Weird Allergic Reaction

[Natdavis777]

To preface, a colleague I work with is an assistant prof. at Stanford, and he recently told me he makes wine in Napa with friends. His first wine, a cab, had to have been infected. My wife wouldnt drink it, and the aroma reminded me of past lambics I have made... The taste was unpleasant. He recently gave me another bottle of cab, a different kind, and it tastes awesome.

About 30 min after pouring my wife a glass, she pauses what we are watching and asked if she was "red". She in fact was breaking out on the chest, down her side, on the back, and later on the arms with a rash. Murphy's Law, both being medical professionals, we had benadryl in the house, so she downed some of my sons... Her rash later subsided...

My question... She drinks wine (maybe a glass ever other week or so) has no allergies (though I know can change), drinks reds whenver she does have wine, and has never had a reaction... I researched and the only thing I can come up with is sulfites... but she has downed cabs in the past with no issue. Same with alcohol (not that it is often).

I just want to know if this is common, or has happened to anyone else. Obviously she will drink wine again, and if its up to me it will be a cab (I'd be the most unethical scientist and would obviously have some prednisone/benadryl on hand) to see if it happened again... I just find this very odd...

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

You know some people are sensitive to sulfites. The amout used varies in comercial wines, and aging I suppose changes the sulfites. If your friend used a kit that was meant to be drinkable early is could be that the sulfites didn't get to age, as compared to comercial wine. By the way, I'm just giving an educated guess here. I had broke out in hives purely from stress, and just couldn't identify anything new that was introduced. Glad the Benadryl worked.

 

[theDREWery]

Sulfites in red wines tend to be in the 20-40 ppm range, whites in the 60-80 ppm range. Frozen potatoes are packaged at about 300 ppm. So if it is sulfites, french fries would kill you.

Many people seem to think they have a sulfite allergy or sensitivity when they have a reaction to wine because it's on the label, but wine is the only product required to put a warning on the label. Higher levels are found in dry fruits, frozen potatoes, and a bunch of other things.

Many fining agents could cause reactions if they were still in solution. Isinglass is made from fish, chitosan is made from shellfish, gelatin is made from connective tissue...

Best solution is ask your friend about his process and get tested for allergies. Having benadryl on hand never hurts either!

 

[masonsjax]

Is your wife of the Asian persuasion by chance?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_flush_reaction

 

[Natdavis777]

Is your wife of the Asian persuasion by chance?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_flush_reaction

Negative. But I do remember reading about that a few years ago.

It was definitely hives and not just erythema. This has never happened to her before so I am wondering if it is just A) A reaction from an additive, or B) has she developed a new allergy to an ingredient.

I know it wouldnt be isenglass or gelatin because I have fined ample beer with those that she has drank with no issue.

I will have to wait until later this week when I work with him to find out the process. Thanks for the insight/responses.

 

[torilen]

Does your wife have normal allergies...say to ragweed or hay fever or such things? Is it possible the friend's winery uses chamomile at all as an additive in their wine?

I ask because of this: I do not drink chamomile tea any more. A few years ago, I realized that every time I drank chamomile tea, it made me cough badly, and I would start feeling as if I had congestion in my chest. I realized it was an allergic reaction to the chamomile.

The same could happen if I ever drank something made from Dandelion, from what I have read. (I have very bad allergies...basically allergic to air is what I tell people).

Just a thought.

 

[Natdavis777]

She does take zyrtec everyday for some natural allergies so that may be a lead on to something.

 

[Firewalker11]

Interestingly, my wife developed a mild seafood allergy when working at Red Lobster some years back and started to 'blush' when she drank wine after that happened. The Dr told her it was sulfites too but because we work some at a winery, I challenged the chemist to make a some sulfite free wine for her and we found out that it's the alcohol and not the sulfites that trigger the reaction in her.

Her sister also 'blushes' with some wines but not others, some drinks and some beer as well. Why? No idea.

 

[GHBWNY]

Found this on "Prevention" website:


"Wine contains proteins from grapes, bacteria, and yeast, as well as sulfites and other organic compounds. Any one of those components—which are also found in beer and hard liquor—can cause an allergic-like reaction, but red wine is the most likely to cause the unhappy allergic reaction: A specific type of protein allergen called “LTP” is found in the skins of the grapes (white wine is fermented without the grape skins).

So are you allergic to wine? If your typical glass of wine comes with flushing, nasal congestion, and diarrhea, or more severe reactions like vomiting, shortness of breath, or swelling of the lips, mouth, or throat, the answer could be yes."


Maybe something specific in your friend's wine-making process --- or the grapes themselves --- that is different than that of other red wines she drinks?

 

[Barley-and-Hops]

Given the circumstances I would say it was the result of a bloom of a spoilage organism in the wine that produced an adverse chemical that she is sensitive to. There are many different types, but to name one Pediococcus is a bacteria that can produce histamines and other compounds that are thought to cause wine headaches but doesn't necessarily spoil the flavor of the wine like brettanomyces. Commercial wineries keep these organisms fairly under control, but my guess is that if your colleague is a beginner he may have messed up somewhere to allow one of these organisms to flourish.