Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Wine And Celiac Disease

meelaf

Recommended Posts

meelaf Newbie
meelaf
Posted

Hi everyone!

I'm a new member. I live in Switzerland, which is a wine producing country and where drinking wine is part of the culture. I was having the usual horrible celiac reactions after drinking wine and couldn't understand the reason why until a friend told me that wheat is used in wine-processing!

Couldn't believe it, so looked it up on the net and, guess what, wheat fibres are used in the clarifying process! Asked a wine rep and he confirmed this - sometimes egg white is used, sometimes izingglass and sometimes WHEAT!

So, bye-bye wine!

Best wishes

meelaf

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted
Hi everyone!

I'm a new member. I live in Switzerland, which is a wine producing country and where drinking wine is part of the culture. I was having the usual horrible celiac reactions after drinking wine and couldn't understand the reason why until a friend told me that wheat is used in wine-processing!

Couldn't believe it, so looked it up on the net and, guess what, wheat fibres are used in the clarifying process! Asked a wine rep and he confirmed this - sometimes egg white is used, sometimes izingglass and sometimes WHEAT!

So, bye-bye wine!

Best wishes

meelaf

Would you please site your references for your conclusion. I have never heard of this.

Perhaps, it's the sulfites in the wine that you are reacting to. All wines contain sulfites with the exception of some US organic wines that do not add sulfites.

Unless you're drinking this:

Open Original Shared Link

Phyllis28 Apprentice
Phyllis28
Posted
Unless you're drinking this:

Open Original Shared Link

Wheat Wine - I shutter just thinking that about it.

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

Wow--read this...

Open Original Shared Link

and this....

Open Original Shared Link

Ridgewalker Contributor
Ridgewalker
Posted
Wow--read this...

Open Original Shared Link

and this....

Open Original Shared Link

OMG!!!! Can it be?! Is this true!? Because I have to say, folks, that if this is true it could explain a year-long medical mystery for me. My mom and I refer to it as Sarah's Sunday Runs. :ph34r::lol: Ahem... Seriously, though, this is kind of depressing.

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Now that's just not fair. Gluten in wine should not be there anymore than fish or bull's blood or egg whites or casein. What's wrong with just grapes and yeast?

.

Article in the Press Democrat saying that wheat is sometime used in the glue on wine barrels.

Open Original Shared Link

The company mentioned in the article that makes fining agents for wines: Page decribes thier fining agents.

Open Original Shared Link

Mad Cow disease from drinking wine?

BBC new article about bull blood being used to clarify wine in France.

Open Original Shared Link

Happy Friday! Yuck. :blink:

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Open Original Shared Link

I would think that should there be any cross contamination from the barrels that it is less that the 200pps. [edit] Accuracy of "gluten-free" labels

I can't find any source for this, but I can't image this (wine containing gluten) to be accurate. Otherwise, there would have been screaming from all the support and lobby organizations for Celiac Awareness even without the lack of labeling laws that pertain to wine industry.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

I don't know, Lisa--I did a quick search this afternoon using the key words "wine" "fining" and "wheat". I was surprised at how much information came up. Vegan wines, evidently, sometimes use wheat and pea protein.

I'm not talking about the glue on the barrel, but the actual ingredient used in clarifying the wine itself. Although, some of us who are extremely sensitive certainly could react to that alone.

Since technically the wheat (or whatever was used to fine the wine) isn't an ingredient, they can get away with not listing it--and not providing a CC warning. For instance, egg is a common fining agent, but how many labels list it...and egg is a top 8 allergan.

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Open Original Shared Link

Here is a listing of common finings in beer and wine, none of which has a wheat derivative.

Could it be that the non-traditional wines may contain wheat as a fining agent? Don't know.

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted
Could it be that the non-traditional wines may contain wheat as a fining agent? Don't know.

Could be.... I'm sure it's not a common thing but it's good to know, nonetheless :)

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted
Could be.... I'm sure it's not a common thing but it's good to know, nonetheless :)

From what I have read so far it seems bentonite clay is pretty commonly used for the fining/clarifying. But there is no way to know what each vinyard uses unless they reveal it. Clay doesn't sound like a bad deal at all. Seems they have a lot of options for what to use.

