Sulphite or Sulfite intolerance.

SandwichShortOfAPicnic

SandwichShortOfAPicnic

Forum GOD!
Joined
24 Mar 2023
Local time
6:24 AM
Messages
8,015
Location
Somerset & Costa Tropical Spain
Some folk on here may remember me saying my son has developed quite a bad sulphite allergy.

The thing I've been avoiding acknowledging for years is that I'm pretty sure I don't tolerate them well myself.

I know this because if I drink wine (particularly white wine) even a tiny amount will make my face bright red and the next day the skin on my cheeks is actually blistered, my nose blocks, it sets off quite violent sneezing and I don't feel like I can catch my breath.

Being a coeliac with the usual accompanying dairy intolerance has meant I have not been able to bear the thought of further dietary restrictions.

However when I had some of the 'no added sulphite' cider I bought for my son I had no real problems with it, not even the banging headache alcohol often gives me!

They seem to be in almost everything so the idea of excluding them to see what happens doesn't much appeal!

If you're still reading then thanks for bearing with me, my question is does anyone have any experience or knowledge of sulphites?
 
Last edited:
Well, I do know you can buy wine with no sulphates. But sulphates are not quite the same thing as sulphites which I belive occur naturally in all wine.

I believe the symptoms of sulphite allergy tend to be breathing, asthmatic symptoms.

You may find this interesting because it mentions 'flushing' of the face. What’s the difference between sulfates and sulfites in wine?
 
Last edited:
Morning Glory said:
Well, I do know you can buy wine with no sulphates. But sulphates are not quite the same thing as sulphites which I belive occur naturally in all wine.

I believe the symptoms of sulphite allergy tend to be breathing, asthmatic symptoms.

You may find this interesting because it mentions 'flushing' of the face. What’s the difference between sulfates and sulfites in wine?
Click to expand...
I have bought wine for my son with 'no added sulphites' and they haven't caused him to have a reaction.
Unfortunately without adding extra sulphites they can't control how it matures well so this means lots of variables affect the taste of the end product.
A lot of organic wine producers (who are allowed to add limited amounts of sulphites) will rescue an intended 'no added sulphite' wine by adding sulphites rather than let it go bad.

The number of casks they can get to taste good without controlling the process with sulphites is limited meaning the price of the good ones is high!

But it's not the wine part that bothers me, it's everything else it's in, and that is a heck of a lot of stuff!

I found this article very informative
Sulfite Sensitivity - Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA)

The thing that I'm wondering (that will make is worth a go giving it up) is that they are seeing a link between sulphites and joint pain which is a bit beyond the superficial problems I've considered it gives me.
 
badjak said:
I think you have to start making your own.
It's not that difficult, but you need patience :wink:
Click to expand...
I have all the stuff and had a lesson in what to do at my place from a nice guy called 'Miracle Mickey' named as such because his wine is miraculously good 😆

But I go away too much to take care of it so it's all packed away ready for the day my legs decide they'd rather stay at home!
 
badjak said:
Ah, but the beaut of wine and cider is that you can actually keep ghem for many months under just the air lock.
I'm no longer making wine, but a friend of mine does and his house is full of carboys with airlocks
Click to expand...
Hmm maybe I should have another look into it.
The batch I tried to make and left went very wrong very quickly 🤷‍♀️
 
badjak said:
Ah, but the beaut of wine and cider is that you can actually keep ghem for many months under just the air lock.
I'm no longer making wine, but a friend of mine does and his house is full of carboys with airlocks
Click to expand...
Our basement has several carboys full of wine (cabernet and red zinfandel). My DH makes delicious wine.
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
I have all the stuff and had a lesson in what to do at my place from a nice guy called 'Miracle Mickey' named as such because his wine is miraculously good 😆

But I go away too much to take care of it so it's all packed away ready for the day my legs decide they'd rather stay at home!
Click to expand...
We went on a month-long vacation and the wine is just fine. It does need to be bottled though.
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
Mine went bad in less than a week but I suspect I was just doing things wrong!
Click to expand...
The only participation I have in the wine making process is the consumption part. I used to make beer in college though. It was pretty good but it came from a kit. DH and his cousins press grapes and all that. It's hard work but they've been doing it for years.
 
JAS_OH1 said:
The only participation I have in the wine making process is the consumption part. I used to make beer in college though. It was pretty good but it came from a kit. DH and his cousins press grapes and all that. It's hard work but they've been doing it for years.
Click to expand...
They sound like experts!
I will get back to it at some point but there are some hobbies I’ve marked up for retirement and winemaking is one of them.
When I had my utility clear out recently the demijohn’s are one of the unused items that survived, mostly because ‘Miracle Mickeys’ wine was so good!
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
They sound like experts!
I will get back to it at some point but there are some hobbies I’ve marked up for retirement and winemaking is one of them.
When I had my utility clear out recently the demijohn’s are one of the unused items that survived, mostly because ‘Miracle Mickeys’ wine was so good!
Click to expand...
Yeah their dads and grandpas all made wine together and our youngest daughter and her husband recently got involved. Maybe you should get your sons to participate? Might be fun!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom