Wasp venom found in very young wine can cause severe allergic reactions, say doctors in Spain.
Doctors at the Rio Hortega hospital in Valladolid, Spain, treated five people who had developed allergic reactions as a result of drinking wine or grape juice.
Although four of the patients suffered facial flushing, swollen lips or difficulty breathing, one developed anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction that rapidly constricts the airways and can cause death within minutes if left untreated.
All five patients survived and were subsequently tested to find the cause of the allergic reactions. Although the allergens were originally believed to be linked to sulphites, egg whites, used in fining wine, or grape extract, these were ruled out and further tests revealed a link to bee or wasp stings.
None of the patients reported being stung but all were linked by having drunk either wine or grape juice. Subsequent tests showed that trace amounts of wasp venom in the drinks had provoked the reactions.
'It is likely the insects fell into the grape juice when the grapes were being pressed,' Dr Alicia Armentia at the Rio Hortega told medical publication the New Scientist.
However, she suggested that the risk was minimal and only present in very young wines, both red and white, as the proteins in the venom would deteriorate after several weeks ageing.
Dr Alicia Armentia's full report, entitled Wine-Induced Anaphylaxis and Sensitization to Hymenoptera Venom appears in the The New England Medical Journal today.
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I've been saying for years that whatever is blowing in the wind the day the grapes were picked has to do with allergic reactions, and not sulphites. I think the idea that wasps fell into the fermenters makes perfect sense. I have had wine from the same producer, from different vintages, and have encountered (from the first taste) sneezing, turning red, and once couldn't breathe. I think allergic reactions can also come from the barrels, and chemicals used to clean them. I talk to many people that would bet money that sulphites are the culprit, but I've never believed it, this confirms my beliefs. There are more sulphites is canned tuna or dried fruits.
Anon
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I've been saying for years that whatever is blowing in the wind the day the grapes were picked has to do with allergic reactions, and not sulphites. I think the idea that wasps fell into the fermenters makes perfect sense. I have had wine from the same producer, from different vintages, and have encountered (from the first taste) sneezing, turning red, and once couldn't breathe. I think allergic reactions can also come from the barrels, and chemicals used to clean them. I talk to many people that would bet money that sulphites are the culprit, but I've never believed it, this confirms my beliefs. There are more sulphites is canned tuna or dried fruits.
