Are you someone who loves their dinners to be accompanied by some delicious wine? But do you also hate having gluten in anything that you consume?
If you have ever pondered whether wine contains gluten or not, here is some information that will help you better understand the answer to this question.
Wine, in its originality, is a naturally gluten-free product. However, gluten may be added to the finished product of wine as a manufacturing method by some brands.
If you are thinking of how to distinguish a gluten-free wine from one that contains gluten, the tips below will help you determine how you can choose one.
Whether you prefer white or red, wine is always a delight to have, especially when enjoyed as part of a celebration or even on just a self-pampering day. There are probably more benefits to drinking wine than you may think.
With men and women alike, wine categorizes as one of the favorite drinks. However, for both, it has its benefits and drawbacks. But before we get on with the distinguishing of gluten-free wine from any wines that contain gluten, one must understand the composition of wine and what gluten is.
Composition of Wine
The main ingredients of wine are mostly grapes or plums. They may also be different kinds of berries or other like species of fruits. An average-sized grape is composed of pulp, skin, and seeds in the percentage of 75%, 20%, and 5%, respectively.
All the secondary components like minerals, acids, pectin, and the like are a result of the pulp. Simultaneously, the more evident characteristics like the flavor, color, and fragrance are dependent on the skin of the grapes.
Gluten
Gluten is a protein. It is found in grains like wheat, barley, and rye. While gluten does not gravely harm most people, it must be avoided by people with underlying celiac disease or those with an allergy to gluten. Consuming gluten may cause their illness or allergy to be aggravated.
Gluten-Free Wine
As stated earlier, wine in its natural form is gluten-free; the process of manufacturing or storing the wine itself might not be so. The various steps that wine has to undergo to become a finished product may find a home for contamination with gluten.
- The ingredients used in wine are those that do not contain gluten at all.
- Although some brands do have gluten as a part of their manufacturing process, others manufacture it with extra care so that it doesn't allow the wine to be contaminated. They are then able to deliver it to the consumers purely as gluten-free wine.
If your country has a mandatory rule of mentioning ingredients on any consumable, it is easier for you to choose a gluten-free wine. However, if there is no such rule, you probably would have to do your research well about the gluten-free wine brands available to you.
How Does Wine Get Contaminated By Gluten?
Even if the real ingredients of wine are naturally free of gluten, there are two main ways in which the gluten can get into wine and contaminate it.
Through the Storing Barrel
As it is known that aged wine is the best wine, the manufacturers seal up their batches of wine in barrels to help them age. To seal these barrels well and to preserve wine to make it into its finest, the manufacturers have used wheat paste for centuries.
The wheat paste is put along the edges of the barrel to tighten the seal. This wheat paste that is used is rich in gluten. This is why there is a high chance of the wine getting contaminated by this method. However, given the high demand for gluten-free wine now, most manufacturers have switched to an alternate means of sealing and storing by using non-gluten wax substitutes.
These do the work of the wheat paste aptly while also posing no risk of releasing any gluten in the wine. The wine in the barrel is well preserved and sealed by these non-gluten wax substitutes.
Fining
Fining is a process by which a drink like wine or beer is clarified. To clarify the liquid, some fining agents like gelatine, egg whites, casein, carbon, and other ingredients are used. Thus, the wine may come in contact with gluten and get contaminated.
Sometimes one may also use a wheat-based fining agent that contains gluten. However, this is a rare fining agent, and that is why not many manufacturers opt for this. In this process, the fining agents bind all the unwanted molecules and particles together, making them big enough to be eliminated from the drink. This way, the wine gets clarified.
However, it is pertinent to note that no wine can ever be 100% gluten-free. For food or drink to be categorized as gluten-free, the FDA has a standard measurement allowance of 20 ppm of gluten.
Even with 20 ppm of gluten, the food or drink can be classified as gluten-free. This amount is nearly negligible and is not at all harmful enough to cause a reaction amongst those with celiac diseases or allergies gluten.
So why is it so essential to make sure you consume gluten-free wine only? Here are some benefits that you should consider, and they are sure to make you want to check your wine before consuming it.
Gluten-free Wine Benefits
Over the years, consuming gluten-free food has become more of a fad and not truly understood what it means and how it affects your health. Most food and drink companies have taken to producing gluten-free foods and drinks just because the demand for them has gone high.
One reason why gluten-free drinks and food have gained popularity is that celebrities and influencers endorse it. Hence, people look to using it to aid weight loss, boost energy, etc.
