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 |
Related Articles
External Links
- Wikipedia on wine
- Wikipedia on sulfites
- LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario)
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
Reading all of this has been so informative! I am a Pinot Grigio drinker and lately every time I have some I get a severe sinus headache, to the point where I have to take to my bed the pain is so bad. Then the pain radiates down into my neck and I feel nauseous. I had two margarita’s the other night instead of wine and I got no headache at all. Guess my wine days are over but it is so nice to know that I’m not crazy and now I can take steps to ensure that I will never have that horrible pain again.
I have an extreme reaction to Chardonnay as well. There is a distinct difference between how I feel after drinking Chardonnay vs. Pinot Grigio. After perhaps 2 or 3 glasses, I am extremely intoxicated, I remain intoxicated for hours afterward, and I cannot remember anything I did or said the day after. I would love to know the exact cause.
I have just spent a horrible 24 hours after a night out – I had 2 glasses Chardonnay (small screw top bottles) and a glass of Pinot Grigio – head swimming when I got home and next day was dreadful – very sick, headache, just wanted to shut my eyes – couldnt even keep water down for a few hours – family just thought it was hangover but must get them to read all your comments – has reassured me and will stick to my usual rose in future!!!
I just crawled out of bed at midday with vomiting, diarrhoea, visual disturbances, dizziness, and really bad sinus pain in my face – yet again after white wine. It was relieved eventually with decongestants. I use to have this reaction to all alcohol but now seem to tolerate a few beers or glasses of red wine but no more than one white wine of any variety. What I am going to take note of now is if I have a more severe reaction at the time of the year when hayfever and sinus trouble tend to be more prevalent. It does seem relevant that my sinuses have been playing up prior to this recent attack.
It is worth noting that your reactions are worse during hay fever season.
One possible explanation is that allergy symptoms are a kind of stress and tend to be additive. So if you’re already suffering from one kind of allergy, a bit of some other sort of allergen can cause a bigger reaction that it otherwise would.
This is all making sense! I have been a chardonnay drinker for the past five years and can drink a bottle of it ~ I absolutely love how it tastes! BUT my after~symptoms are
~waking up hot in the middle of the night with anxiety and heart palpitations
~extremely swollen fingers
~horrible sinus headache and stuffiness
Could I have an allergy to the white wine/sulfates?
I am going to cut out white wine all together and try maybe a vodka drink next time I go out and see if these symptoms stop.
Otherwise I will quit altogether as I am so healthy otherwise.
This stinks as my husband is a sommelier!
Could anyone else let me know if they get the extreme swollen fingers? I also have fibromyalgia and Sjorgens syndrome so always thought it had something to do with that…and sjogrens can affect kidney/liver function down the road so was concerned.
I am fine drinking most white wines but whenever I drink Sauvignon blanca I get a really bad headache even if its just one glass. I can drink bottle or two of most other wines and feel fine but this one really affects me every time. My partner also suffers the same, whats going on?!
Very interesting comments. I was researching grapes/wine because my husband has been having some reactions to wine and I came across this site. While I do not have reactions that have been posted above (I’m a pinot grigio fan) I had a flashback to 5 years ago when I was admitted into the hospital 2 months before my child was due. I was given I.V. magnesium sulfate to stop the early contractions. I felt more drunk than I have ever experienced in my life. The room was spinning, my speech was slurred and my equilibrium was completely off. All along I assumed it was the magnesium that made me feel that way, but perhaps it was the sulfur, or just a wicked combination of the two. It seems reasonable that someone with an sensitivity to sulfur might experience these side effects. I looked up the side effects of I.V. magnesium sulfate online and among them were: Flushing, Nausea, Vomiting, Palpitations, Headache, General muscle weakness and Lethargy. Just an observation…
Interesting, thanks for the observation, Phoebe!
