Gluten in my wine- isn’t it naturally gluten free?
Wondering where that random stomach upset is coming from? Muddling through the murk of everything you consumed last night- what was the culprit? Could it be from your favorite vino or that “gluten free” hamburger and fries you had?
Thankfully there are professionals to help us sift through these kind of questions. Feeling sick regularly is never fun and it’s really hard on your body in the long run. Our go-to professional for this gluten contaminated wine barrel question is Tricia Thompson MS, RD of Glutenfreedietician.com
Here’s some hard data from Tricia on the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB):
On May 24th 2012 the TTB “released an interim policy on the labeling of alcoholic beverages under its jurisdiction. The TTB regulates almost all alcoholic beverages. {Exceptions include beer made without malted barley, wines containing less than 7% alcohol by volume, and hard ciders containing less than 7% alcohol by volume. The aforementioned beverages are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration}…
In the past, the TTB has not allowed gluten-free claims on beverages under their jurisdiction stating the following to me in written correspondence, “The Bureau considers labels that declare a product to be “gluten free” or lead to the impression that a product is safe for those who suffer from celiac disease as making health claims, which are prohibited.”
Changes in policy have led to the following:
- Many alcohol beverage products subject to the FAA Act are produced without any ingredients that contain gluten
- A product may be “gluten-free” if produced using solid manufacturing practices, preventing cross-contamination, and didn’t use products or storage materials with gluten.
- TTB is allowing a “gluten-free” claim on labeling and advertising.
- Responsibility falls to the manufacturer of the product to stand behind the product as gluten free
What does this equate to? If you see a wine that is labeled gluten-free it basically means that they are not using a barrel as a storage device. This gives the green light to your imbibing- gluten free style.
According to Tricia, the more expensive red wines tend to be aged longer and stored in barrels. Does this mean drinking cheap wines won’t make you sick? That’s a loaded question… you may not get sick from gluten but perhaps from the cheap wine itself!
With her investigation, Tricia has found some interesting facts. When wheat paste is used, it is most commonly placed on the barrel heads not the staves. The amount of wheat paste used in barrel heads is in fact very minimal. Tricia decided to find out just how minimal it really is, and the results may be music to your ears if you are a wine lover- and have celiac disease.
As for Tricia’s final testing results (you can find a full report on her website)
“Wine has always been considered naturally gluten-free. Wine aged in oak barrels sealed with wheat paste appears to be gluten-free. Because the possibility of gluten in wine is an issue that consumers are slowly becoming aware of, it is important for vintners to be fully transparent about their practices.
However, the TTB should consider allowing wine aged in oak barrels sealed with a gluten-containing paste to be labeled gluten-free based on testing with the sandwich R5 ELISA. Because wine is a fermented product, the competitive ELISA also can be used to help ensure that hydrolyzed gluten protein is not present in the final product at levels considered harmful to individuals with celiac disease.”