Unpleasant reactions to wine

Wine has little or no effect on most people, unless, of course, they drink too much. But there are some it affects, often in rather unpleasant ways, no matter how much they drink.

This is because they have a reaction or they are allergic to one of the many compounds it contains.

Their headaches, dizziness, rashes, flushes or trouble breathing could be caused, for instance, by histamines, biological substances found in many foods, fruit and vegetables, and in wine – especially red wine.

Or their headaches, in particular, could be caused by tannins, which are found in food such as nuts and cheese, in tea and red wine. In fact, they are an integral part of making red wine, a result of the skins being left on the grapes during fermentation to give the wine colour and a sharp taste. Additional tannins can also be added to the mix through aging the wine in wooden barrels.

But what seems most often to get the blame for these many and varied reactions are sulphites in the wine – not only those that occur naturally and prevent microbial growth, but those added later in the form of sulphur dioxide (SO2) to protect the wine from damage by oxygen and again, to prevent little nasties from growing in the wine. Without this extra dose of sulphur the wines would oxidise and turn to vinegar in just months. It allows them to age in the bottle and develop more complex flavours.

Sulphur dioxide's use in this country is allowed as long as the dose does not exceed 250mg per litre or 400mg per litre for certain sweet wines. The volume used, however, is usually much lower and over time the levels drop even further, though the effectiveness of screwcaps in excluding oxygen means it can remain free in reasonably high volumes in younger (1 to 3-year-old) wines.

The problem is that there is no real way for those who might be affected to know how much free sulphur is in the wine and their only choice is to leave the cap on the bottle or take a chance on reacting badly to something that should be a pleasure.

For them, help could now be at hand. The answer has been provided by a Western Australian winemaker who has borrowed from a process used by winemakers the world over to remove bulk preservatives from wine before bottling.

It involves pouring or squirting a measured, dilute level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into a bottle, or a glass of wine before drinking it. It works by saturating the wine with oxygen, neutralising up to 80 per cent of the free sulphur dioxide and making the wine virtually free of preservatives. It is harmless and doesn't affect the flavour or aroma of the wine. The product is called SO2GO and it comes in a 3ml vial and a 5ml spray bottle. The vial is designed to treat one 750ml bottle of wine and costs $2.90. Two squirts from the bottle treats one standard 150ml glass of wine and the contents up to three or four bottles of wine. The spray sells for $7.90.

Since I am not affected by sulphites in wine I can't attest to the effectiveness of SO2GO but I am told by the importer, Ian Isaacs, a director of Scenic Cellars in Taupo, one of the country's most reputable wine merchants, he already has a long list of satisfied customers.

That's great, even if the act of dosing your drink seems to me to intrude upon what is one of life's most pleasurable rituals. But if it means more people can share the experience, then what the hell. Give it a try.