled. Most if not all sauvignon blanc are steel casks, so the wine doesn’t get any of the accumulated toxins in it as the oak barrels would have? Just my thoughts, I’m not an expert, but I can tell you that I have never had any reaction from the other two wines I’ve mentioned here, as I’ve had from chardonnay. I CAN’T even have a sip of chardonnay without all the horrible symptoms most here have mentioned. Good luck, and I’m sure your friend will still meet with you regardless of what you drink. I’ve been at homes where they only have chardonnay and I just say “no thanks”, it’s not worth it.

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9 anne February 18, 2012 at 00:58

Thank you, people. I believe I may have an answer to my Friday flu! Every Thursday night, I meet a friend for a glass of chardonnay. I never drink the whole glass, yet sometimes I feel a little drunk. I start feeling itchy about three sips in. And sometimes I feel bloated. And the next day–often–I feel queasy all day and partway into the night. I knew the itchiness was caused by the wine, but otherwise, I just thought I was becoming more of a lightweight as I’ve gotten older. But this Friday queasiness has been pretty standard for the past few weeks. I think it’s the damn chardonnay. I’m not having the severe symptoms some of you are describing, but enough to where lately I’ve dreaded this wine date a little. Last night, I didn’t even drink half the glass and today I’ve felt queasy. So I started googling around and ended up here. I think you all may be on to something!

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10 Chip December 12, 2011 at 21:26

It’s been great to hear about everyone’s experiences on this site, some of which seem similar to my own. But I’m wondering if anyone out there shares my specific problem with “champagne” (sparkling white) causing extreme, prolonged nausea and vomiting, occurring some hours later rather than straight away (I like it a lot and feel fine whilst drinking it).

Unlike many of you who seem to have a problem with rashes, swelling, hives etc, my ONLY symptom is 12-14 hour vomiting sessions in which I am unable to do anything except lie still and wait for the next strike. And whilst for many the trigger seems to be chardonnay and/or oaking, my only trigger seems to be “champagne” (whatever that is, these days). Because of the extreme reaction, I have drunk it so rarely that I can’t be any more precise than that.

I should also say that unlike many here, I don’t seem to get more drunk, or drunk faster. Just the sudden, delayed-onset vomit festival.

Finally, I don’t really like white wine so I rarely drink it (which might say something in itself), but I have noticed that on the few occasions I’ve drunk more than one glass of white wine, I think it does quickly make me a sort of dizzy-drunk, and sometimes gives me a slight headache. I can’t be very specific about variety, unfortunately. Certainly no vomiting or anything like that, though.

As for other alcohols–I can drink absolutely anything else without incident.

Does anyone have any ideas?

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11 steven johnston November 5, 2011 at 19:55

Yellow tail sauvignon blanc bottle code (bar code)3125903266 .Avoid it like the plague!! I have never broken out in a rash before until I came across a clearance sale 1.5 liter for 3$usd .I had tried yellow tails before, but this was as weird trying to figure out what was causing an allergic reaction. Finally I pinpointed the allergy. So After drinking a total of 1.75 ltr of yellow tail over a 2week period, I figured out the puzzle. This crap was causing a rash on my chest, genitalia, ribs and back. I thought it was jock itch , so after emptying the bottle of jock itch spray over a week ,no relief. During the day all symptoms would ease up and when I arrived home and poured a glass ,an hour later I would be itching like a mad dog! It was a coincidence that at the same time I was cleaning out my offsite storage and bringing stuff back home ,so I thought maybe mites were an issue. And also maybe my girlfriend was an issue and her girlfriend LoL!

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12 Margot October 24, 2011 at 21:38

Since visiting this blog, four months ago, I have foresworn wine. Yes, I do love and occassionly miss lovely, complex wines; but I am not willing to be a guinea pig for manipulated wines. I can enjoy some cocktails, but recognize that for whatever reasons wine affects me in a way that my sense of wellness cannot tolerate. I see many people on this blog wrestle with trying to find a way around giving up wine. I understand. But what we need to realize is that there are a lot of hidden ingredients in this industry that would make for a very interesting documentary one day. Perhaps our sensitivity is sparing us from other ramifications further down the road, and we should feel grateful for our health antennae. Thank you for this blog, Allergy Guy. Your council is solid- common sense.

