White wine - allergen?

[Arch]

Years before I knew him, MFWHTBAB stopped eating prawn crackers, because they made his lips swell up. Not anaphylactic levels, but visible and uncomfortably tingly.

Last week, we were out for a meal, and he had a similar reaction, just one side of his top lip. Couldn't place the cause, I wondered if it was the mushroom risotto, but he eats mushrooms normally ok.

Last night, at Mum's, we had a glass of white wine with dinner, and it's happened again. He doesn't normally drink white, preferring red, and we wondered if that was the cause, and maybe there had been some white wine in the risotto.

Is it possible that there's something in white wine, but not in red, which he drinks with no ill effects? Nothing else he ate last night was unusual.

[tiermat]

Could be, I used to work with a girl who could only drink spirits or champagne due to an allergic reaction to wine and beer.

Maybe be sulphites used when clarifying the wine, maybe if the wine producer is really old fashioned they still use Isinglass (though this is rare these days), which is produced from the swim bladder of fish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isinglass

[Mrs Pingu]

Somebody I know through work reckons that he's allergic to white wine with sulphites in it...

[Euan Uzami]

there is definitely something about white wine, my dad's "allergic" to it.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Wine with sulphites in makes me quite wheezy sometimes.

[Jaded]

After a couple of bottles of white wine I get a stonking headache.

[Arch]

Interesting, We can monitor the sulphites thing, because we've got a bottle of red with sulphites in here.

It's no problem for him to avoid white, as he prefers red, and has never noticed this effect with red. Although I'd be surprised if he'd never had red with sulphites in....

It's going down a bit now at least!

[Regulator]

All wines have sulphites in them at different concentrations.  Some people are sensitive to sulphites but in such cases they would tend to be sensitive to all forms of wine.

If MFWHTBAB is reacting to something in white wine but not red wine, it's unlikely to be the sulphites but could be something like the yeast allergens or some of the other additives that some winemakers put in (e.g. tartrazine or sodium benzoate).  If it was a cheaper white wine with a yellowish/goldish tinge, then I'd suggest it might be tartrazine...

[Morrisette]

No advice for you, but my dad reckons he is allergic to only red wine, so they are obviously different to each other somehow. Same symptoms, tingling lips etc.

[Arch]

All wines have sulphites in them at different concentrations.  Some people are sensitive to sulphites but in such cases they would tend to be sensitive to all forms of wine.

If MFWHTBAB is reacting to something in white wine but not red wine, it's unlikely to be the sulphites but could be something like the yeast allergens or some of the other additives that some winemakers put in (e.g. tartrazine or sodium benzoate).  If it was a cheaper white wine with a yellowish/goldish tinge, then I'd suggest it might be tartrazine...

Yeah, I thought sulphites were fairly widespread.

It was a £10 bottle of wine (Hardys) on offer half price in Morrisons, so I wouldn't call it cheap, but I'm aware that my ideas of cheap and expensive vary a lot from some people's...

[COG]

According to my pet monkey*, wine is sometimes fined with  a fish extract (isinglass) it could be this.



*Not really a monkey but he did live on a French winery for a few years and now will not touch the stuff.

[rafletcher]

Oak - Hardys being Aus, and them having a habit of chucking handfuls of oak chips in the "oak" the wine, as they use ss vats?

[Sergeant Pluck]

When I used to drink, some beers and white wines would send me into lengthy uncontrollable sneezing fits.

[Fab Foodie]

At our factory we label Sulphites as allergens when present in our formulations. They are not added but are generally present at very very low levels as a residue from Starch production.

http://www.allergynutrition.com/resources/FAQ/15/Foods%20Most%20Frequently%20Associated%20with%20Allergy.pdf

[pcolbeck]

Could be, I used to work with a girl who could only drink spirits or champagne due to an allergic reaction to wine and beer.

But champagne is just white wine with added CO2.

[rafletcher]

Could be, I used to work with a girl who could only drink spirits or champagne due to an allergic reaction to wine and beer.

But champagne is just white wine with added CO2.

Indeed - and what's more it's Chardonnay with bubbles (though not "added" really)

[Regulator]

According to my pet monkey*, wine is sometimes fined with  a fish extract (isinglass) it could be this.



*Not really a monkey but he did live on a French winery for a few years and now will not touch the stuff.

Relatively few wineries use isinglass now, as there are cheaper alternatives. 

Isinglass is still commonly used in the British brewing industry, particularly for 'real ale'.

[tiermat]

According to my pet monkey*, wine is sometimes fined with  a fish extract (isinglass) it could be this.



*Not really a monkey but he did live on a French winery for a few years and now will not touch the stuff.

Relatively few wineries use isinglass now, as there are cheaper alternatives. 

Isinglass is still commonly used in the British brewing industry, particularly for 'real ale'.

Ahem, can I refer you to the first reply?

[Arch]

Hmmm. Last night, he drank red, I drank white.  Overnight, his lip swelled up again, with added red lumps on his arms.

Which suggests that if it is white, it can affect him merely picking it up off my lips by kissing me!

He thinks the additional arm rash might be because he didn't take an antihistamine straight away on noticing the swelling this time.

He drank red during the week with no ill effect, so we don't think it was last night's red that did it.