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted
From what I have read so far it seems bentonite clay is pretty commonly used for the fining/clarifying. But there is no way to know what each vinyard uses unless they reveal it. Clay doesn't sound like a bad deal at all.

I thought the same thing :)

babysteps Contributor
babysteps
Posted

Most wines are "fined" - but not all. There are some wines that specifically say "unfined and unfiltered" on the label, those should be safe as long as your system is okay with grapes & fermentation!!

Or if you already have some wine you can go on the winery's website or call and see if they fine (most wineries do) and if so what they use, if they ever use wheat.

here is a link Open Original Shared Link about red wine reactions and some possible causes, may help explain some of the mechanics.

Some folks with yeast issues react to virtually all alcohol - there are some threads on this site that go into more detail.

Good luck to all finding beverages that work with their bodies :)

Judyin Philly Enthusiast
Judyin Philly
Posted

I took this quote from one of the first 'references Patti listed.

"""Why freak out the ignorant when we are adjusting something that is already there in the wine?" says Clark Smith, chairman of Vinovation Inc., a Sebastopol, Calif.-based wine industry "fix-it shop."

Do you think we are just IGNORANT to try to drink wine anymore? :ph34r::lol:

Oye.........on this 'quote' i'm going to bed

nite all

Judy

FredB Newbie
FredB
Posted

From believing that I was only wheat intolerant I've now worked out that I'm probably reacting to all gluten too (self-diagnoses through trial and error - no help from medics, being told to "just carry on the way I am doing"). Anyway, slowly removing all gluten from my diet I find that one thing left is a reaction to wine, both red and white, which even in small amounts now gives headaches and fatigue for 24 hours.

The hard thing about all this is the huge extent of unlisted gluten use. Even on the celiac web site there is an article that states that all wine is okay. My experience suggests that this is untrue, and that the only real test is ones own reaction. Now I don't trust anything until I've been symptom free after use of any amount - process that gets easier now that I've eliminated almost all sources. I now only drink gluten-free beer.

Ridgewalker Contributor
Ridgewalker
Posted
I took this quote from one of the first 'references Patti listed.

"""Why freak out the ignorant when we are adjusting something that is already there in the wine?" says Clark Smith, chairman of Vinovation Inc., a Sebastopol, Calif.-based wine industry "fix-it shop."

Do you think we are just IGNORANT to try to drink wine anymore? :ph34r::lol:

Oye.........on this 'quote' i'm going to bed

nite all

Judy

Yeah, I was really annoyed with that comment- that guy's quote. Pretty arrogant, and ignorant himself. I think most of us could tell him a thing or two about why it's important for people to know what they're ingesting. <_<

Judyin Philly Enthusiast
Judyin Philly
Posted
Yeah, I was really annoyed with that comment- that guy's quote. Pretty arrogant, and ignorant himself. I think most of us could tell him a thing or two about why it's important for people to know what they're ingesting. <_<

:lol: AGREE 100% Sarah but with people like the 'quoted' know it all.......... I'm just considering the source and will carry on with what I know is safe for me today..............now............the debackel is..................will it still be safe tomorrow. :lol:

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted
From believing that I was only wheat intolerant I've now worked out that I'm probably reacting to all gluten too (self-diagnoses through trial and error - no help from medics, being told to "just carry on the way I am doing"). Anyway, slowly removing all gluten from my diet I find that one thing left is a reaction to wine, both red and white, which even in small amounts now gives headaches and fatigue for 24 hours.

The hard thing about all this is the huge extent of unlisted gluten use. Even on the celiac web site there is an article that states that all wine is okay. My experience suggests that this is untrue, and that the only real test is ones own reaction. Now I don't trust anything until I've been symptom free after use of any amount - process that gets easier now that I've eliminated almost all sources. I now only drink gluten-free beer.

What you are most likely reacting to are sulfites in the wine....that is very common and will give a person the symptoms you listed. Many people automatically think they are ingesting gluten when they react and this is not always the case. The Celiac websites that tell people wine is OK are pretty much correct. As I am a wine drinker, I visited a vineyard near to me and questioned the wine experts on this and they all seemed to be in agreement that they have never heard of a gluten component added to wine in the process. Beer is a big no-no, obviously, but wine is not.

