Comments on The Gray Report: You are not allergic to sulfites

Am with CWP on Glycoproteins, which have been iden...

2012-02-20T11:17:33.390-08:00

Am with CWP on Glycoproteins, which have been identified as very close in structure to those which cause 'rag-weed' allergen responses. So, SUAMW, to parry your point, "Glycoproteins are more likely to cause allergic reactions but not headaches", having experienced them myself, a sinus histamine reaction to allergens, can most certainly elicit a headache. The cause and effect

I don't drink wine, red or white, because on t...

2012-02-10T10:43:10.902-08:00

I don't drink wine, red or white, because on the four occasions I have I succumbed to severe headaches. I don't know why, lots of people have suggested the sulfite theory to me. I shrug it off and explain that I don't know why wine doesn't seem to agree with me, but it doesn't. I love the intolerance vs. allergy comparison though - I hear a lot of people incorrectly say they

I agree with the general conclusion that sulfites ...

2012-01-31T09:36:47.014-08:00

I agree with the general conclusion that sulfites are not responsible for the headaches associated with certain wines among certain subsets of wine consumers. However there are a multitude of compounds that can elicit a physiological response in wine. The Biogenic amines (including histamine from certain lactobacillus and pediococcus species) do have pressor activity and can cause blood vessel

Headaches are NOT an allergic response. More likel...

2012-01-28T10:49:02.575-08:00

Headaches are NOT an allergic response. More likely the vasoactive effect of alcohol is more of a factor.

People have claimed oak-derived substances and biogenic amines as the culprits.

Glycoproteins are more likely to cause allergic reactions but not headaches.

Anecdotal evidence aside, the most recent research...

2012-01-27T14:01:25.849-08:00

Anecdotal evidence aside, the most recent research I’ve read seems to conclude that the most likely culprits are bi-products of malolactic fermentation, in particular biogenic amines, such as histamine and tyramine. This makes perfect sense to me, since I typically get headaches from red wines and Chardonnay. Virtually every red wine goes through malolactic fermentation, as do many Chardonnays.<

Hi Blake, I agree with the view that headaches are...

2012-01-27T06:45:02.874-08:00

Hi Blake, I agree with the view that headaches are caused by a combination of the price/quality of the wine and the quantity of alcohol ingested! I thought it was common knowledge that there were more sulfites in white wine (and in dried fruits, and other processed foods) but it would seem not! The "sulfites cause headaches" thing is a bit of an urban legend!

Thank you! This is one of those food myths that ju...

2012-01-27T05:10:52.488-08:00

Thank you! This is one of those food myths that just drive be up the wall.

I think the real problem is drinking too much red wine. In other words, people are "allergic" to hangovers.

I am convinced that it is the use of lower quality...

2012-01-27T04:46:06.994-08:00

I am convinced that it is the use of lower quality oak, or oak chips, specifically from American oak species, which cause red wine headaches for most people. Higher quality wines use real oak barrels, and wines from Europe obviously have European oak species for their oak barrel aging. There is some substance or group of substances in lower quality American oak that cause headaches.

I wrote about this very thing several years ago. I...

2012-01-26T17:56:03.243-08:00

I wrote about this very thing several years ago. I have lost count of how many times I have had to explain that sulfite allergies a) are almost exclusively manifest in breathing problems, not headaches, and b) you'd already know it if you had it because you've already eaten thousands of foods containing WAY more sulfites than wine...

Thank you, Sean, that makes my day! I'm glad...

2012-01-26T14:25:55.989-08:00

Thank you, Sean, that makes my day!

I'm glad to hear your solution to the headache problem was so simple.

Unfortunately, even if you had unlimited time and money, and an unlimited capacity to give yourself headaches for scientific purposes, you couldn't use your data to figure out what actually causes you problems, because wineries are never going to give out

Blake: The only variable for me seems to be qualit...

2012-01-26T12:56:07.390-08:00

Blake: The only variable for me seems to be quality/price.

I initially thought it might have been old world vs. new world wines. Most of my early wine experience was limited to relatively inexpensive ($10 to $15) Chilean, South African and Australian wines. I started drinking better wine ($25 to $35 range) about two years ago primarily from France and Italy, and my headaches were a

John: Please do, though please ensure that my blog...

2012-01-26T09:47:18.284-08:00

John: Please do, though please ensure that my blog title is on the printout. That way I'll get visits from the angry dissenters, and what the hell, readers are readers.

Katherine: That's a can of parasites. Fortunately, people who misunderstand their red wine headaches aren't putting the rest of us at risk.

Blake, May I print a copy of this story for visito...

2012-01-26T08:42:45.483-08:00

Blake, May I print a copy of this story for visitors to my tasting room?

I say much the same thing, and it would be nice to follow up with your article.

Thanks!

The "sulfite allergy sufferers" remind m...

2012-01-26T08:41:01.732-08:00

The "sulfite allergy sufferers" remind me of the vaccine avoiders. No matter how much evidence they are presented proving the contrary is true, they continue in their beliefs.

Sean: That's a really interesting story. Have ...

2012-01-25T17:29:23.334-08:00

Sean: That's a really interesting story. Have you tried to isolate other variables? What price ranges are we talking about?

This is a generalization but I think a fair one: Cheap wines go through more processing in the winery, and are more likely to have more additives. They're also more likely to have more chemicals applied in the vineyard, because hand-farming with low

I used to think I had a problem with sulfites, as ...

2012-01-25T15:45:34.758-08:00

I used to think I had a problem with sulfites, as I often (if not always) developed a headache shortly after drinking red wine. About a year ago, I started drinking better quality wine, and I don't seem to experience the headaches any more. Just in case anyone needed any more justification to spend more money on quality wine....

The answer is most likely glycoproteins...

2012-01-25T14:09:42.961-08:00

The answer is most likely glycoproteins...

Good on you, Blake. Maybe if enough voices speak u...

2012-01-25T11:31:06.606-08:00

Good on you, Blake. Maybe if enough voices speak up about this nonsense people will start to get it.

I won't hold my breath, though.

I put up a similar piece back in 2006, and it is still pulling several comments a month from sputtering crackpots insisting that they are allergic to sulfites.

Blake, since November 2005 wines sold in EU must h...

2012-01-25T10:49:42.656-08:00

Blake, since November 2005 wines sold in EU must have the "contains sulfites" warning (and in many languages, so it takes a lot of the back label space) if they contain more than 10 parts per million, so people claiming they don't get headaches in Europe might have been drinking only older vintages. In fact I know a guy who claims that he does not get a headache only if he drinks a