I also cannot drink Chardonnay; I get a ‘buzzing-type’ feeling in my head, as well as a sick feeling for a while afterwards. I THINK for me, it’s due to the oak barrels that may be used in the making of Chardonnay….just a guess. But there’s many wines I can drink that don’t cause this. I’ve been told to try “Unoaked Chardonnays” …. maybe that’s a hint? and have yet to try this type, as I’m afraid I’d still feel horrible. Look for grapes that aren’t Chardonnay AND are organic. Worth trying.
My face and hands are swollen this morning after drinking white wine yesterday. I have been getting sick for a few years now and trying with the help of Doctors to find out what’s wrong with me. After reading this I think I know what’s going on… I’m alergic to white wine.
I have some of the similar issues as well, it happens only when I drink sparkling wine, wine coolers, some vodkas, or schnapps. I turn red in the face get warm and I get a sinus attack. I wish I knew what it was that did this I am never sure what to avoid. I would say it was the sulfates but most of the foods that I eat contain quite a bit of this???
What about Chenin wines (Robertson & Fuzion)? I have had a brutal rash for 3 months…stopped Chenin and it is getting better. Anyone else have probs like this?
chardonnay allergies
Your allergies are due to chardonnay’s being a terribly inferior wine. It has been proven in myriad studies that chardonnay causes acute skin rashes, disfiguring of the feet and psychotic kleptomania. It is thought that banning chardonnay throughout the world would be a huge and possibly the only step necessary in our quest for world peace, curing all diseases and the initiation of contact by various alien life forms throughout the galaxy. Clearly, we all should stop drinking this toxic swill and find a more soothing, delicious and satisfying wine.
Sincerely, G. Vine
Executive Director
Sauvignon Blanc Vintners of California Association
Tee Hee – lol
CANNOT DRINK CHARDONNAY EITHER
Yet another one here. I get very drunk very quickly on Chardonnay and these seam to be the times that I tell my partner crazy things like “you don’t love me” etc. Then of course I cannot remember the entire night. It’s AWFUL. My brother is the exact same on the stuff.
This is true for most Champagnes, generic white wines and Australian Chardy. Never tried Old World but probably not worth the risk. I also get itchy skin on my arms when I drink Beer.
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHY WE ARE ALL HAVING THIS REACTION?
Harsh reaction to Chardonnay
Seriously… So relieved to see that there are others out there who’ve experienced this as well. (Not that I want anyone else to experience it necessarily, but that I’m not crazy & I’m tired of others looking @ me like ya.. whatever) I’ve had a least 3 episodes where my drink for the night was Chardonney.. 1 of which I had only 3 glasses in about 3 hrs… I was toast after the 3rd.. It hit me like a ton of bricks! Couldn’t remember anything from that point on and was apparently vomiting violently & scared those around me to the point of fighting over whether or not they should take me to the hospital. The 1st 2 instances were at the same place & both times drank Chardonney wine.. I decided never to drink the wine there again. Well this last time was Chardonney as well, but at a different place.. Drank about 4 glasses total. I went black.. no memory of my apparent violent vomiting and passed out cold thereafter. So this time Chardonney was my only common factor. Hense my search online which brought me to this blog. Thank you!!! It’s so scary to have that happen… I know now what to research further & that I definitely need to avoid Chardonney at the very least.
white wine reaction
I have the same reaction to sulfites, but , only when my thyroid levels are too high. I have severe heart palpitations and get really warm. It’s actually frightening when my heart races so much, I have to then take some benedryl in order to calm my racing heart down.
I have a horrible reaction to chardonnay, I get that heart palpitation too and night sweats also vomitting the next day. I also have a hard time breathing the next day! Does anyone have breathing problems after drinking wine?
I don’t know what is causing it, but have not ruled out the wine. Chards are my wine of choice. Not only trouble breathing, but now trouble swallowing sometimes. Heart palpatations..yes. I haven’t tested the difference between the French and US, but could be. Could be the sulfites?oak?yeast?Then I thought it was caused by my BPmedication. Going to the MD to find out some answers.