The other issue that many get caught up in is the "hidden" gluten idea. A few of the prominent gluten-free magazines have covered this topic and concluded that it is mainly a myth. With labeling laws being what they are, manufacturer's list what is in a product. If there are any questionable ingredients, the status of that ingredient can easily be made clear with a call to the company. I think most of this confusion is a person's unfamiliarity with food ingredients when first starting out on the diet.

I had severe, advanced celiac disease and if there was any gluten in wine, I would be back in the hospital by now as I drink wine every day. The vast majority of it is gluten-free and if you are reacting, I would bet it's the sulfites. They can produce a reaction as bad as any gluten reaction. Remember, Celiacs can and often do have other food sensitivities so don't always assume a reaction is caused by gluten.

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Hi FredB,

I am cutting out all wine now, due to my feet and ankles swelling. I think I have a reaction to the yeast in the wine. I ate some peanuts with added yeast and had symptoms from that. I usually get the plain peanuts but got the dry roasted Planters for a change and they have yeast added.

Anyway, here is a link to an article about Crohn's patients having antibodies to brewers yeaast in their blood.

Here's a link to an article about baker's yeast antibodies showing up in Crohn's patients. My younger brother had Crohn's.

Open Original Shared Link

babysteps Contributor
babysteps
Posted

For me this thread definitely underscores the 'know your own body' concept!

Luckily I tolerate wine just fine (my spouse's #1 hobby is tasting wine). But I certainly used to love bread and barley, and have decided that my health is a lot more important than eating gluten :)

For those of us celiac's who do not tolerate wine, it may well be a reaction to some non-gluten but still problem-causing component of wine.

For anyone who suspects their trigger from wine is the yeast or the alcohol or the sulfites, it's easy enough to test those from non-wine sources. If you suspect the trigger is related to fining materials, it may be worth some research & experimenting to find a few wines that you can tolerate.

Some of us may come to the conclusion that, whatever the trigger, wine is not something that works in our bodies. Perhaps not the answer we're hoping for, but just the way it is.

In the end, for me my health is more important than being able to eat "anything". The better we know our bodies, the healthier we can become. Even if we are told that we "should" not react to a food, if we *do* react we have the power to avoid it. And add it to the long list of things that are *not* 'all in our heads'.

Healthier is better, and knowledge is power :D

sickchick Community Regular
sickchick
Posted

I quit drinking wine already, but this explains why I get SO sick from one wine and I am fine with another.

Clark Smith's got my blood boiling now :rolleyes:

bastid!

lovelove

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

I thought this link might interest people as it has response from some makers on gluten-free status.

Open Original Shared Link

Also, I got a response from Almaden wine that they cannot guarantee their wines are gluten free. They are the only one I checked on. The web page I linked lists some gluten-free wines though.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,393
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    HeckelCrazy
    Newest Member
    HeckelCrazy
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Coeliac UK Research Conference 2025

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Thanks for sharing this!
    • Scott Adams
      Shingles - Could It Be Related to Gluten/ Celiac

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I had the same thing happen to me at around your age, and to this day it's the most painful experience I've ever had. For me it was the right side of my head, above my ear, running from my nerves in my neck. For years before my outbreak I felt a tingling sensation shooting along the exact nerves that ended up exactly where the shingles blisters appeared. I highly recommend the two shot shingles vaccine as soon as your turn 50--I did this because I started to get the same tingling sensations in the same area, and after the vaccines I've never felt that again.  As you likely know, shingles is caused by chicken pox, which was once though of as one of those harmless childhood viruses that everyone should catch in the wild--little did they know that it can stay in your nervous system for your entire life, and cause major issues as you age.
    • trents
      Blood tests low iGA 4 years later digestive issues