But switching to a gluten-free style of eating and drinking holds many more benefits than you would have imagined. It is suitable for those with gluten allergies or celiac disease to go gluten-free but also for everyone else. Here is why you should opt for gluten-free wine whenever you wish to consume it.
Treats Autism
Gluten is said to affect those with autism beneficially. This is why adopting a gluten-free diet helps to treat autism to some extent. Gluten-free wine will be a delicious treat and will also prove beneficial to your health in treating autism.
Infertility
The issue of infertility has tremendously increased over the years. This tends to be aggravated even more with people who are considered to be alcoholics. It is best to go for gluten-free wine or even gluten-free alcoholic drinks in general. This way, you enjoy your drinks and also protect your reproductive health to the best.
Maintaining body weight
The protein that gluten is likely can make you put on unnecessary weight and become unhealthy. Cutting out on gluten by consuming gluten-free wine will help you to lose all your excess weight.
How To Ensure You Are Drinking Gluten-Free Wine
How do you avoid trouble with your health and choose the right gluten-free wine without worrying too much about it?
- Go Natural– First of all, you need to avoid choosing wine coolers and especially all kinds of wine that have and externally added color and flavor. The reason behind this is that the externally added flavor or color might be due to them being made from barley malt and barley containing abundant amounts of gluten like wheat.
It is always better to opt for natural flavor wine and color holding wines. This natural color and flavor are from the skin of the main ingredient like grapes or berries used in the wine making process.
- Check labels– Before zeroing in on choosing one bottle of wine or ordering a glass of wine at a restaurant, ensure that you double-check the label on the wine. Usually, the labels on the wine contain information about the presence or absence of gluten, and if not, you can always look up the brand and ensure that the one you have ordered is free of gluten.
They also mention storing practices at times, which will help you better understand the source of the wine. You, checking the label by yourself, would be much more helpful than depending on some advice that might be ill-informed.
- Stick to specific wineries – Some wineries exclusively take care to produce only gluten-free wine not only in the manufacturing but also in their processing, storing, and clarifying methods.
You can look up information on some wineries which use fining agents that are free of gluten. Some mainly use only egg whites or isinglass or food-grade bentonite clay as fining agents, all of which are entirely free of gluten.
A cumbersome fining method needs to be used for white wines generally, while red wines can be clarified by much more straightforward and lighter processes like aeration. They are thus eliminating the risk of contamination by gluten.
However, when you choose your winery, you must also check their storing methods. The one using oak barrels is the one you should opt for.
Many wineries also use stainless steel containers for aging the wine. While ensuring no risk of gluten, this introduces another risk of metal leaching in the wine. Due to the wine being in contact with the stainless-steel container for an extended period, there are chances that nickel contamination may occur.
Gluten-free Wine Brands
If you need gluten-free wine to use as a marinating method for your food, you must know which kind and brand of wine that would be appropriate to bring out the best flavor.
Some brands take the utmost care to bring to your gluten-free wine. Here are some that you may want to consider giving a try-
- Cupcake Vineyards Reisling
- Cupcake Vineyards Pinot Noir
- Cupcake Vineyards Shiraz
- Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay
- Frey Organic Cabernet Sauvignon
- Frey Biodynamic Sauvignon Blanc
- Stella Rose Stella Pink NV
- Yellow Tail Unwooded Chardonnay
- Yellow Tail Moscato
Gluten-free Wine Online
It is now much easier to find gluten-free wine online, as most wineries have expanded their business customer base online. You can either find a compiled list of all wineries that provide their services online or directly go on to your favorite winery website and order your wine from them. This way, you save yourself the trouble of hunting for your specific choice of wine, but it also solves any problems of the wine being out of stock in your local liquor store.
It also makes for a wonderful gluten-free wine gift basket to present your dear ones if you are running out of gift ideas.
Final Words
The benefits of wine and those of gluten-free wine may, at times, be underrated, but it is is worth the try. Now that you know how to differentiate between gluten-free wine and wines that contain it, you sure can avoid choosing something that may have adverse effects on your health.
After all, wine is a great way to say Bon Appétit and enjoy to your heart’s content. Fine wine never disappointed anyone, and it being gluten-free will only make you merrier.
Cheers!
If you are wondering about gluten content in other alcohol, check out our guide here ——>>>>> https://healthyeahlife.com/is-there-gluten-in-alcohol
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