I just had a physician in the store asking about glutens in fining agents. He has some patients dealing with auto-immune diseases and would like them to avoid gluten but still be able to enjoy wine. Two questions:
Am I correct in assuming that casein, gelatin, egg whites and isinglass are all safe?
How frequently is hydrolyzed wheat gluten isolate used?
Many thanks for any and all input.
Hi Richard!
All of the things you mention are safe.
I have never seen any kind of wheat product used in wine. That being said, I would imagine the majority of products used are yeast derived. Unless those yeasts are grown on wheat products (I have read that brewers used spent yeast from the brewing process that may have had contact with wheat/barley), I can’t imagine they would be unsafe. Not sure how you would find that out, anyhow.
As a celiac myself I did quite a bit of research on the yeast topic. It’s difficult to find a lot of information but a few companies I talked to said they used commercial sugars to grow the yeast cultures and that very little of that material is included with the yeast.
From an anecdotal perspective, I have a common rash-like side affect when I digest gluten - and which I’ve never had from consuming wine.
The fining agent with gluten is an urban myth in my opinion. There is no such thing.
A few years ago the University of Washington or Washington State(please don’t make me google it) did a study on alternative fining agents. Gluten was one agent they tested and they also tested to find out if gluten would be present in wine if it was used as a fining agent and then racked and filtered. The results of the study where that gluten was less than 20ppm (needed to be labeled gluten free). As far as I can tell from some pretty extensive searches that’s the entire scope of wine and gluten fining. I’ve never heard of anyone using it, known anyone to use it, seen it in any wine supply catalog, trade publication, or any other medium.
What seems to have happened is that the study was published, some bloggers made assumptions that wheat/gluten was used as a fining agent (even though it’s not), and those assumptions have been repeated to the point that gluten has become a fining agent even though it has never been used as a fining agent except in that one university study.
Paul,
Any thoughts on the flour that is often used by barrel makers in sealing the heads of the barrels? Any of that make it into the wine?
Adam Lee
Siduri Wines
Adam,
I think that’s largely a myth also. I did a ton of gluten research this summary when I went gluten free on a dare/bet for three weeks. I couldn’t find a cooper who said they used flour paste anymore. The only reference to it was to fix leaking barrels with a usual note that it’s not done in the U.S. and only done by some winemakers in Europe. I read lots of rebuttals of that and if gluten would be present in wine. Basic answer was no there is no gluten in wine ever. It just seems to be one of those things that spreads about wine based mainly on the fact people don’t want to say they drank too much so it must be something else.
Have you ever used wheat paste to seal a barrel? I don’t know of anyone who has and I have some old time, dirty ass winemakers around here who would stick a boot in a barrel if they thought it would save them 50 cents on their hot water bill and no one’s ever said they use wheat paste. It just seems like a weird urban legend from all the reading I did.
Paul, name some of those guys, we may want to try their wines!
Actually, our production manager used to use flour to reseal the barrel heads after they had been popped out for bbl ferm reds. I think it was mostly on the outside, though. Hmm…never really had thought of that before…
I’m not going to name names, but I’ve had recent conversations with coopers and flour paste is still prevalent.
Todd,
I PM’ed Paul…but same thing with me…a big cooper than owns other cooperage houses. – But I still haven’t seen any studies or evidence that it ends up in the wine in any measurable way.
Adam Lee
Siduri Wines
Right Adam, I think the end amount is puny. But it’s in there…
Answered the PM Adam. Mine don’t, or claim they dont’, I asked in the Spring but I use smaller coopers. I also found no study or evidence of gluten being in wine when I was doing my diet research. I had one friend check the NIH database and he found nothing as well.
There’s one guy whose wines tastes like he uses cockroach fogger to sterilize his ancient barrels. You sure you want to try?
One man’s cockroach fogger aroma is another’s killer Chinon…
Here’s a link to an article summarizing a study; https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/13a88ed8b5c385b9
The gist is that there is no measurable gluten in barrel aged wines.
Stewart - I’d love to see that article but couldn’t get that link to work. Is there another way to access it? Thanks.
Sorry about that. The link should be available at wineindustryinsite.com and I think the original article is on celiac.com if the address below doesn’t work
[http://www.wineindustryinsight.com/RSS//index.php/hop/latest/is-wine-aged-in-wheatglued-oak-barrels-glutenfree-celiaccom/84481[url](http://www.wineindustryinsight.com/RSS//index.php/hop/latest/is-wine-aged-in-wheatglued-oak-barrels-glutenfree-celiaccom/84481[url)][/url]
Got it - thank you very much!