Sneezing When You Drink Wine? 5 Common Culprits and How to Avoid Them

We all know wine comes with its fair share of effects, some desirable and others less so! But sneezing? It’s more common than many of us realise. Growing up, I always knew when my father had enjoyed a glass of red wine. His almighty sneezes seemed to shake the entire house! Now, I find myself experiencing the same reaction, so let’s explore why it happens and what you can do about it.

Research shows that around 8% of people experience symptoms like nasal congestion, flushed skin, or even headaches while drinking wine. If any of this sounds familiar to you, you might be sensitive to one of wine’s many components. The good news is that once you identify the triggers, there are ways to reduce or even prevent these reactions, without having to ditch wine altogether.

In this blog, I’ll break down the most common culprits behind sneezing and other allergy-like symptoms when drinking wine and share some practical strategies to help you manage them, so that you can get back to sipping without sneezing.

Histamines

The fermentation and ageing process of making wine directly produces histamines, the chemicals your body makes in response to allergy triggers. This leads to allergy symptoms like a runny nose, stuffy sinuses, and sneezing.

In response to this, many countries have recommended maximum histamine levels for wines, ranging from 2 mg/L in Germany to 10 mg/L in Austria. However, studies have found that a large percentage of red and white wines exceed these recommendations. Most wines don’t state their histamine content on the label, which can make it difficult to know what you’re choosing.

Some people are more sensitive to histamine than others – if you’re prone to allergies or have a histamine intolerance, the histamine content of wine might be the cause of these symptoms.

What to do

Look for wines with lower histamine levels, usually white wines, organic wines or sparkling wines. Some winemakers do choose to state their histamine content, particularly if it’s low. For example, Italian winemaker Peri Bigogno produces wines with a certified histamine content under 0.5 mg/L.

Supplements and herbal teas including quercetin, nettle, tulsi and vitamin C may help to reduce histamine reactions, and I recommend you take these in combination before and after consuming the wine.

Sulphites

Sulphites are often added to wine as preservatives to keep them fresh and prevent oxidation, but they can also be created naturally during the process of winemaking. According to the UK Food Standards Agency, nearly all wines exceed 10mg/L of sulphur dioxide.

While most people don’t have a problem with sulphites, those who are sensitive to them might experience allergy-like symptoms, including sneezing, after drinking wine with them. You might be sensitive to sulphites if you also react to mustard and dried fruits like dried apple rings, dried pears, apricots, raisins, prunes, and figs.

What to do

Look for wines labelled “sulphite-free” or “low sulphite”. Epsom salt baths may help with sulphite sensitivity over time, as well as a mineral called molybdenum which can be taken as a supplement. Molybdenum can help the liver cope with the excess sulphites in your system.

Tannins

Tannins are natural compounds found in many plants, including the skins, seeds, and stems of grapes. These are what give wine its bitterness, mouthfeel, and complex flavours, as they seep into the wine during the winemaking process. Tannins are more abundant in red wines but can also be present in white wines too.

Studies have found benefits to consuming small amounts of tannin due to its natural antimicrobial and histamine regulating effects. However, high amounts of tannins may irritate you, and some of us may be intolerant to tannins altogether.

If you are intolerant to tannins, you may also react in the same way to coffee, tea, nuts, chocolate, cider, and some leafy green vegetables.

What to do

If you react to the tannins in red wine, then you might find it easier on your system to choose white and sparkling wines. Some people are super sensitive to all wines and get on better with another low-tannin alcohol such as gin, vodka, rum, or tequila.

Alcohol

Alcohol itself can cause blood vessels to dilate, which can lead to swelling, nasal congestion, and excessive mucus drainage. These symptoms can also make the nasal passage more sensitive, leading to sneezing. This reaction will happen whatever alcohol you consume, whether it is drunk or added to main courses or puddings.

What to do

Drinking plenty of water, limiting and slowing down alcohol consumption, and eating before drinking can help to reduce the vasodilation effects of alcohol.

Mould

Mould is quite unlikely even in older wines. But if you think your wine is contaminated by mould, it is best to discard it as it can be worse for you than just sneezing. You should be able to see any mould as a film on top of the wine. If you see mould on the ouside of the cork, that does not necessarily mean the wine is contaminated.

What to do

Younger wines like crisp whites and rosés, and anything with a screw top is far less likely to have mould. If you see mould around the cork of an older bottle, make sure that you clean it off very thoroughly before opening, and take care there is minimal contamination from the cork.

Some say, to minimise mould content, consume wine as quick as you can(!)

Round Up

There are several potential reasons for allergic reactions such as sneezing to wine, so understanding which trigger you’re dealing with is vital to putting in ways to prevent a violent sneezing fit.

If even one glass of wine makes you feel rotten or sends you sneezing and you want to explore why this is happening, then make an appointment with our clinical team and we can help you to find out which triggers you’re dealing with and recommend next steps to manage them.

References

• Histamine and histamine intolerance
• Allergic and intolerance reactions to wine
• Levels of histamine and other biogenic amines in high-quality red wines
• Variation in content of tyramine, histamine, 2-phenylethylamine, tryptamine and their precursor amino acids in a Chardonnay wine by using different commercial active dry yeasts and nitrogen sources
• UK Food Standards Agency – Allergens Labelling for Wine
• Tannin inhibits histamine release
• Are tannins a double-edged sword in biology and health?
• Tannins in Foods: Nutritional Implications and Processing Effects on Hydrothermal Techniques on Underutilized Hard-to-Cook Legume Seeds-A Review
• Quercetin with the potential effect on allergic diseases
• Effects of repeated oral intake of a quercetin-containing supplement on allergic reaction: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind parallel-group study
• Recent Advances in Potential Health Benefits of Quercetin
• Nettle extract (Urtica dioica) affects key receptors and enzymes associated with allergic rhinitis 
• Chemical Composition and Immuno-Modulatory Effects of Urtica dioica L. (Stinging Nettle) Extracts
• Efficacy of Supportive Therapy of Allergic Rhinitis by Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) root extract: a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo- Controlled, Clinical Trial
• The Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Tulsi in Humans: A Systematic Review of the Literature 
• Tulsi – Ocimum sanctum: A herb for all reasons  
• Influence of Orally Taken Vitamin C on Histamine Levels and Motion Sickness
• Histamine and ascorbic acid in human blood 
• Impact of oral vitamin C on histamine levels and seasickness  
• Molybdenum – NIH
• Molybdenum – Linus Pauling   
• Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)