Allergic to Chardonnay
OH MY Goodness! I can’t believe other people have the same reaction to Chardonnay! I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me! If I have a glass of Chardonnay I honestly feel a “buzz” within moments of my first drink or two and fairly drunk by the end of the first glass. If I have more than one glass I’m a mess. (I had two glasses of Chardonnay one evening and made my husband play hide and seek with me! LOL!) When I wake up the next morning I’m terrible Dizzy and my nose is so stuffed up I can hardly breath. I don’t seem to have the same stomach issues though, no vomiting. I wish I knew exactly what the allergy was though – is it the grape – is it the proccessing – is it the additives? Does anyone have any ideas?
wine allergy
I am terribly allergic to most wines that I have tried. I have had the same violent reactions as all of the other comments. Especially the Chardonay and some Pinot Grigio’s, which are my favorites. All wines I have tried trigger migraines. I have been so violently ill from drinking even a small amount of wine that I have completely given up trying even the organics. Oddly, while Champagne does bother me, it does not seem to bother me as much, and I can at least have a small amount. I have been informed Champagne has less sulfites than most wines. I do not know if this is true or not. I recently discovered I have an allergy to Oak. If wine is made in Oak barrels, rather than stainless steel, I am guessing that is at least part of my problem.
Oak allergy?
I am curious to know: how did you find out you are allergic to oak?
Wine allergy
For the past 8 months or so, if I drink wine that’s come from a screw top bottle, I get very ill. I do try to avoid but forget to ask… Symptoms are mostly gastric, waking at 2am feeling sick with very painful, intense, stomach cramps. This passes in about 8hrs, but leaves me feeling very weak and headachy. It only takes 1 or 2 glasses… anyone else noticed anything like this? Thanks!
Allergic to Chardonnay
I have had similar reactions to Chardonnay and Champagne as well. I don’t get as sick as what was described by others but a couple of glasses will leave me with a nasty hangover and a very sickish feeling the next day. Other wines do not have the same effect even though I know that I have an allergy to yeast. One of my Aunts gets very sick from certain wines. She was told by a friend of hers who was very into wine that different wines have different molds in them (depending on the grapes) and it was the mold that was making her sick. I have been trying to get information about his but have not had much luck. I understand that European Chardonnay and “New World” Chardonnay don’t use the same grapes. My wine understanding is poor though so I may be incorrect. I have known mold allergies and a very tough time during moldy seasons so I suspect that the mold theory may be correct – at least for me.
Wine and mold allergy theory
That is a very interesting theory about wine and mold allergies.
It is definitely worth looking into some more.
Allergic to Chardonnay
I have discovered after several ordeals, that I have a bad reaction to Chardonnay wine. My symptoms are more intense intoxication even after only consuming a small amount, and like having the world’s worst hangover for several days afterwards, often going to the emergency room. My head would be spinning so badly that I would have to remian completely still, and even moving my eyes around would make me nausious and throw up. This would last for 3 or 4 days, slowly fading away.
Chardonnay, generic white wine blends and champagne are the only things that have ever made me feel this way(someone explained to me that Chardonnay is often used in the process of making these). I get a little stuffed up after some other kinds of wine and alcohol, and have a sinus allergy to dust, but nothing so extreme as the Chardonnay.
I had to undergo several tests and a catscan before my doctor felt secure that I didn’t have a brain tumour. The reaction is so severe & often disturbs my vision so that I have clicking images as I move my eyes & it makes me really off balance so that I can hardly walk.
I have been extremely careful for years not to consume any white wine that may have Chardonnay in it (no champagnes, no generic white wines), and have never had a repeat of theese symptoms.
What could be in this type of wine that makes me have such a dramatic reaction?
Good Question
Thanks for sharing your story. It may help others to nail down the cause of their symptoms.
I don’t have an answer as to why Chardonnay is such a problem for you. If I am able to get some helpful information, I will post a separate article.
Sulfite Allergy
I have this same allergy but it is actually related to the Sulfites that are in all wines. I am terribly allergic to Sulphor medication and everytime i drink wine I have these same symptoms, I also find them if I drink A LOT of Beer (due to the yeast). I have yet to find a wine white or red that does not contain sulfites – there is a label on the back of all bottles that ‘says contains sulfites’ GOOD LUCK 🙂
Allergic to chardonnay
I am interested, amazed and quite relieved to read these comments because I thought I was going mad but I have exactly the same reaction to chardonnay, not quite as extreme or as long lasting but if I drink any more than 1 or 2 glasses I get extremely drunk very quickly and then feel like death for the whole of the next day, being unable to get out of bed except for frequent visits to the toilet to throw up violently! These effects are far in excess of what would be expected from the amount consumed. Interestingly I am OK with French Chardonnay, it is the New World ones that make me ill and that is what makes me think that they must add something to them that I am allergic to. Don’t know exactly what but it is good to know that I am not the only person that suffers from this and I am not totally losing the plot!!
chardonnay
If your allergy is specific to Chardonnay, maybe even specific brands, it is probably not the sulfites. Sulfites are in most wines to some extent, even more in dried fruits. Consider the secondary fermentation (residual yeast) and aging in oak (lots of various compounds).
re. allergic to chardonnay
Oh My Goodness! That is exactly what happened to me a few years ago! I had three champagnes mixed with peach fruit juice over 5 hours and was so incredibly drunk and violently ill both that night and the next day, I thought I was going mad. I couldn’t move my head without rushing to the toilet to be sick. Obviously I haven’t had champagne since, didn’t think I was allergic but I’m not silly.
Unfortunately I was babysitting a three yr old that next day and the mother fired me when she got home thinking I had a hangover. I am so glad I looked this up.
Allergic to chardonnay
Me too. I am so glad to hear that others have had this problem. I too thought I was silly to think that I was allergic. I told my friend at lunch that I couldn’t share the chardonnay so she ordered chablis. It is fine with me. Then we got home and she opened her gift bottle of champagne, which I gladly shared. I drank only one glass. An hour later I was feeling like I had a hangover and kind of faint with my heart beating irregularly. I had no idea the champagne was 100% chardonnay grapes until I just went to look at the empty bottle. I told my husband that I felt like the time I had had chardonnay and was sick for two days after only two glasses at dinner. After that I never drank it again until today when I inadvertently drank the chardonnay champagne.
Chablis is Chardonnay. It’s a region in France that is only allowed to grow Chardonnay. Sorry to burst your bubble – sorry bad pun about the Champagne. If you are totally convinced that it is Chardonnay, try a Blanc de Noirs Champagne. It is only made with red grapes (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier).
Chardonnay
I thought I was going mad! I can drink a bottle of red wine and be fine. I had 2 glasses of Chardonnay and passed out on the sidewalk! I’ve never experienced anything like it. The time before this, I threw up violently for 24 hours and wound up in the emergency room! I absolutely cannot drink white wine. I’m glad I’m not alone.
I have had horrible reactions to white wine for over 30 years. Even a couple of sips sends me to the ladies room with nausea and vomiting. Therefore, I have not consumed any for 30 years. I also noted less alcohol tolerance than with hard liquor. I have wondered if there is some other additive besides the sulfites. Chardonnay is the worst, and even the smell of it is repulsive to me. I tried some Sake recently and was immedately ill. So, it has a similar problem.
I am isolating my allergic reaction (or worsening of an allergic reaction) to certain wines: cheap, American wine; American wines with high alcohol content; any wine, but especially white wine (like Chardonnay) that is aged in American oak. If a wine is aged in French oak, I don’t have the same bad reaction. If Chardonnay grapes are used in a blend or sparkling wine that is not aged in American oak, I don’t have the same reaction. Red wines aged in American oak (Cabernet Sauvignons) cause me to be a bit congested, but I don’t get swollen up–still, I try to stay away from the delicious Cabs. Sauvignon Blanc, its white derivative, gives me a much worse allergic reaction, including swelling (fortunately, I don’t like them much).
There is something about the way that Chardonnay is processed in the US–aging process, high sulfites, and relative high alcohol content. No European wine gives me the same reaction. I am similarly leaning to organic and biodynamic wines, but my reaction seems to be more about cheap, high sulfite wines and the aging process (probably the wine and my own!)