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13 Dawn October 24, 2011 at 17:25

I am finding this all very interesting. For a few years now I have had very severe reactions to some chardonnays, and it does seem to be oaky tasting ones. The other night we went to a party, where I had four glasses of wine over about five hours, which I can normally tolerate. On the journey home I suddenly felt very sick and spent the next five or so hours in the bathroom, throwing up, with my pulse racing, feeling very disorientated, but not drunk. Do you think this was the wine or something else?

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14 Allergy Guy October 24, 2011 at 18:01

If it happens just once, then well, it could be anything. Given the problems you’ve had on multiple occasions over the years, it sounds to me like you should avoid chardonnays, especially the oaky ones.

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15 Rina July 7, 2011 at 09:41

Just wanted to share my experience: only wine that triggers my migraine is chardonnay. There is definitely something different in it. Maybe it is it’s mold type. Or sulfites. But really cannot drink it at all.

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16 margot June 13, 2011 at 19:11

Within the last 2 months, when I have 2-3 glasses of white wine, the next day my eyes swell up tremendously, weep, sting, itch and they remain thus for 3-4 DAYS! Needless to say this has curtailed wine for me. I thought it must be the sulfites, but upon researching the typical symptoms, I see that mine are not typical. Then I read about the possibility of an oak allergy and it struck me that whenever anyone burns oak in their fireplace my eyes water and itch, and that we have been inundated with the worst oak pollen season in decades. I had one glass of a VERY oaky chardonnay 2 days ago and my eyes are a wreck. Has anyone else had this reaction? Also a terrible headache for 2 days. One glass! I think narrowing the sensitivity so that I may enjoy some wines would be nice. Thanks for this site and everyone’s contribution.

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17 Allergy Guy June 13, 2011 at 19:41

If you are willing to risk it, you could try a non-oaked wine and see if that causes similar problems. I can see why you may not want to risk it given the symptoms though.

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18 Christine July 11, 2011 at 13:56

Yes, I have been experiencing the same reaction, and it’s unusual, which makes me think perhaps there has been something more added (something oaky?) to American Chardonnays recently that is triggering these symptoms. Lately a couple of glasses of white wine hits me like a brick but used to not bother me, and my eyes swell up horribly for 3-4 days. My fingers also swell up. Oak happens to be my worst allergy (and I’m allergic to almost everything), off the charts. I purchased a New Zealand bottle of unoaked Chardonnay from Costco last week, and it did not cause the symptoms. The next day I had some Mondavi Chardonnay and I still look and feel terrible two days later. There must be something to the oaking process, especially a recent process perhaps, that affects those of us allergic to oak. That’s my theory, and I’m going to experiment some more.

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19 Margot July 11, 2011 at 22:41

It was very heartening (misery loves company???) to hear that my reaction to wine is not totally unique. For the brave souls that are willing to experiment, I commend you! I am so loathe to the discomfort in my eyes and how long it lasts, that I have ceased wine altogether. Sigh. And now that you mention it, my hands did swell considerably. It is entirely possible that oak is the culprit, in that the last time I had a four day reaction , it was brought on by ! glass of Toasted Head Chardonnay. Yikes!!! I couldn’t remove my rings for days. I am chastened! I’d be interested in further research and observations. One thing I wonder is if wineries are adding a synthetic oaky flavored additive, like that “artificial smoke” type of product, ( which, by the way, is carcinogenic). Perhaps it is a chemical, and not even true oak. Just a thought.

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20 Nicole May 22, 2011 at 15:56

Ha!! I’m sending this link to everyone who has ever looked at me funny when I say if I drink one sip of their rotten Chardonnay I will vomit.

I’m a big drinker and love a wine or 6, 3 glasses of Chardy one night had me vomiting for almost 10 hours until my husband came home from work and got me to a doctor for a shot of maxalon. It was this occasion that I found out you can actually vomit something past bile, I thought bile was the last of what you could produce. Sick, I know, but it’s worth noting how extreme my reaction is.

