Is There Gluten in Wine?

We have kindly been given permission to reproduce an article by Rachel Begun, MS, RDN on gluten potentially found in wine:

As wine is made from grapes, it is inherently gluten free. However, there are two control points in the wine making process where gluten may be introduced.  The first is the practice of using a flour paste to seal oak barrels. This seems to be a more common practice in Europe than in the U.S.  The second is the practice of fining, which is done to clarify wine. Gluten can be used to fine wine, but more often a different protein is used.  It seems that when gluten is used to clarify wine that it results in far less than the proposed safety threshold of 20 ppm.

For the most part, it seems to be that wine is generally safe for most coeliacs, but I have to raise the above issues so that each individual can make their own personal decision based on their experiences and level of sensitivity.  It seems that U.S. made wines are less likely to include a wine making process that introduces gluten.

If you are concerned, ask the wine maker if:

1) oak barrels are used to age the wine

2) a gluten-containing paste is used to seal the oak barrel

3) gluten or another protein is used to fine the wine.

This article is kindly reproduced from Rachel Begun’s website.
Rachel is a food and nutrition consultant. You can visit her blog at The Gluten Free RD.
For the full article go to http://rachelbegun.com/ask-the-gluten-free-rd-is-there-gluten-in-wine

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