      By trents · Posted

      Keep us posted.
    • Clear2me
      Gluten free nuts

      By Clear2me · Posted

      Thanks for the info. I recently moved to CA from Wyoming and in that western region the Costco and Sam's /Walmart Brands have many nuts and more products that are labeled gluten free. I was told it's because those products are packaged and processed  in different  plants. Some plants can be labeled  gluten free because the plant does not also package gluten products and they know that for example the trucks, containers equipment are not used to handle wheat, barely or Rye. The Walmart butter in the western region says gluten free but not here. Most of The Kirkland and Members Mark brands in CA say they are from Vietnam. That's not the case in Wyoming and Colorado. I've spoken to customer service at the stores here in California. They were not helpful. I check labels every time I go to the store. The stores where I am are a Sh*tshow. The Magalopoly grocery chain Vons/Safeway/Albertsons, etc. are the same. Fishers and Planters brands no longer say gluten free. It could be regional. There are nuts with sugar coatings and fruit and nut mixes at the big chains that are labeled gluten free but I don't want the fruit or sugar.  It's so difficult I am considering moving again. I thought it would be easier to find safe food in a more populated area. It's actually worse.  I was undiagnosed for most of my life but not because I didn't try to figure it out. So I have had all the complications possible. I don't have any spare organs left.  No a little gluten will hurt you. The autoimmune process continues to destroy your organs though you may not feel it. If you are getting a little all the time and as much as we try we probably all are and so the damage is happening. Now the FDA has pretty much abandoned celiacs. There are no requirements for labeling for common allergens on medications. All the generic drugs made outside the US are not regulated for common allergens and the FDA is taking the last gluten free porcine Thyroid med, NP Thyroid, off the market in 2026. I was being glutened by a generic levothyroxin. The insurance wouldn't pay for the gluten free brand any longer because the FDA took them all off their approved formulary. So now I am paying $147 out of pocket for NP Thyroid but shortly I will have no safe choice. Other people with allergies should be aware that these foreign generic pharmaceutical producers are using ground shellfish shell as pill coatings and anti-desicants. The FDA knows this but  now just waits for consumers to complain or die. The take over of Wholefoods by Amazon destroyed a very reliable source of good high quality food for people with allergies and for people who wanted good reliably organic food. Bezos thought  he could make a fortune off people who were paying alot for organic and allergen free food by substituting cheap brands from Thailand. He didn't understand who the customers were who were willing to pay more for that food and why. I went from spending hundreds to nothing because Bezo removed every single trusted brand that I was buying. Now they are closing Whole foods stores across the country. In CA, Mill Valley store (closed July 2025) and the National Blvd. store in West Los Angeles (closed October 2025). The Cupertino store will close.  In recent years I have learned to be careful and trust no one. I have been deleberately glutened in a restaurant that was my favorite (a new employee). The Chef owner was not in the kitchen that night. I've had  a metal scouring pad cut up over my food.The chain offered gluten free dishes but it only takes one crazy who thinks you're a problem as a food fadist. Good thing I always look. Good thing they didn't do that to food going to a child with a busy mom.  I give big tips and apologize for having to ask in restaurants but mental illness seem to be rampant. I've learn the hard way.          I don't buy any processed food that doesn't say gluten free.  I am a life long Catholic. I worked for the Church while at college. I don't go to Church anymore because the men at the top decided Jesus is gluten. The special hosts are gluten less not gluten free. No I can't drink wine after people with gluten in their mouth and a variety of deadly germs. I have been abandoned and excluded by my Church/Family.  Having nearly died several times, safe food is paramount. If your immune system collapses as mine did, you get sepsis. It can kill you very quickly. I spent 5 days unconscious and had to have my appendix and gall bladder removed because they were necrotic. I was 25. They didn't figure out I had celiac till I was 53. No one will take the time to tell you what can happen when your immune system gets overwhelmed from its constant fighting the gluten and just stops. It is miserable that our food is processed so carelessly. Our food in many aspects is not safe. And the merging of all the grocery chains has made it far worse. Its a disaster. Krogers also recently purchased Vitacost where I was getting the products I could no longer get at Whole Foods. Kroger is eliminating those products from Vitacost just a Bezos did from WF. I am looking for reliable and certified sources for nuts. I have lived the worst consequences of the disease and being exposed unknowingly and maliciously. Once I was diagnosed I learned way more than anyone should have to about the food industry.  I don't do gray areas. And now I dont eat out except very rarely.  I have not eaten fast food for 30 years before the celiac diagnosis. Gluten aside..... It's not food and it's not safe.  No one has got our backs. Sharing safe food sources is one thing we can do to try to be safe.        
    • Mmoc
      Blood tests low iGA 4 years later digestive issues

      By Mmoc · Posted

      Thank you kindly for your response. I have since gotten the other type of bloods done and am awaiting results. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.