The next time I drank Chardy I had asked for a house Sav Blanc and was very specific, I knew instantly they gave me the wrong wine and had it swapped. The second glass was the same and I only had a sip, by this time I felt a little sick so I thought I’d go with beer. After that one pot of beer and the actual Sav Blanc I found the few sips of Chardy made me so Ill and my friend had to take me around the side of the pub where I gagged and retched until my husband came. I was the same for about 2 hours, all off a couple of sips.

My only problem now is that when I say ABC (anything but Chardonnay) at wineries they give me a spell about how it’s changed and do not believe that one sip will have me so sick I will be keeled over on the floor and in desperate need of a doctor.

My reason for the google search tonight was that I have had a couple of glasses of Sav Blanc at dinner and a very small glass of something called Columbard (usually it’s blended with Chardy but this is a straight Columbard from the Yarra Valley), anyway shortly after drinking it I have bad reflux and the bottle said it contained sulphites- so here I am!!

I have a headache already, and after drinking a couple of glasses the other night I woke with the most stinging headache I’d had in a long time. I’ve been awake since 4.30am, and I’m convinced the high sulphate content of both this wine and Chardonnay is causing me a severe reaction (although the Columbard not as bad- thankfully).

Anyways, good luck to everyone else and stay off the Chardy, I know I will.

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21 Lisa May 21, 2011 at 08:49

I’m not sure if it’s the wine because I Love all types and all brands instead of Beer. But, each time I drink wine it seems that I’m getting an allergic reaction of the lips of numbness and discoloration with a hard film like symptom and everyone says it maybe the ingredients from the Wines you drink!! HELP!!! Does anyone have that symptom at all?

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22 Stacey May 12, 2015 at 20:07

for a year and a half, I have “chapped lips”…been to an allergist and two dermatologists….no anwers:( It started probably around the time I started drinking wine. I only drink white (Pinot Grigio). My lips and above top lip gets red, they are itchy and dry. I constantly need Vaseline on them. Then they peel! It’s gross and embarrassing. I’m wondering if it’s the sulfites in the white wine???

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23 Lizzie August 31, 2016 at 18:56

just tripped across this post after drinking 2oz of Kim Crawford and getting immediate itchy peeling lips again (which has been torturing me for the last 2 years on and off with no explanation). Been to dermatologist and allergist and had every test in the book with no consensus. So exciting to find this site with some clues as to the source of the problem. I can drink other wines without immediate symptoms. Would welcome insights from others as to triggers to avoid. Have always had hay fever related allergies but this lip chelitis is new in the last two years (I am 52).

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24 Clear head May 14, 2011 at 16:49

Mmmm I have avoided wine for a while now because it just did not seem to agree with me, reading the above has really put my mind at rest that I was not becoming a carrot juice sandal wearing weirdo for nothing. Wine had always been there to enjoy but when it wakes you at 2am and gives you a racing heart and burning body is it worth it??
Personally the manufacturers of all these wines are piling them full of chemicals and additives that we are not really drinking proper wine at all. After one glass with a meal I can end up feeling like I have gastric flu?? this is no exaggeration and reading many of the above postings I’m not the only one. I’m knocking it on the head what with the link to breast cancer too why on earth would anyone want to pay to feel and be put at risk by fake substitutes full of poisons they have called wine??!!

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25 Carolyn May 14, 2011 at 12:16

This has been really interesting reading. I enjoy a glass of wine – usually white but am now very wary of all except European wines. I had a really bad experience with 2 glasses of an Australian riesling that gave me such a blasting headache overnight and the next morning I could hardly move for 2-3 hrs. I also suffered similarly with a South African chardonnay a few months back (and i think that was meant to be only lightly oaked) – really bad headache and sweats for a few days. Last night could hardly sip an expensive South African sauvignon blanc my husband had bought – think I can tell now which ones will be a problem hopefully but on the whole french, italian and spanish wines seem ok. I haven’t had the same problem with champagne before either.

Would be interested what is causing the problem so can avoid those wines properly hence why I was looking on the internet for any helpful info when I found this site!

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